Newly appointed Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs will have to stand for election next November, and many are watching how he handles the transfer of funds from previous campaigns to his latest campaign for statewide office.  State law requires that in order to transfer funds from one campaign account to another account for a different position, the candidate must receive written permission from the donor. For the past 12 years Democrat Hobbs has amassed more than $2.1 million in contributions in his campaigns for various offices, often shifting money among the many campaign bank accounts. Now that he is the state official tasked with making sure all elections are fair, will Secretary Hobbs follow the laws and provide complete transparency so voters know who is funding his campaign? (Click to read full Shift Article)

Washington State Senate Democrat “leadership” finally admitted its poorly crafted Long-Term Care Insurance payroll tax will be a disaster if it begins as scheduled next month, and asked Governor Jay Inslee to delay its implementation for at least a year (i.e. until after the 2022 elections).  Republicans have been calling for a delay (or total repeal) of the tax for months.  But it wasn’t until after the recent elections, when voters across the state clearly demonstrated their disapproval of liberal policies even in such extremist strongholds as ultra-liberal Seattle, did Democrats seriously consider delaying their latest controversial tax.  Democrats in swing districts are already very nervous facing voters after passing a “police reform” package that allows criminals to go free, ineffective and expensive (especially for low-income workers) climate bills, an unconstitutional state income tax on capital gains, and allowing the undemocratic one-man rule of Governor Inslee to continue for nearly two years. If they are successful in removing the Long-Term Care payroll tax from the public’s attention span, the Democrats have one less failed big-government program they must defend in November. (Click to read full Shift Article)

In the latest example of the poor management of state resources in Governor Jay Inslee’s administration, it was revealed today that the dysfunctional Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) hired someone with a criminal past to process claims in April 2020, and this person was later charged with defrauding state taxpayers of $315,000.  Reyes De La Cruz III was arrested in September because he approved benefits for many individuals who were not eligible, including people in jail and those with no wage history.  This arrest was revealed in a report from Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy, a Democrat who had very critical comments to make regarding the poor management of the Inslee Administration.  “Today’s report shows the serious risks created by gaps in an agency’s internal checks and controls.” Shift will report more on this latest failure in the coming days. (Seattle Times)

Brandi Kruse had an interesting conversation with Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who many believe may run for president in 2024. Governor Hogan defeated Democrat challengers twice (the last time in 2018, by 12%), despite Maryland being a more partisan Democrat state than even Washington (President Biden won in Maryland by 33%, compared to WA by 19%). When asked what the GOP needs to do to gain control of many of the offices they lost in 2020, Governor Hogan stated, “I’m a passionate Republican. I would like us to return to a bigger tent, more “Reaganesque” party, where we appeal to a broader group of people with a more hopeful vision.” During his interview, the governor also shared why the extreme “defund the police” movement is causing Democrats to lose elections they once believed were safe. ([un]divided Facebook video)

Military veteran and Kent City Councilmember Bill Boyce announced that he will run as a Republican for the 47^th Legislative District (South King County) senate seat currently held by extreme liberal Senator Mona Das.  Councilmember Boyce is a human resources manager at Boeing and has served for 10 years on the Kent City Council, after serving 16 years on the Kent School Board. Boyce is among the many qualified candidates Republican leaders say will be announcing their candidacies now that the Washington State Supreme Court has announced it would not redraw the legislative and congressional districts boundaries written by the Washington State Redistricting Committee.

Senator Das is considered very vulnerable in the district after supporting an unconstitutional state income tax on capital gains, a police reform bill which has led to a significant increase in crime, and liberal homeless policies which have led to more people living a cruel existence on our streets. It is interesting that Senator Das’ websites lists none of the bills she has supported during her first term in Olympia. Senator Das got off to a controversial start in his first term by making headlines when she told a crowd at the Kent Chamber of Commerce that her Democrat colleagues were sexist and racist, which she could not exactly prove true or false. For more information on Bill Boyce, please visit his website VoteBillBoyce.com. (Kent Reporter, Mona Das campaign website, Shift, and Bill Boyce website)

