Washington voters just sent a clear message in the August primary: they’ve seen the homelessness, rising crime, and skyrocketing cost of living… and they want more of it. Whether it’s a tax hike in Spokane, another far-left mayor in Seattle, or progressive double-speak in King County, voters didn’t just tolerate the status quo—they endorsed it.

In Seattle, Mayor Bruce Harrell—the guy who at least pretended to be moderate—is now neck-and-neck with Katie Wilson, a self-described progressive organizer who wants to fix the city’s budget hole by taxing roughly 800 Seattleites even more. She’s leading the race thanks in part to taxpayer-funded “Democracy Vouchers,” because nothing says “power to the people” like politicians campaigning on the public dime.

Over in King County, voters advanced two Democrats with near-identical platforms built on soft-on-crime rhetoric and vague promises of “reform.” Girmay Zahilay is the frontrunner, known for pushing a $20.29 minimum wage and a $2 million gun violence prevention plan that hasn’t prevented much. His opponent, Claudia Balducci, is also all-in on progressive taxes, insisting she’ll protect long-time residents—right after squeezing them for more revenue.

And Spokane? With a turnout under 20%, barely anyone showed up—but those who did voted yes on every single tax proposal. A 20-year aquifer fee renewal? Passed. A historic sales tax increase? Passed. Two fire and EMS levies? Also passed. Because if the roads are crumbling and crime’s up, clearly the answer is to spend more, not spend better.

If you’re frustrated watching the same broken ideas get recycled year after year, this is exactly why every election matters. Low turnout lets extreme policies sail through unchallenged. If you want to see real change—grounded in common sense, not tax-hiking ideology—it starts by showing up. November isn’t far away.

Not all is gloom and doom about Tuesday’s primary results. Voter also delivered a harsh reality check for Democrats who thought getting appointed to office meant they’d automatically get to keep the seat. Oops.

In the 26th Legislative District, Republican Rep. Michelle Caldier—who’s actually won elections before—is leading Democrat Sen. Deb Krishnadasan by a razor-thin 89 votes. Krishnadasan was gifted the seat late last year after Emily Randall went off to D.C., but apparently voters in Gig Harbor and Port Orchard prefer someone who’s earned their job.

Over in the 5th District, another appointee, Democrat Victoria Hunt, is clinging to a modest lead over Republican challenger Chad Magendanz. Hunt jumped from the House to the Senate after the sudden passing of Sen. Bill Ramos. And while she’s ahead by 1,387 votes, Magendanz is within striking distance—proof that voters in east King County might be ready to trade press releases for real policy.

These two races are among Republicans’ best chances to claw back some ground in Olympia, where Democrats currently hold a bloated 30-19 Senate majority and a 59-39 advantage in the House. That’s the kind of lopsided control that’s brought you brilliant ideas like income-tax flirtations, soft-on-crime legislation, and runaway spending masked as “equity.”

State GOP Chair Jim Walsh is “cautiously optimistic” about flipping these seats, especially if candidates like Caldier and Magendanz keep pulling support from across the aisle.

With voter turnout projected to be a weak 30%, there are still plenty of ballots left to count. But one thing’s clear—Democrats may be learning the hard way that appointments aren’t coronations. Come November, voters might just finish the job and start sending the tax-and-spend crowd packing. Read more at Center Square.

Colette Weeks of the Washington Coalition for Open Government just laid it out plain: Washington’s Democratic-led House isn’t walking away from transparency—they’re sprinting.

In a move so blatantly shady it would make a D.C. lobbyist blush, the House’s public records officer quietly told lawmakers in July that they’re restarting a 30-day email auto-delete system and offering tips on how to shred even more communications faster. The kicker? Lawmakers can now slap a “transitory” label on anything they want deleted—with zero oversight and zero accountability. If it smells like a cover-up, that’s because it is.

Speaker Laurie Jinkins and House leadership have been poking holes in the Public Records Act ever since a 2019 Washington Supreme Court ruling told them they had to play by the rules. Rather than comply, they’re rewriting the rulebook—and lighting the scraps on fire.

