Claim: "With (Marr's) tax increases, it's hurting my employees and my business and the last thing I need right now is an income tax," said Julie (who doesn't give a last name and claims to be a Spokane business owner).Source: TV ad from "Spokane Families…
Three polls of Washington's U.S. Senate race released in the last 24 hours have different numbers, but actually conclude the same thing: The race is very close.Rasmussen Research late Thursday had the race at 47 percent Dino Rossi, 46 percent Patty Murray. It's a survey…
Hundreds of thousands of ballots in Washington state are going to be mailed in the next four days.Here are a few reminders:Sign the outer envelope. If you live in a home with more than one voter, be sure you are signing your envelope, because the…
Claim: "Chris Marr (D) has wasted too much time in Olympia. (He) voted to designate the Olympic Marmot the official endemic mammal of the State of Washington, voted to create Christmas tree inspectors, voted to require truth in music advertising (and) voted to designate the…
Claim: "Michael Baumgartner pledged to outlaw all abortions - and to not allow women and their families to decide what's best when facing serious medical complications in their pregnancies."Source: Mailer from Healthy PAC, which is funded completely by Safety PAC, which is funded mostly by…
The Hill, a Washington, D.C., newspaper that focuses on Congress and politics, speculates today that Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers would move up in GOP leadership next year.It assumes a couple of things, including that Rep. Mike Pence, the person above her in the Republican leadership,…
A Democratic political strategist active in shadowy independent ads in a Spokane legislative campaign faces court sanctions for campaign violations in an Everett primary race.Lisa MacLean's tactics to hide who was contributing to efforts to sway the 38th District state Senate primary were so “reprehensible”…
OLYMPIA -- The state Public Disclosure Commission voted today to ask Attorney General Rob McKenna to seek civil penalties prosecute a liberal political strategist for concealing the sources of money that helped defeat a Democratic incumbent in the August primary. The violations are so severe,…
Spokane County Elections Office reported collecting 10,745 ballots this morning, bringing the total to 87,854 for the general election. Turn-in stands at 33.65 percent countywide, although a bit lower in the city of Spokane and significantly lower in the 3rd Legislative District, a Democratic stronghold.The…
Voters who need a bit more information about a candidate or an issue before marking their ballot need not despair – or, worse yet, rely on the latest negative commercial or attack mailer they’ve seen.Voter information is actually in plentiful supply for voters with access…
Here's something for numbers geeks and political wonks to debate in discussing whether voter turnout (or turn-in) in Spokane County may be trending up. Tuesday's ballot count is the highest so far in this election.As mentioned last week, the Tuesday after ballots go out is…
The Spokane version of Jon Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity" will feature comedian Paula Poundstone Saturday, organizers said.Poundstone is in Spokane for a couple of shows. Organizers asked her to come by Riverfront Park for the event. She said yes.The rally is Stewart's send-up of…
OLYMPIA -- The Secretary of State's Office blog has a daily feature this week on campaign literature from past campaigns in Washington state collected by the State Archives. It's in honor of something or other that happens next Tuesday.Today's comes from Dan Evans' 1964 campaign…
OLYMPIA - Most days, the revenue news out of the state capital is grim. But Tuesday state officials had a bit of good news: the state is getting $11.7 million in a settlement over the way some accounts in the state pension funds were handled.State…
First Lady Michelle Obama campaigned for Patty Murray today in Bellevue.The Spokesman-Review didn't send a reporter. No disrespect to the First Lady, but our closest reporter is in Olympia, and while he made the trip to Seattle for the president, and another to Tacoma earlier…
U.S. Sen. John McCain tried to give a boost to Republican Dino Rossi's chances of joining him in the Senate by saying Democrat Patty Murray "engages in a corrput practice."McCain stepped an inch back from calling Murray, a three-term incumbent with whom he's had significant…
Washington voters have until close of business today to register to vote, and they'll have to go to their local county elections office to register in person.You'll need some form of identification that lists the address of your residence, like a driver's license or a…
Monday is the last day to register to vote in Washington state for the Nov. 2 election.Honest. No kidding. That's it.And if you aren't registered now, but want to vote, you're going to have to do a little bit to be able to exercise your…
After President Barack Obama stopped in a Seattle neighborhood for a “backyard conversation”, the Washington State Republican Party complained that this was nothing but a political event for which Sen. Patty Murray’s re-election campaign should be charged.Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. The 35 or…
SEATTLE -- President Barack Obama said skeptical voters should challenge Republican candidates who are calling for smaller budgets, demanding that they explain how they'd shrink the government.Appearing in a northeast Seattle neighborhood for a "backyard conversation" with about 35 local residents, Obama defended policies his…
SEATTLE--Women have made great strides, so they make up half the workforce, but still face problems with lower wages, President Obama told participants in a "back yard discussion."Women, like men, have trouble getting loans, he said. They know that the middle class has been under…
SEATTLE -- The streets of the Wedgewood neighborhood in northeast Seattle are lined with people hoping to catch a glimpse or a photo of President Barack Obama, who is scheduled to hold a backyard discussion here shortly after 10 a.m.Parents have children in patio chairs…
Young voters who might be slacking off on their civic duty might be prompted to mark and mail their ballots on Halloween with a get out the vote effort organizers are calling "Trick or Vote."Washington Bus and NextUp Spokane, a pair of non-profits, will be…
A startling statistic, courtesy of the state Public Disclosure Commission and Secretary of State's offices: Neary three times as much money has been raised by the campaigns for and against the ballot measures as the combined total raised by all legislative, judicial, county and city…