Cascadia Report

Category: Politics

  • McCain brings tightrope to McGavick’s campaign

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    John McCain was in Seattle to support Mike McGavick’s run against Senator Maria Cantwell. The event at the Westin reportedly raised $300,000 for McGavick and was a chance for McCain to meet with supporters of his past and future presidential bids.

    But there wasn’t much red meat from McCain, who has a working relationship with Cantwell. A sample quote: “It’s not a matter of criticizing Senator Cantwell. It’s a matter of supporting Mike McGavick.”

    To upset Cantwell, McGavick needs to walk the political tightrope that McCain knows so well — being just independent enough for his maverick image but credible to the conservative base he needs to win.

  • Rough homecoming for Cantwell

    Senator Maria Cantwell visited Seattle’s central Garfield High School with rising-star Senator Barack Obama on Saturday. This column skewers her for supporting the Iraq war and big business — undermining the people she met at the school. Green Party challenger Aaron Dixon (see this earlier post) grew up in the neighborhood and makes opposition to Cantwell’s support for the war and business record his centerpiece.

    With liberal friends like these, Cantwell may not need much from Republican challenger Mike McGavick.

  • Land-use initiative gets okay

    FblogoA judge gave approval this week to the wording on a “property fairness” initiative that could suspend land-use zoning throughout Washington. The title of the initiative that would appear on the ballot closely follows what the Washington Farm Bureau asked for. Here’s the text:

    “This measure would require compensation when government regulation damages the use or value of private property, would forbid regulations that prohibit existing legal uses of private property, and would provide exceptions or payments.”

    It sounds innocuous. But since cash-strapped governments would likely make zoning exceptions rather than pay landowners, the rules could be gutted.

  • burner gets break-out press

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    Darcy Burner began getting some press this week in her campaign against Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA, 8th), in the form of stenography by The Stranger.

    The piece tells the ex-Microsoft worker’s bio and makes the case that the 35-year-old can defeat Reichert by making the election about the Bush Administration. Another article needs to describe her specific plans and qualifications for the job.

  • Washington GOP loses a rep

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    A Republican legislator from the Seattle area said he’s defecting to the Democrats.

    Two-term Rep. Rodney Tom plans to challenge Republican senator Luke Esser this fall and apparently saw his party affiliation as a hindrance in his changing Bellevue district. “I realized the far right has complete control of the party and for me to be effective for my constituents I need to be a Democrat,” Tom told the Seattle Times. He faulted the GOP’s anti-tax policies, saying that as a businessman he knows the state needs to invest in its infrastructure.

    Tom’s surprise move hurts Debi Golden, a Bellevue College administrator who plans to challenge Esser with the backing of the national group Progressive Majority. Meanwhile, Washington GOP chair Diane Tebelius called on Tom to resign his seat.

    The defection is the latest setback to the local GOP. State Sen. Brian Finkbeiner (R-Kirkland) gave up his leadership post in the Republican caucus in order to focus on his district. The latest change boosts Democratic control of the Senate to 27-22. The conservative, pro-business results of the last legislative session should help bolster that share even more this November. The test will come next year with the temptation to increase spending to satisfy constituents.

  • Green challenge for Cantwell is official

    It’s official: Sen. Maria Cantwell is getting a challenge from the Green party. Activist Aaron Dixon announced on Thursday, with an anti-war platform. Could he spoil the election for Democrat-leaning voters? Here’s the logic from his speech, quoted in the P-I:

    “If she was against the war, then I would be a spoiler, stealing her anti-war votes,” Dixon told a roomful of supporters and news media. “If both the Republican challenger (businessman Mike McGavick) and Cantwell are in support of this war, then they are competing amongst themselves for the voters who are pro-war. I am the anti-war vote.”

  • Port deal offers chance for GOP

    Cascadia’s Republican Congressmen are threading the needle by vowing to oppose the deal to transfer control of some U.S. port operations to a Dubai-owned firm. They can say that the stance proves they’re for tough security and the unpopular Bush Administration, which supports the deal, still has a week to compromise.

    Today House Republicans reportedly have 290 votes against the deal, where Dubai Ports World’s planned $6.8 billion purchase of London-based Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. would give it control over terminal operations at five U.S. ports. It wouldn’t affect Cascadia, though.

    Republican Dave Reichert (R-WA, 8th) supported a proposal to suspend the deal on Feb. 21. In a statement, he said: “While I am a free trader and believe in the benefit of foreign investment, our national security should never be compromised.” Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR, 2nd), who represents some of landlocked southwest Oregon, asked for an investigation of the deal the same day.

  • Green candidate to challenge Cantwell

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    Community activist Aaron Dixon is running for the Green Party’s nomination to challenge Sen. Maria Cantwell. This is the second challenge to Cantwell over her voting record.

    The two rivals could siphon Democratic votes and help Republican Mike McGavick. According to the P-I, it’s a flip of the 2000 Senate race:

    Dixon could do for McGavick what another third-party candidate, Libertarian Jeff Jared, arguably did for Cantwell when she unseated Republican Sen. Slade Gorton in 2000. Cantwell won by 2,229 votes, and many Republicans think the 64,734 votes for Jared cost Gorton the election.

  • Cantwell gets a challenge from the left

    Images_1Sen. Maria Cantwell, already facing a well-financed Republican opponent, is taking fire from the left too.

    Suquamish Marine veteran Mark Wilson is running as a Democratic challenger, based on opposition to Cantwell’s votes for the Iraq war, the Patriot Act, President Bush’s appointments and other issues. An article in today’s Wall Street Journal highlighted a group, called Impeach PAC, that supports candidates who want to impeach the president if Democrats can reclaim Congress. Wilson is one of three such candidates for U.S. Senate.

    How formidable is the challenge? Wilson is apparently traveling the state to drum up support. He’s been mentioned in the press, including this Seattle Weekly article. He could become a larger gnat for Cantwell if anti-Bush sentiment in the state continues to grow. But the Federal Election Commission’s Web site shows only one $500 contribution.

  • Conservation Voters Rate Politicians on Business Votes

    Rep. Dave Reichert (R – WA, 8th) got a 28% rating by the League of Conservation Voters in its 2005 Conservation Scorecard. The rating counts votes on business issues such as renewable energy, fuel economy, gas and oil refineries, funding for logging roads and the Central American Free Trade Agreeement. Adam Smith (D – 9th) and Jay Inslee (D – 1st) got perfect scores. Eastern Washington’s Doc Hastings (R – 4th) and Cathy McMorris (R – 5th) got 0% ratings.

    Four of Oregon’s representatives got 100% ratings, but Rep. Greg Walden (R – OR, 2nd) got 11%. Logotopsub_1