A federal judge could soon throw out Washington’s controversial redrawn legislative maps, putting several lawmakers and dozens of campaigns into limbo just months before the 2026 election.

The legal fight comes after the U.S. Supreme Court recently narrowed how race can be used in drawing district boundaries, throwing fresh scrutiny on maps pushed through in states like Washington.

Back in 2024, U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik ordered 13 legislative districts redrawn to strengthen Hispanic voting power in the Yakima Valley. But the redraw didn’t just tweak a few local boundaries — it shifted more than 300,000 residents statewide and reshuffled the political landscape for candidates and incumbents alike.

Now challengers, including GOP state Reps. Alex Ybarra and Jose Trevino, want the original bipartisan redistricting commission maps restored, arguing the court-imposed lines no longer pass constitutional muster after the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Meanwhile, Democrat Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is warning that changing the maps now would create voter confusion and election headaches. Republicans aren’t buying it.

GOP state Sen. Nikki Torres — who says she was effectively redistricted out of her own seat — argued there’s still plenty of time to revert the maps before ballots go out. And Washington GOP Chair Jim Walsh mocked Hobbs and Democratic Attorney General Nick Brown for “whining” about potential disruption.

The bigger issue hanging over all of this: Washington Democrats spent years accusing states like Texas of political map manipulation while quietly engineering their own court-approved redraw back home. Now the courts may force Olympia to play by the same rules everyone else does. Read more at Center Square.

Seattle entrepreneur Jesse Proudman says Washington’s new income tax was the final straw — and he’s not the only one heading for the exits.

The Venice.ai founder says he’s now considering moves to Texas, Tennessee, or Florida after years of watching Washington Democrats “villainize” business success while piling on taxes, regulations, and anti-business rhetoric. Proudman said entrepreneurs helped build Seattle into a thriving tech hub, but during COVID and beyond, the state increasingly treated them like political punching bags instead of economic drivers.

And according to Proudman, the exodus is already happening.

“I mean, everybody’s leaving,” he said, describing private conversations with business owners quietly making plans to relocate before Olympia squeezes them even harder.

The irony? Democrats sold the new “millionaire’s tax” as a painless hit on the rich, while conveniently ignoring that wealthy entrepreneurs are the most mobile people in the country. If they leave, Washington loses jobs, investment, charitable giving, and future tax revenue along with them.

Even former Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire recently admitted Olympia has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. She blasted lawmakers for ballooning the state budget from $33 billion to $80 billion while responding to every shortfall with “one more tax, one more rule, one more regulation.”

Apparently, the long-term economic strategy is now: tax the people creating jobs until they move to Nashville. Read more at Center Square.

Former Washington Governor Christine Gregoire just gave her own party a brutal reality check.

Speaking to business leaders at the Association of Washington Business Spring Summit, Gregoire admitted Democrat lawmakers don’t understand the economic damage caused by their own policies. Asked if Olympia’s majority party grasps the impact of its tax-and-regulate agenda, her answer was simple: “No. I really don’t.”

Gregoire specifically blasted Democrats for hiking Washington’s estate tax to a staggering 35%, warning lawmakers that wealthy residents won’t stay around to pay it — they’ll leave, taking investment, capital gains revenue, and philanthropy with them. Apparently, lawmakers never considered that possibility.

She also shredded the claim that Washington has a revenue problem. When Gregoire left office in 2013, the state budget was $33 billion. Today it has ballooned to $80 billion — yet Democrats still insist they need more taxes every session.

Her conclusion? “We don’t really have an income problem. We have a spending problem.”

Then came the part that explained everything: Gregoire noted that few Democrats in Olympia actually come from a business background. Which may explain why their solution to every self-created budget mess is the same — more taxes, more regulations, and less economic growth. Read more at Seattle Red.

New audits from the Washington State Auditor’s Office revealed Washington agencies are struggling to prove whether several major government programs are actually working — despite costing taxpayers millions.

State Auditor Pat McCarthy blasted the state’s lack of accountability, particularly in the Department of Commerce’s $92.5 million Digital Navigator Program. Auditors found a “questionable process” for awarding grants, weak oversight, missing documentation, and little proof the money improved digital access.

In one case, officials approved payments even after staff warned contracting rules had already been violated.

Republican Sen. Keith Goehner said the agency violated the “sacred trust” taxpayers place in government, while Republican Rep. Stephanie Barnard said she was “so troubled” by the findings.

The audits also found Washington’s mandatory police training program is nowhere near compliance years after voters approved it. Only a small percentage of officers have completed the required training, and auditors admitted there may be no real penalties if they never do.

Even Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson eventually cut the digital equity program after auditors questioned nearly $11 million in spending.

At this point, Olympia’s governing model seems pretty clear: spend first, audit later, act shocked when nobody knows where the money went. Read more at Center Square.

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