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| There's an old idea in Washington politics that a "Cascade Curtain" divides east from west. This blog tackles the political issues that matter to Eastern Washingtonians, from Congress on down to your local irrigation district. Join the conversation by commenting or e-mailing Herald political reporter Michelle Dupler at mdupler@tricityherald.com |
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closeWednesday, Jun. 10, 2009
Too many Republicans in the 16th District race?
By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer
Republican candidate Terry Nealey appears to be worried about the wide field of candidates in the race for 16th District state representative.
Nealey, a lawyer from Dayton, is one of three candidates challenging incumbent Democrat Laura Grant. Kevin Young of Walla Walla also is running as a Republican. David “Dave” C. Roberts filed as a “Regan Independent.” I’m guessing he meant “Reagan.”
Grant, a Walla Walla school teacher, was appointed to the seat held by her late father, longtime Democratic legislator Bill Grant, in February. Bill Grant died in early January, just a month after he announced he had been diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer.
He was one of a nearly-extinct breed of Eastern Washington Democrat — and someone who commanded the attention and respect of Democrats and Republicans alike in his 22 years in Olympia.
Nealey challenged him last November and lost 54 percent to 46 percent, an accomplishment his campaign committee co-chairs are touting in a recent letter as “a better showing for this seat than any other Republican since 1986.”
Fellow Republican candidate Young ran against Bill Grant in 2006 and lost 61 percent to 39 percent.
In the same letter, Nealey’s co-chairs — Norm Passmore of Dayton, Pam Ray of Walla Walla and Bob Tippett of Pasco — claim that the number of Republicans vying for the seat “poses a serious problem in electing a Republican to this seat.”
The letter was written in May, before Pasco City Councilman Matt Watkins and Walla Walla County Commissioner Greg Tompkins opted not to file for the race both had said in February they planned to seek.
Tompkins, who raised about $2,000 more than Nealey between February and the first of June, may have posed the bigger threat, and Nealey may see a clearer path to victory ahead since Tompkins chose not to file.
Under the Top Two primary system, the two candidates who get the most votes in the Aug. 18 primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election, regardless of party affiliation.
That means the four candidates — including Democrat Laura Grant — all are competing for the same votes in the primary instead of the old system where a member of a particular party competed only against other party members for advancement to the general election.
Theoretically, that could mean two Republicans will advance to the general election if they can grab enough votes to knock Grant out of the race.
But if Young, Roberts and Nealey split the Republican vote, Laura Grant would win a spot on the November ballot with the Republican who wins the three-way contest.
Time — and the voters — will tell.
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