Chambers wins; Alexander leads; runoff awaits third justice race

Despite record spending by critics and a barrage of stinging campaign ads, the state’s longest-serving Supreme Court chief justice was holding a narrow lead Tuesday night over challenger John Groen, a Bellevue property-rights attorney. Justice Gerry Alexander was leading 53 percent to Groen’s 47 percent late Tuesday.

In the race for a second high court seat, Justice Tom Chambers easily defeated former lawmaker and judge Jeanette Burrage. Chambers had 58 percent to Burrage’s 42 percent with about half the precincts counted.

A third high court race – a five-way tussle – won’t likely be decided until a runoff between Justice Susan Owens and GOP state Sen. Stephen Johnson on the November ballot. Owens was leading with 45 percent of the vote to Johnson’s 33 percent. The other three contenders – Michael Johnson, Richard Smith and Norman Ericson – campaigned little and trailed far behind.

In other statewide races, Sen. Maria Cantwell, the Democratic incumbent, and former Safeco CEO Mike McGavick, her main Republican challenger, coasted to easy victories in their primaries that were crowded with political unknowns and perennial candidates. And in Eastern Washington’s sprawling 9th Legislative District, Mesa rancher and farmer Steve Hailey had a narrow lead Tuesday night over Colfax farmer and businessman Joe Schmick. Cheney’s Tedd Nealey was in third place, with Ritzville’s Glen Stockwell trailing. The winner will face Democrat Caitlin Ross in November.

Groen and Alexander’s $2.4 million battle was the hottest of this year’s three high court races. In each, conservative challengers sought to oust incumbent justices perceived as liberal or moderate. Home builders backed the two of the three conservatives; unions, two Indian tribes, lawyers and Gov. Chris Gregoire backed the incumbents.

“We think that voters in Washington have spoken and they want checks and balances, not just checks,” said Sue Evans, spokeswoman for Citizens to Uphold the Constitution, the left-leaning group backing the incumbents.

The builders’ take: “It just illustrates how difficult it is to defeat an incumbent, especially when you have one that’s entrenched,” said Erin Shannon, spokeswoman for the Building Industry Association of Washington. The group spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads attacking Alexander and promoting Groen.

Both sides are expecting to resume the battle if the Owens-Johnson contest goes on the November ballot.

“If Groen is defeated, we’ll pick ourselves up and move onto (supporting) Steve Johnson,” said Shannon. “We’re dedicated to Steve Johnson.”

The next couple of months will be hot ones as well in the Senate contest between Cantwell and McGavick.

Although Cantwell had come under criticism from the liberal-progressive wing of her party for her votes on the war in Iraq and the Patriot Act, a challenge by anti-war candidate and Seattle public-interest attorney Hong Tran fizzled. As votes were being counted late Tuesday, Tran had about 4 percent of the vote, or roughly the same as the combined total for frequent candidates Mike The Mover and Michael Goodspaceguy Nelson.

“I feel very good,” Cantwell said from Washington, D.C. “I think we worked hard around the state, and I think that paid off for us.” She said issues such as the federal minimum wage, rising gasoline prices and concerns over plans to privatize Social Security were resonating with voters.

Cantwell had about 90 percent of the votes counted in her five-way primary; McGavick was polling about 85 percent in his six-way primary.

“I feel terrific,” McGavick told the Associated Press. “The way we have dominated our primary shows that the voters are seeking something new and fresh, and we can offer it in this campaign. The contrast between our campaigns will be very clear.”