In our latest piece, Shift WA explains how Olympia Democrats would love for voters to ignore this year’s Washington State Supreme Court races — because these elections could determine the future of the state income tax, redistricting battles, election law, and whether Washington remains a one-party progressive stronghold.

Five of the court’s nine seats are up this year, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

At the center of the fight is Democrats’ new 9.9% income tax on earnings above $1 million. Washington voters have rejected income taxes for decades, and the state constitution has long treated income as property — meaning graduated income taxes are unconstitutional.

Democrats passed it anyway, clearly betting the court will eventually overturn precedent and give them the ruling they want.

And the current court already helped them out. Last week, the justices blocked voters from challenging the tax through a referendum, shielding Democrats’ tax hike from public backlash before the constitutional fight has even begun.

Because apparently “protecting democracy” now means preventing voters from voting.

These races could also shape future congressional maps, election rules, and how aggressively courts act as an extension of Olympia Democrats rather than a constitutional check on government power.

Conservatives like Judge David Stevens and attorney Scott Edwards are challenging candidates closely tied to the political orbit of Bob Ferguson and the state’s progressive legal machine.

Which explains why Democrats are hoping voters stay asleep until November. Read more at Shift WA.

In the latest from Jason Rantz, Rep. Pramila Jayapal posted on X that Seattle’s housing crisis is the result of “policy failure.” For once, she’s right. She just conveniently forgot to mention Democrats have controlled Seattle and Olympia for decades.

Jayapal blamed developers, naturally — because progressive politicians never seem willing to admit their own regulations, permitting delays, environmental mandates, taxes, and anti-development policies helped make housing painfully expensive in the first place.

Rantz points out the irony perfectly: Democrats spent years making it harder and more expensive to build housing, then acted shocked when housing became scarce and unaffordable. Now they’re pushing failed ideas like rent control while smaller landlords flee the market and new construction slows even further.

Seattle’s housing crisis didn’t appear out of nowhere. It’s the predictable result of progressive policies Democrats spent years celebrating — right up until voters started noticing the wreckage. Read more at Seattle Red.

A progressive group tied to public-sector unions filed a campaign finance complaint against Let’s Go Washington over content posted by conservative commentator Brandi Kruse — despite the fact the same legal argument has already been rejected before.

The complaint claims Kruse’s podcast and social media support for Let’s Go Washington initiatives should count as an unreported campaign contribution worth up to $1.25 million. There’s just one problem: Kruse says she’s never been paid a dime by the organization, and Washington courts already ruled back in 2007 that media commentary supporting political causes is protected speech — not a campaign donation.

In other words, Democrats appear deeply committed to “protecting democracy” by trying to silence conservative media voices they don’t like.

Even better, this isn’t the first time activists have tried targeting Kruse. A nearly identical complaint filed in 2022 was tossed out quickly by the PDC, which cited protections for journalists and editorial commentary.

Let’s Go Washington also pointed out the group behind the complaint has ties to progressive consulting firms and public-sector unions — the same unions with a direct financial interest in defeating the ballot initiatives this fall. Amazing coincidence, obviously.

So once again, when voters start rallying behind conservative causes, Democrats suddenly rediscover their passion for investigations, bureaucracy, and censorship disguised as “ethics.” Read more at Seattle Red.

The battle over parental rights is heating up again as Washington’s Professional Educator Standards Board considers rules that could label superintendents guilty of “unprofessional conduct” — and potentially cost them their certifications — for failing to comply with Democrats’ controversial parental notification policies.

Translation: if a superintendent informs parents about sensitive issues involving their own child instead of blindly following state directives, Olympia may try to end their career.

Several districts across Washington, including Kennewick, Mead, Moses Lake, and La Center, have already pushed back against state guidance surrounding parental notification and gender identity policies.

And local leaders aren’t amused.

Kennewick School Board President Gabe Galbraith told The Center Square this is simply another example of the state trying to crush local control and intimidate districts that refuse to fall in line.

Meanwhile, Washington Policy Center’s Vicki Murray warned the rules effectively allow Olympia to punish superintendents for things like notifying parents when a child socially transitions at school or following local school board policies over state gender guidance.

Perhaps the most unbelievable part? Officials overseeing the rule change claimed they weren’t even aware voters will soon decide major parental rights initiatives on the November ballot. Convenient timing, of course.

So while Democrats lecture endlessly about “democracy,” they’re simultaneously moving to punish educators who dare prioritize parents over state ideology. Read more at Center Square.

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