Eastern Washington candidates vie for state offices

OLYMPIA – Eastern Washington hasn’t sent a governor to Olympia since Cheney’s Clarence Martin left the mansion in 1941. That’s not stopping John W. Aiken Jr. Undeterred by a last-place finish in the Republican primary four years ago, Aiken is running again as a government-accountability, pro-business candidate.

He’s just one of several local candidates running for state offices this year.

In Spokane Valley, Constitution Party member Arlene Peck is running for lieutenant governor. Spokane’s Curt Fackler is running for insurance commissioner as a nonpartisan. And Otis Orchards’ Marilyn Montgomery, another Constitution Party member, is running for secretary of state.

All told, 38 people from across Washington are running for statewide positions this year. For about half those people, the Aug. 19 primary will likely put an end to their electoral hopes – at least for this year. Under Washington’s new top-two primary, only the top two candidates – regardless of party – will appear on the November ballot.

Here’s an overview of the statewide races on the ballot:

Governor: Ten people are running, but the top two are almost certain to be Gov. Chris Gregoire and Republican challenger Dino Rossi. The race would be a rematch of 2004, when Gregoire beat Rossi – after three ballot tallies and a long court fight – by just 133 votes.

Lieutenant governor: Incumbent Brad Owen, a conservative rural Democrat, has been in the Statehouse since 1976, when he was elected as a state lawmaker. He’s seeking a fourth term as lieutenant governor. He’s being challenged by Peck, who’s running on a Christian, small-government platform. Seattle Republican lawyer Marcia McCraw, who speaks fluent Chinese, vows to boost international trade. Former state worker Jim Wiest, also a Republican, says he can end homelessness. Democrat Randel Bell does not appear to be actively campaigning.

Secretary of state: Incumbent Sam Reed, one of the few Republicans holding statewide office, is seeking a third term on a platform of clean elections, open government and backing the top-two primary over the objections of party officials. Also seeking the seat is paralegal Mark Greene, founder and chairman of “the Party of Commons.” Democrat Jason Osgood and Constitution Party member Marilyn Montgomery are both running on clean-elections platforms.

State treasurer: Three people are facing off for this rare open seat: assistant state treasurer Allan Martin, a Republican who has been endorsed by current Democratic Treasurer Mike Murphy; Democratic state Rep. Jim McIntire; and Democratic state economist ChangMook Sohn. McIntire led a controversial series of tax-reform hearings as a lawmaker, including an examination of the feasibility of a state income tax. Sohn says he urged against consideration of an income tax, which he considers a risky idea.

State auditor: Longtime incumbent Brian Sonntag, who has pushed for open government and tax-saving performance audits, is being challenged by the Constitution Party’s Glenn Freeman, who vows stronger audits and independence. Also in the running is J. Richard McEntee, a Republican who vows to save money with tougher reforms.

Attorney general: In what’s quickly become a sharp-elbowed race, Democratic Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg is challenging Republican incumbent Rob McKenna. Both promise to look out for consumers while getting tough on sex offenders and identity thieves.

Commissioner of public lands: Former Democratic congressional candidate Peter Goldmark is challenging Republican incumbent Doug Sutherland in a heated, expensive race to oversee millions of state and private forest, range and aquatic lands. Goldmark says Sutherland’s too close to natural-resource companies, allowing over-cutting of timber. Sutherland says he’s protecting old growth and improving forest health while continuing to run the state’s land holdings like a responsible business.

Superintendent of public instruction: In this six-way, nonpartisan race, incumbent Terry Bergeson is seeking a fourth term, calling for better school funding and staying the course on testing and educational accountability. School employee union head Randy Dorn, a former state lawmaker, is challenging her with the backing of the state teachers union. Former teacher John Patterson Blair wants to let parents choose their children’s schools with $9,000 state vouchers, so long as they’re not religious schools. Don Hansler wants bonuses for good teachers and a two-tiered high school diploma system: basic and advanced. Businesswoman Enid Duncan wants to do away with the WASL test and focus more on individualized learning. And Seattle’s David Blomstrom is running as the anti-corporate candidate, with Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez as his political inspiration.

Insurance commissioner: Incumbent Mike Kreidler, a Democrat, wants to launch statewide catastrophic coverage for major medical costs plus some routine care. The money would come from a new payroll tax. Spokane businessman Curt Fackler, a Republican running as a nonpartisan, says not-for-profit health insurers are racking up unneeded surpluses and should refund the money to policyholders. And Seattle Republican John R. Adams, an insurance broker, wants to reduce high jury awards in medical malpractice cases and boost price competition among health insurers.

Supreme Court, position 3: Incumbent Justice Mary Fairhurst is seeking a second six-year term, saying she brings an open mind, fairness and common sense to the court. Challenger Michael J. Bond says he’ll do a better job of preserving government openness, free speech and individual rights.

Supreme Court, position 4: Longtime incumbent Charles Johnson, who touts his record on privacy rights and government accountability, is facing two challengers. C.F. (Frank) Vulliet says the court should hear more cases and is too quick to rewrite the facts of the cases it does hear. And James Beecher says the court needs a justice with broader, more current knowledge of trial practices.