After Democrat senators finally admitted that their Long-Term Care payroll tax plan has many fatal flaws, (something Republicans have pointed out since it was jammed through the legislature), they continue to fumble around to find what fixes they can make to the new state government entitlement program while still providing their campaign contributors in the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) with even more taxpayer money.  Last week the Senate Democrats had to send a letter to Governor Jay Inslee, perhaps because they weren’t sure he was back in the country yet from his overseas climate conference boondoggle and hoity toity receptionfest, asking him to delay the implementation of the new payroll tax set to begin on January 1) until 2023. Almost everyone agrees that the public needs more time to “opt-out” of the state plan through securing private insurance solutions.  Yet if a higher percentage of taxpayers leave the state system (approximately 400,000 already have made the smart choice), there will not be enough funds being generated to keep the state plan viable (and keep SEIU swimming in dues money). (KING5 News)

Seattle Public Schools’ officials claim they are moving those living in a homeless encampment on the district’s Bitter Lake property into hotels, yet photographs from this morning reveal the camp is still in place and that most of the residents have refused to move.  The encampment, which is adjacent to the Broadview-Thomson K-8 School, has been the source of significant controversy for the past year, as the district has chosen to stick with failed liberal homeless policies instead of providing a safe environment for children to learn. In early November the district announced that those in the encampment would be moved by mid-December into shelter paid for by Seattle and King County taxpayers. (Safe Seattle Facebook post and KING5 News)

Despite two shootings at Seattle schools last week, and an increase in violence on many campuses, Seattle Public Schools’ apologists state it is not currently reconsidering its ban on resource officers in schools.  After the 2020 riots across Seattle, the school district chose to allow acts of political violence to dictate the safety of students, and thus severed ties with the Seattle Police Department and pulled “resource officers” from the schools. After the recent violence became public, a school district spokesperson said, “At this time, there is nothing on an upcoming agenda about the issue.” There are rumors that some principals will soon be publicly encouraging the school board to reconsider the ban, but the reality-challenged “leaders” of Seattle’s public schools can hardly be expected to react rationally by putting student’s safety first. (MyNorthwest)

Starting today, all King County restaurants and bars are required to check vaccination status of all customers 12-years-old and up.  Establishments with 12 or fewer seats are now facing the same mandate burden as their larger competitors, as they were given six weeks to comply with the government order after larger facilities were required to obtain proof of vaccination from their customers starting on October 25^th. Apparently the random science used by King County health officials determined that COVID would not spread in smaller establishments until today. (Seattle Times)

Columbia Basin College in Pasco is offering on-line instruction for some of the students who refuse to obtain a vaccine. Starting in January, all students on campus must provide proof of being fully vaccinated. This week the school is offering $50 gift cards to those who receive either their first or second shot during a complimentary on-campus vaccination drive. Online instruction will be available for those students disinclined to provide proof of vaccination but who are in courses which require in-person instruction or in outside facilities which also have vaccine mandates. (KEPR-TV)

Many of us at Shift were fortunate to meet Senator Bob Dole during his many visits to Washington State (one was even elected a Dole delegate at GOP precinct caucuses in 1988). It was always fascinating to hear him tell stories, often mocking himself or some other political leader, while making a larger political point. He was a true military hero, statesman, and conservative. He ranks among the greatest patriots to have served in the U.S. Senate. May he rest in the peace he so greatly deserves.

In the first of three interviews Shift will be conducting with Republican candidates who are challenging incumbent Democrat U.S. Representative Kim Schrier in the 8^th Congressional District, we speak with candidate Matt Larkin.  Many people first heard about Larkin when he challenged Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson in 2020. The former aide in the George W. Bush White House and local prosecutor, Larkin currently works for his family’s 550-employee company. Larkin jumped into the race last May, stating it is important to be backing law enforcement since liberal policies have led to increased crime and homelessness. In his Shift Newsmaker interview, Larkin asserts the current incumbent “votes with Nancy Pelosi and AOC every chance she gets,” and “has made it clear that she serves her party, not her constituents.” (Click to read full Newsmaker Interview)

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