Democrats love to dress up their power grabs as “fairness,” and the latest court ruling on Washington’s redistricting fight is no exception. The Ninth Circuit just upheld Judge Robert Lasnik’s court-ordered maps, which conveniently shuffled more than 500,000 voters across 13 districts. And wouldn’t you know it—five Republican legislators were displaced while not a single Democrat lost a seat. What a coincidence.

The court insists race wasn’t the “predominant factor,” but with three Democratic-appointed judges rubber-stamping maps that just happen to benefit Democrats, it’s tough to believe politics didn’t play a starring role. Olympia Democrats are celebrating the decision as a “victory for Latino voters,” but let’s be honest—it’s also a victory for their own political survival. Funny how “empowering communities” always seems to line up perfectly with helping Democrats keep their grip on power.

The hypocrisy is glaring. These are the same Democrats who never miss a chance to rage against Texas Republicans for “gerrymandering” and “undermining democracy.” Yet here in Washington, when judges throw out a bipartisan commission’s maps and replace them with boundaries that conveniently favor their own side, suddenly it’s all about “justice” and “representation.”

So, Washington voters are left with political lines drawn not by their elected officials, but by activist judges and a state attorney general’s office that refused to defend the legislature’s work. The result? A “neutral” process that—shocker—just so happens to protect Democrats while hurting Republicans. Read more at the Washington State Standard.

Washington Democrats love to brag about “progress,” but here’s the reality: under Joe Biden’s wide-open border policies, Washington’s undocumented immigrant population jumped from 250,000 in 2015 to 375,000 in 2023. That’s nearly 5% of the state—eighth highest in the nation. While families here struggle with housing costs, crime, and taxes, Olympia’s one-party rule seems more interested in turning Washington into a full-blown sanctuary state than actually helping its own citizens. Read more at Axios.

Leave it to Washington Democrats to take land meant for highways and try to turn it into their latest social experiment. Substitute House Bill 1774—pushed through by Rep. Jake Fey and gleefully signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson—lets WSDOT lease unused highway land for things like “affordable housing,” parks, and even salmon habitat restoration. In other words, anything but highways.

Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, isn’t buying it. He’s blasting the scheme as unconstitutional and a misuse of taxpayer dollars, pointing out that land paid for with public money and federal funds can’t just be repurposed for whatever pet project Olympia Democrats dream up. The Citizen Action Defense Fund agrees, warning that this stunt could violate both the state and federal constitutions, put federal highway funds at risk, and leave taxpayers holding the bag when the lawsuits start flying.

But Democrats spin it as “unlocking” valuable land for “community good.” Translation: raiding highway funds to backfill their failures on housing and homelessness. And don’t expect Attorney General Nick Brown to lift a finger—his office already said its role is to defend Democrat-passed laws, not question them. How convenient. Read more at Center Square.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell just pulled the oldest trick in the book—using taxpayer-funded City Hall as an extension of his re-election campaign. The city proudly blasted out a press release touting a “historic” $15 million Uber Eats settlement, complete with Harrell patting himself on the back for his “leadership” and “nation-leading policies.” Hours later, Harrell’s campaign churned out a nearly identical announcement, this time with the campaign logo slapped on top. Same dollar figure. Same talking points. Same shameless self-promotion.

This isn’t governing—it’s grifting. The city spends taxpayer resources investigating and negotiating, then Harrell’s campaign swoops in to spin the win as campaign fodder. And what a coincidence, the press conference was hosted not by the mayor’s office, but by his re-election campaign. If that sounds like coordination, that’s because it is.

And where’s Seattle’s media? Silent as ever. If a Republican mayor blurred the lines between official duties and campaign events this brazenly, reporters would be sprinting to Twitter to scream about ethics violations. But since it’s a Democrat in deep-blue Seattle, it’s crickets.

Seattle deserves a mayor who runs the city, not just his campaign. Right now, it looks like Bruce Harrell thinks the two are the same thing. Read more at Seattle Red.

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