 |
 |
Chris Mulick has worked for the Herald since 1998 and has served as the statehouse correspondent covering state government and politics since 2000. He works year-round out of the Herald's Olympia bureau on the state Capitol campus. Have a question? Send Chris an e-mail and he'll answer the best questions regularly. |
Rep. Shirley Hankins, R-Richland
Longtime state Rep. Shirley Hankins may let us know that the future holds for her at a reception she’s hosting Friday night at a Red Mountain winery. Or she might not.
We’ve got a story in today’s paper about this. But here’s what we know.
The event is by invitation only and not just anybody is getting in. The chairman of the Benton County Republicans, for instance, did not get an invite.
House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, is scheduled to appear as a special guest. And donations and/or contributions will not be accepted.
That’s left a few legislators and others to wonder whether that’s a sign Hankins is not planning to run again. It’s also believed Hankins may use the event as a way to announce how she’ll spend her leftover campaign dollars, which she may choose to donate to a charitable cause of some sort.
But ultimately, no one outside of her inner circle seems to know for sure what Hankins is going to do.
UPDATE: Since our readers, for now, are unable to post their own comments I'll report that several have chimed in to speculate that Hankins is about to switch parties. A noted moderate with lots of misgivings about her own party, Hankins has regularly been the target of such speculation.
But she's also pointedly stated that she could never be a Democrat, mostly because she doesn't like the way they handle money. Though she's shown willingness to support new taxes for roads and during tough budget times Hankins is actually pretty conservative on fiscal matters.
Print
E-Mail
