It was a good night for Republicans, on both the national and state scale. Across the country, the GOP flipped the U.S. Senate, won the largest House majority since the 1920’s and surprised political pundits in significant gubernatorial races. Here at home, Republican Senators Andy Hill, Steve O’Ban, Doug Erickson and GOP candidate Mark Miloscia fought back malicious—and illegal—attacks funded by special interests and California billionaire Tom Steyer to win an outright majority in the State Senate.
By every indication, Republicans will go into the 2015 legislative cycle with 25 senators. Add in maverick Democrat Sen. Tim Sheldon’s victory—also despite illegal attacks by the Left—and the Republican led Majority Coalition Caucus (MCC) will maintain its 26-23 majority.
The victory is significant. As SHIFT reported, Jay Inslee placed himself and his extreme political agenda on the ballot. Last night, voters rejected him and his plans. But, that doesn’t mean Inslee is getting a clue.
Inslee insisted on re-iterating his extreme low carbon fuel mandate agenda – with its promised increase in gasoline costs – in the last week leading up to Election Day. He confidently indicated that votes for Democrat state legislative candidates are votes for raising gas prices when he released another draft report on his environmental agenda. By his reaction to election results last night, Inslee didn’t seem to understand that voters’ said “NO” to his priorities. Rather than backing off from his gas tax agenda, our green governor suggested he will continue down the road he’s on, merrily mocking Republicans – and the voters – who don’t want to see gas prices skyrocket.
Whether that means Inslee will resort to the use of an executive order to defy voters and get his and Steyer’s way remains to be seen. Certainly, Inslee hasn’t been shy about pushing his agenda through via executive order in the past.
If election results as of this morning stand, voters also narrowly rejected (50.57%) the Washington Education Association’s (WEA) latest power-grab, Initiative 1351. Considering how much money the WEA spent on passing I-1351—and the fact that no organized opposition existed on the other side—the result may indicate a loss of voter trust in the power-hungry teachers’ union.
