Ugly partisanship hurts Tri-Cities. The election’s over and now we must find a way to heal

Whether you are a far-right Republican, a deep blue Democrat or somewhere in-between, we are all Tri-Citians.

Now that the election is over, it’s time to remember that.

Most races in Benton and Franklin counties were civil, but a few were far from it.

Political campaigns can bring out the worst in candidates and their supporters. Campaign signs are vandalized or stolen, vicious rumors are spread online and attack ads damage reputations.

In some people’s minds, bad behavior is excused during election season.

But it shouldn’t be.

There was a time when getting along with those on “the other side” was considered admirable. Now too many people unfortunately see this attribute as a sign of weakness.

Republicans criticize members of their own party for being RINOs — Republican In Name Only — if they aren’t as far right on the spectrum as they think they should be.

If a candidate reaches out to those outside the ranks, they are labeled impostors.

Take a look at the close race for Benton County prosecutor.

Republican Ryan Lukson received the endorsement of his boss, Andy Miller, a Democrat who has held the post for 36 years.

His opponent, Eric Eisinger, also a Republican, was the one who had the blessing of the Benton County Republican Party.

With Miller’s endorsement, Lukson also asked other Democrats to support him.

That doesn’t necessarily make him a Democrat — or a RINO — it makes him a savvy campaigner.

The county prosecutor works for everyone, regardless of party affiliation — so why not reach out to all voters?

But Lukson was disparaged throughout the campaign, criticized for asking Democrats to put his campaign signs in their yards. Eisinger supporters made nasty claims against Lukson’s character based on an anonymous source and spread it on YouTube.

On the other side of the spectrum, that same race prompted Richard Reuther, the interim chairman of the Benton County Democrats, to resign after he suggested local Democrats support Lukson.

Thanks to Washington state’s top two primary election format, the top two vote-getters in each race regardless of party advance to the general election.

In Benton and Franklin counties — and much of Eastern Washington, for that matter — the result is that two Republicans often end up vying for the same post.

So what’s a Democrat to do? Not vote?

Somebody is going to win, so Reuther sent an email to fellow party members saying they should vote for Lukson over Eisinger.

He later said in an email to party members that his suggestion was blasted by the chair of the state Democratic Party, Tina Podlodowski, who alleged he misused party resources.

Perhaps if Reuther had told fellow Democrats not to vote for Eisinger, he wouldn’t have got in so much trouble. But instead, he dared to recommend Benton County Democrats vote for Lukson, who is seen as a moderate candidate.

The scolding he got from Podlodowski influenced Reuther to “accelerate” plans to step back from party leadership.

“I take this charge as a manifestation of factional divisions within our local party and cluelessness at the state level about the realities of organizing local volunteers without local candidates. The tone of the call was unnecessarily harsh,” Reuther wrote in the email.

Taking a quick glance at the Benton County Democrats’ Facebook site, there were Tri-Citians looking for advice on which Republican to vote for. Podlodowski and her fellow state party leaders need to understand that when there are no Democrats in a race, it isn’t disloyal for the local party to recommend a Republican.

Partisanship is fine to a point, but there must be flexibility. There must be a willingness to see candidates as individuals regardless of party affiliation.

This us-versus-them mentality isn’t healthy, and there are members of our community, our state and our country who need to get over it.

Instead of being divided into camps, Tri-City leaders should work harder at bringing everyone together on the many difficult issues that face this community and nation that can’t be solved by just one party’s actions . We’ll be stronger for it.