
	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.

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Monday, May. 12, 2008

UPDATE: A fourth Republican seeks to succeed Rep. Hankins

Republican Skip Novakovich, a longtime business leader in downtown Kennewick, said today he plans to announce his candidacy for the House seat being vacated by Rep. Shirley Hankins, R-Richland, in the next couple weeks.

We’ll have more about his candidacy in tomorrow’s paper. But for now we’ll mention that he’s a bit chagrined to find three other Republicans already in the race.

Hankins just announced her retirement plans last week. And Novakovich, who used to work on Hankins’ campaigns, says it's disrespectful that other Republicans would be announcing plans to run long before the seat had come open.

“I’m kind of surprised, really,” Novakovich said. “It’s almost like a slap in the face to her. She’s making a tough decision.”

Republicans Rick Jansons, Brad Klippert and Steve Simmons already have announced plans to run. So has Democrat Carol Moser.

“I do respect the lady,” Novakovich said of Hankins. “Perhaps she’s made a mistake here or there. We all do.”

“I guess I wonder where their sense of loyalty to the state party lies,” he said of the other Republicans in the race. “It kind of concerns me a little bit.”

TUESDAY UPDATE: Here’s the link to the story we had in today’s paper.

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