Want to know why your legislator voted a certain way? Too bad. Want to know who was lobbied behind closed doors? Good luck. Under this new email purge regime, only the “prime sponsor” of a bill has to save their communications. Everyone else? Free to delete their tracks. It’s legislative gaslighting at its finest.

And make no mistake: this is the same House that tried to exempt itself entirely from the Public Records Act in 2018—until voters exploded with backlash and Jay Inslee was forced to veto the bill. Clearly, that lesson didn’t stick.

Weeks rightfully calls it what it is: a deliberate erosion of public trust. And while this isn’t technically a partisan issue, it’s hard to ignore who’s holding the power—and the delete key. Spoiler: it’s not Republicans.

If you’re tired of lawmakers acting like they don’t work for you, now’s the time to say so. Demand transparency. Demand records. Demand they show their work before they rewrite your laws in secret. Because when government hides its process, you can bet the outcome won’t be in your favor.

Read the full takedown by Colette Weeks, Executive Director of the Washington Coalition for Open Government—and then pick up the phone and call your legislator before your right to know disappears… just like their emails.

Washington is losing two farms a day—but don’t expect the Democratic majority to hit the brakes on the overregulation that’s fueling the crisis. According to a new report commissioned by Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, the situation is so bleak that it’s not just economic—it’s a full-blown mental health emergency.

Between 2017 and 2022, more than 3,700 farms disappeared from Washington’s landscape, and the suicide rate for agricultural workers is now nearly 50% higher than the general population. The causes? Sky-high costs, crushing debt, and—shockingly—an endless pile of red tape coming from Olympia.

From labor mandates and water restrictions to the all-holy Climate Commitment Act, it’s regulation after regulation—leaving producers stuck between feeding their animals and feeding their families. One farmer reported paying $15 per bin to process apples while only getting $5 per bin in return. You do the math.

Rep. Dent, who’s actually living this reality on his own farm, said he had to rent out half his land this year just to stay afloat. He even admitted he’d have lost less money if he hadn’t grown anything at all. That’s what “progress” looks like under Washington Democrats.

To their credit, a few Dems have at least listened to farmers’ stories—though most still have “no clue” what it’s like to actually run a farm in this state. Instead of dialing back the policies pushing growers to the brink, Democrats keep layering on feel-good climate regulations that look great on paper but leave family farms in ruin.

The good news? Thanks to Dent’s leadership, there are now recommendations to better address mental health in rural communities—including a dedicated ag-specific crisis line and more awareness around suicide prevention. But even Dent knows the real fix isn’t more hotlines—it’s stopping the policies that are driving farmers to despair in the first place.

Until lawmakers in Olympia wake up and realize food doesn’t come from a policy memo, Washington’s ag community will keep shrinking—along with the hope of ever making ends meet. Read more at Center Square.

Despite being called out by the U.S. Department of Justice for obstructing federal immigration law, Washington state and Seattle proudly announced they’ll do absolutely nothing to change their sanctuary policies. Because, apparently, protecting illegal immigrants is a higher priority than protecting law-abiding citizens.

Governor Bob Ferguson brushed off concerns, accusing the Trump administration of “relentless targeting” of “law-abiding immigrants”—a confusing defense, given that the policies in question are specifically about shielding people breaking federal immigration laws. But hey, as long as it checks the right political boxes, who cares?

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell called the DOJ’s notice “political theater” and claimed the city would continue spending $6.5 million annually to support people here illegally—because “values,” or something. Apparently, being a sanctuary city is now a moral virtue, even if it means ignoring the rule of law and burning taxpayer dollars in the process.

And in case you were wondering, this isn’t new: Seattle’s been doing the “don’t ask, don’t enforce” routine since 2003. The only thing that’s changed is how proudly they wear their defiance—no matter the consequences.

At this point, it’s clear: when Democrats say “public safety,” they mean protecting people who shouldn’t even be here—while the rest of us get left holding the bill. Read more at Center Square.

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