State Representative Pos. 2
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| John Ahern (R) | 32,133 | 51.78% |
| John F. Driscoll (D) | 29,923 | 48.22% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
The Candidates
John Ahern
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 91
- Occupation:
- Business owner, former Washington Representative
His Words: “I’d be glad to give you a full blown interview after I win the election. Like a colleague of mine said to me in the House, he pulled me aside and said, ‘Ahern, what you don’t say can’t hurt you.’”
His Pitch: According to what Ahern has said at open forum during Spokane City Council meetings, under Stuckart the City Council has lunged to the left, making the city undesirable for businesses and unsafe for citizens. As the council’s leader, Ahern would outlaw marijuana and move to clamp down on immigrants who are in Spokane illegally.
Notable Experience: Former Republican legislator who served five terms in the House of Representatives between 2001 and 2012. Unsuccessfully challenged Councilman Jon Snyder in 2013, when he won 35 percent of the vote. Long-time owner of Janco products.
Education: Graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. Earned bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Denver.
Neighborhood: Comstock
Related Media
Complete Coverage
Museums make case to avoid cutbacks
OLYMPIA – The proposed state budget would “mothball” the Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane and another facility in Tacoma, shutting out the public and possibly running afoul of federal law on Native American artifacts, a legislative panel was told Thursday. Directors of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture and the State History Museum in Tacoma said Gov. Chris Gregoire’s budget plan for 2011-’13 cuts them back so severely that they would cease most operations.
Washington has hefty agenda, but financial concerns top list
Washington’s Legislature starts Monday with a single-mindedness even some of its most senior members have never seen. Across party lines, and between the chambers, among freshmen and veterans, few will dispute the 105-day session’s top priority.
Mapping the vote: 6th District House race
Mapping the vote: 6th District House race
Voters vent frustrations with GOP gains in county, state
Democrat Chris Marr conceded defeat Wednesday night in the record-breaking million-dollar battle for a Spokane County state Senate seat. Marr made up some ground in the second day of ballot counting against Republican Michael Baumgartner, but he said it was too little to make a difference.
State Rep. John Driscoll
State Rep. John Driscoll, a Democrat, talks about the early returns in Spokane County on Tuesday night, Nov. 2, 2010.
State candidates took BP campaign contributions
Several area state legislators accepted campaign contributions from a BP employees’ political action committee after this year’s disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico – including two Democrats in tough re-election battles. BP political action committees have given to almost 50 campaigns in Washington since the spill.
Youth forum evokes best in politicians
Seen the new attack ad on Chris Marr? I won’t repeat any of it, other than to note that it formally marked the moment when the local election season went from discouraging to scumbaggy. As it always does. This is the wearying season for people who follow politics. Things get stupider and meaner as they become more important. But on Thursday night – while Patty Murray and Dino Rossi slugged it out at KSPS – there was another event on the Spokane political calendar that offered a reminder of the other, sometimes invisible political world.
Ahern skips televised debates
Ahern skips televised debates
Driscoll, Ahern outline differences
State Rep. John Driscoll and former state Rep. John Ahern are overshadowed in their election rematch by the intense battle for state Senate in the same district. Debates between Chris Marr and Michael Baumgartner, who are running for Senate in the 6th District, have been heated.
Washington Legislature, District 6, House Position 2
It’s round two in the matchup between Democrat John Driscoll and Republican John Ahern.
DeCristoforo leaving Health for All Project after 10 years
Few people have done as much to connect Spokane County residents with health care coverage as Ralph DeCristoforo, who retires today as Health for All Project coordinator at the Spokane nonprofit agency Community-Minded Enterprises. The 59-year-old former Air Force captain, who recently underwent surgery for back injuries suffered in the military, sees health care as a social support necessary for a strong economy and not as a commodity for those who can afford it.
Motorcyclists want candidates’ attention
Motorcyclists want candidates’ attention
Marr and Baumgartner: Identifying cuts
Washington state Sen. Chris Marr, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Michael Baumgartner respond to the question, “What specifically should be cut to balance the budget?”
GOP platform proves vexing in Spokane County
Much of the county Republican Party’s platform reflects longtime GOP values: Limited government. Gun rights. Lower taxes. An end to abortion. But some of the platform’s 120 policy statements make more-surprising calls, for, among other things: An end to no-fault divorce. A return to the gold standard. Tax incentives for the shoe and textile industry. U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.
Spokane swing district again among state’s spendiest
A Spokane legislative district tops the state for money raised by candidates, and is near the top for spending that money before the August primary. The 6th Legislative District – which curves around central Spokane’s core from the Whitworth area to the South Hill – is often a pricey political battleground. Its last three state Senate races have been the three most expensive in state history, with the 2006 contest between Democrat Chris Marr and Republican incumbent Brad Benson at the top of the list. Nearly $818,000 was spent in that race for a seat that pays just over $42,000 per year.
6th Lege Dist: Swing district or spendy district?
6th Lege Dist: Swing district or spendy district?
Links on Marr’s website not ethics violation
Sen. Chris Marr did not violate ethics rules by placing links to legislative sites on campaign-related Internet pages, a state board concluded. The Legislative Ethics Board dismissed this week a complaint against Marr by Spokane resident Don Jacobson, who raised questions about the 6th District Democrat’s campaign website and Facebook pages that contained embedded features and links to materials produced by the state.
O’Quinn says job forbids endorsement
Shelly O’Quinn, a Republican who lost her bid for state House in the 6th Legislative District, said Wednesday that she is not allowed to endorse any candidates in the general election because of her job.
O’Quinn calls for GOP unity, says job prevents her from endorsing Ahern
O’Quinn calls for GOP unity, says job prevents her from endorsing Ahern
Ahern makes lunch plans with O’Quinn
Ahern makes lunch plans with O’Quinn