Election Center
Related Coverage, Page 4
McMorris Rogers criticism can’t find a home in reality
At least once a week, and more frequently during election season, the newspaper gets a call, letter, email or online comment alleging a scandal about Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Sometimes it comes in a conspiratorial query just above a whisper. Other times it’s stated as a verified fact, written in all-caps with multiple exclamation points. It might come from someone fairly inexperienced in politics who heard it from a friend who heard it from someone else – generally unnamed but usually “in the know.” Occasionally it comes from someone in the campaign wars long enough to be a bit more skeptical but doesn’t seem to care.
Editorial: McMorris Rodgers in best position to serve Eastern Washington
A decade into her service as 5th Congressional District representative, Cathy McMorris Rodgers is anchored firmly in the House Republican hierarchy. Although we admire the business achievements and community and tribal contributions made by Democratic challenger Joe Pakootas, the attention McMorris Rodgers can bring to the concerns of Eastern Washington – the survival of Fairchild Air Force Base, support for the Veterans Affairs hospital and more medical education and research – require her continued presence in Washington, D.C.
Room to shrink
Washington has invested millions of dollars to shrink class sizes in kindergarten and first grade; an initiative on the November ballot calls for fewer students in all grades by 2019. Initiative 1351 sets maximum class sizes in kindergarten through third grade at 17 students in most classrooms and 15 children in schools in low-income areas. Classes in the fourth through 12th grades would have fewer than 25 students per class, or 22 in low-income schools.
Editorial: Choices for Washington’s top court few but easy: Stephens, Johnson
The Supreme Court’s involvement in education funding has become the No. 1 issue in the state, but none of the four justices running for re-election has drawn a serious challenger. Justices Mary Yu and Mary Fairhurst are unopposed. Justice Debra Stephens is the only Eastern Washington representative on the court. She was picked to join the court in 2007, and faced no opposition in 2008. Her only foe this time is a former attorney who is using the contest to protest his disbarment. John (Zamboni) Scannell is deemed “unqualified” by the Washington State Prosecutors Association and “not qualified” by the King County Bar Association.
Didier drops Newhouse from lawsuit alleging campaign violations
Clint Didier has dropped his claims against the campaign of his opponent, Dan Newhouse, for Washington’s 4th District Congressional seat alleging election violations by volunteer Chris Voigt. Voigt is the executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission.
Valley Republicans have name recognition
With the appointed incumbent ousted in the August primary, the two Republicans jousting for a state House seat representing Spokane Valley are relying in part on name recognition to win, but they come by their name recognition differently. Diana Wilhite served on the Spokane Valley City Council for several years, including a term as mayor. She’s been heavily involved in the community, served on numerous state boards and committees and currently sits on the Spokane Valley Fire Department Civil Service Commission.
Clock ticking on Didier’s suit against campaign foe
The clock is ticking on a federal lawsuit filed in Spokane by congressional hopeful Clint Didier against an opponent’s volunteer in Grant County, who leads the Washington State Potato Commission. Didier’s lawsuit says Chris Voigt, executive director of the potato group headquartered in Moses Lake, used state-supported resources to push the candidacy of Dan Newhouse, a former director of the state’s Agriculture Department. Didier cites internal emails from the commission in his lawsuit alleging violation of federal and state election laws by Voigt, who also allegedly used a car tied to the commission to pick up and deliver yard signs for Newhouse’s campaign.
Q&A with candidates for 7th District Senate, Brian Dansel and Tony Booth
Five questions for Brian Dansel and Tony Booth, candidates to represent Northeast Washington in the state Senate.
Shea, Arritola fight for 4th District
There was a moment in last week’s sole debate between state Rep. Matt Shea and his challenger, Josh Arritola, that summed up the race between the two Republicans. Arritola dispensed with a question regarding his disbelief in the human impact of climate change and pivoted to a recitation of fees connected to an off-road vehicle law Shea sponsored.
4th District legislative candidate Q-and-A
Legislative candidates for the state House Position 2 in the 4th Legislative District were allowed 50 words to respond to each of five questions. The incumbent in the race, state Rep. Matt Shea, did not respond to repeated requests to participate in this candidate Q&A.
Election 2014: McMorris Rodgers faces Pakootas for Congress’ 5th District
With Congress’ approval rating plunging to single digits, being part of the leadership that controls the U.S. House of Representatives could work against an incumbent’s effort to stay in office this year. That’s what Democrat Joe Pakootas hopes as he takes on U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers for Eastern Washington’s 5th Congressional District seat. The Inchelium businessman is questioning her effectiveness after five terms in the House, where she currently serves as the majority Republican Conference chairwoman, the No. 4 position in the GOP hierarchy.
Baumgartner: Cowan TV ad misleading
A new TV attack ad by Democratic state Senate challenger Rich Cowan inaccurately portrays Republican incumbent Michael Baumgartner’s voting record on tax breaks. The ad, which began airing on Spokane television stations late last week, correctly notes that state law contains hundreds of “wasteful tax loopholes benefiting out-of-state corporations.” It also is fair to say that Baumgartner supported extending tax breaks for private jet owners and producers of hog fuel in 2013.
Vote
Now it’s your turn. The candidates and their campaigns have spent months vying for your attention, tweaking their talking points and honing their messages. In the final weeks ahead, there’ll be more debates, campaign mailers and TV ads.
A recap of all races in the Washington and Idaho 2014 Election
Here’s a look at the contested races and ballot measures affecting Spokane and Kootenai counties on the Nov. 4 primary election ballot. The 5th Congressional District sprawls across much of the eastern fourth of Washington, all or parts of 10 counties stretching from Canada to Oregon, with about half of the voters in Spokane County. Except for the cities of Pullman and Walla Walla, the other nine counties have been solidly Republican in congressional and presidential elections for the last 20 years when a novice Republican defeated a Democrat who was the sitting speaker of the House. Incumbent Cathy McMorris Rodgers has risen steadily in House GOP leadership during her 10 years in Congress. To get a sixth term, she must defeat Joe Pakootas, a leader of the Colville Confederated Tribes and the chief executive officer of its business operations, who accuses McMorris Rodgers of spending so much time in Washington, D.C., that she’s lost touch with a district that struggles with high unemployment while House Republicans waste time on things like multiple votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The term is two years and the position pays $174,000 per year.