Mike Connelly Deserves To Win

Gene Prince, who came from an era when Republicans still believed in the constructive investment of tax dollars, set the stage for a political earthquake when he retired from the Washington state Senate earlier this year.

It’s time to rock and roll.

It’s time for the voters to hand the Democratic Party a majority in the state House of Representatives - and with it, an opportunity to show that they can run government with a mainstream philosophy that would strengthen our state.

The voters of Eastern Washington’s 9th legislative district have the power to make this happen.

They can do it by electing Mike Connelly - a move that would be a pleasure even in a year when political stakes were not as high as this year’s.

Connelly is a strong advocate for public education, farmers, rural communities. He is a father of five, active in his church, active in the civic affairs of Latah, where he lives and works. He served a term on the City Council. He chairs the school board. He comes across as exactly what he is: a thoughtful country lawyer who represents the families, farmers and shopkeepers of Eastern Washington’s small towns and understands their current struggles.

But this election involves more than a choice between Connelly and his Republican rival, Don Cox - also a nice guy, by the way.

This election’s importance has deep roots.

On the surface, the story seems simple: Prince quit. Larry Sheahan, a popular member of the House, took Prince’s seat. Cox was appointed to fill Sheahan’s old seat. Now Cox must face the voters. The House is tied between Democrats and Republicans. If Cox loses, Democrats win a majority. Democrats already control the Senate and the governor’s mansion.

However, the story goes deeper. It is fitting that Prince, a moderate Republican, set it in motion. In recent years he clashed with those who now control the GOP - government bashers of the talk-radio right and fundamentalist foes of public schools. Prince was even a friend of Gov. Gary Locke, a Democrat with whom Prince shared a passion for improving public schools and universities.

Cox, while no extremist, did follow the party line and opposed a state budget that made big investments in education. Connelly justly criticizes that vote, noting that his district’s two universities can fuel our economy if they are well funded.

Beyond that, Connelly grasps his district’s other needs, which likewise call for a governing philosophy that views government involvement as a solution, not a problem. Rural roads and police forces face damaging cuts if the Republican-backed Initiative 695 passes. Farmers in the 9th are struggling now and they surely know which political party has proved more willing to help their industry survive a crisis. Families in the 9th cannot afford, or in some cases even find, health insurance or day care. The Democratic Party is more inclined to address these concerns.

If Connelly wins he’ll be a hero. He’ll voice his region’s needs in Olympia and be heard. His party will have a one-year majority. A chance to show it can find the mainstream and get to work on the state’s problems - beginning with partisan polarization, which a Connelly victory would reduce. We endorse him.