A GOP stronghold

A staunch Republican in a legislative district where Republicans have ruled, Mary Lou Stanton isn’t sure which candidates she’ll vote for this year.

The war in Iraq has given her pause, said the 63-year-old retired schoolteacher. And as far as state elections are concerned, she hasn’t quite made up her mind.

Although Washington’s 6th Legislative District has been a Republican stronghold since before World War II, Stanton isn’t alone among the undecided.

During a recent senior citizens lunch at the Southside Activity Center, Stanton and several others talked politics, voicing their opinions on President Bush and his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, their need for affordable health care and their frustration with the state’s new primary election system, which has replaced the blanket primary by restricting voters’ choices to only one political party.

If the lunch crowd at the senior center is a microcosm of the rest of the 6th District, here’s what you’ll find: lots of Republicans, a fair number of Democrats, a few independents and even more people who would rather talk about grandchildren or golf – anything but politics.

Regulars at the senior center include people such as Al Eiland, an 80-year-old retired book publisher and editor who said he has voted for the Democratic nominee for president in every election except Bill Clinton for his second term. His regular lunch buddy, however, respectfully disagrees with Eiland’s political leanings. Bill Carter, 81, a World War II veteran, said he’ll back the candidate who will take care of the terrorist threat.

“That man is President Bush,” said Carter. “He’s trying to get the job done.”

Eiland said he isn’t exactly a Kerry fan; his vote for the Democratic nominee, he said, is actually “a vote against the present administration.”

Despite the divide between the Republicans and Democrats in the room, many say they don’t necessarily vote along party lines when it comes to state and local elections. “I vote for the person, not the party,” said Helen Bowman, 88.

And if there’s one thing that can unite this diverse group, it’s the fear that they won’t be able to afford health care and the rising costs of prescription drugs.

Stanton, who has cerebral palsy, said she spends $300 of her own money each month on health care in addition to the $2,000 a year she spends on medication. Bowman said she used to get her hair washed and styled every week but can no longer afford it since most of her money goes for prescription drugs. Eiland, who recently had a bout with bronchitis, ended up paying about $165 in out-of-pocket costs for antibiotics. That’s $15 a pill, he pointed out.

Several candidates have kept health care in mind as they vie for the support of the more than 77,000 registered voters in the 6th District.

According to data from the Spokane County Elections Office, the 6th District has the most registered voters in the area – about 7,000 more than the 4th and nearly 22,000 more than the 3rd. It also is the district that had the highest voter turnout in the last two elections – 64 percent in 2002 and 53 percent in 2003.

The largest chunk of registered voters in the 6th District – nearly 30,000 – is between the ages of 45 and 65, according to the Elections Office. The second-largest group – at more than 24,000 – consists of people between 25 and 44 years old. Nearly 55 percent of all these voters are women.

Like most of Spokane County, voters in the 6th District are predominantly white. According to the now-defunct Washington state Redistricting Commission, less than 8 percent of the voters are people of color.

Since redistricting two years ago, the 6th District covers urban and suburban areas as well as rural spots that are becoming developed. It includes parts of the cities of Spokane, Airway Heights and Nine Mile Falls and portions of Spokane County including Moran Prairie, Fairwood, Country Homes, Deer Park and the northern portion of the West Plains. Residents of this vast area include blue bloods, blue-collar workers and people from all walks of life.

Shaped like a half-eaten doughnut with its frilly edges snaking around the north, west and southern areas of Spokane, the 6th District is known statewide as Republican territory. No Democrat has been elected to the Legislature from the district since 1939.

Still, Democrats remain optimistic that 2004 will be a pivotal election year for them. Democracy for Washington, an organization that supports Democrats, actually referred to the 6th as a “swing district” in this year’s election in light of the 2002 race between then state Sen. Jim West, a Republican, and Democratic challenger Laurie Dolan. West defeated Dolan by about 1,300 votes in what became the most expensive legislative race in state history.

“I like the looks of Brian Murray,” said Stanton, referring to the Republican who was appointed to West’s Senate seat when West became mayor of Spokane. Murray is running against state Rep. Brad Benson in the Republican primary. But Stanton said she also is impressed with Dolan’s background – Dolan is running again for the seat.

Safety ranks high on the list of priorities for Eiland, a grandfather to 11 kids. His South Hill apartment complex has experienced several break-ins. Carter, a retired hatchery superintendent for Idaho’s Department of Fish and Game, said he wants legislators to vote with the environment in mind and to keep the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer safe from pollution.

Bowman, who said she’s a Bush supporter, is demanding fiscal accountability from people in public office. “We’re so broke in Spokane, but they keep overspending,” said Bowman, who drives regularly to the senior center with her schnauzer, Coco, in the car. “Don’t spend the money until you have it.”