The news is not what anyone wanted – though everyone paying attention expected – but according to the state’s pre-eminent political researcher, his “poll findings suggest we are in for a highly partisan campaign” for governor this fall when four million Washingtonians will decide who should replace the most partisan governor in state history. That’s some of the added insight that Stuart Elway added to the survey which he released on Crosscut last week, as he reminded us that only “24% of registered voters who responded to the late December poll say they have decided on a gubernatorial candidate they ‘intend to vote for.’”

Elway’s reasoning for the high partisan expectations is partly based on “party identification or ideology, mentioned by 22% of respondents” being the leading factor people gave for their support. Second, he found that “respondents as often indicated someone they will not vote for as someone they will or could vote for.” Combined, it leads to a mud-slinging expectation for the fall.

You can read on – and dive into the poll if you want – for the reminder that “Democrats have a structural advantage and history on their side. But it’s only January, and the political climate is fluid” here… Crosscut.

The Democrat legislative incumbent most expected to lose his seat – if he even runs for re-election – is Lying Clyde Shavers, a seated Democrat incumbent from the 10^th district. The reason the narrowly elected Shavers is not expected to be back in Olympia for a second term next year is that after ballots had already been cast in his 2022 campaign, “Shavers’ came under fire from his father, who accused his son of embellishing his military service” among many other charges which the reporter does not share with readers.

You can see detailed Shift coverage of the scandal, which was ignored by the mainstream press long enough for enough votes to be cast to lift Shavers to a narrow, 211-vote victory. Read on to learn it is Yvonne Gallardo that Republicans want to see replace him, as the “Republican member of the Arlington City Council on Monday launched a campaign” to win the 10^th district seat… Washington State Standard, Shift.

The Democrat-dominated Spokane City Council picked up another far-Left voice, as “Lili Navarrete has been appointed to fill an open seat on the Spokane City Council for the next two years.” The Spokesman Review notes that the partisan appointment came with controversy since two councilmen had said “they disagreed with the appointment process and felt the candidates should have faced greater public scrutiny,” earning them accusations of being racist from one of their new colleagues.

Evidently, more public involvement is a bad thing when Democrats have already greased the skids for one of their own, as former Planned Parenthood staffer (and new councilman) Paul Dillon said of former Planned Parenthood staffer (and new councilwoman) Lili Navarrete that she “really campaigned effectively for this seat and I think treated it in a different way than the other applicants.” You can read on to see how one councilman thought it “doesn’t make any sense to me, and it shouldn’t make sense to the public, that this candidate should be chosen behind closed doors” here… Spokesman-Review.

You can tell that the Democrats in the legislature really don’t want to discuss the citizen initiatives that have been certified for their consideration (four of six are ready for their hearing) just by looking at the things they will talk about instead. One high-profile example of liberal time-wasting is “a pair of bills that would promote transparency and hold the fashion industry accountable for its negative impacts on the environment.”

That’s right, eco-fashion is a hot topic for debate, not issues so distant as repealing a carbon tax, or restoring police pursuits, or parental rights in education, which is why some of the greenest Democrats in Olympia want the state to “require corporations with a gross income of more than $100 million worldwide to publicly disclose where they source and manufacture their products and set targets to reduce emissions to meet environmental goals.”

Retailers rightly note that this “bill specific to Washington would put retailers and manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage with minimal environmental gains,” though that doesn’t matter to the Left.  Read on to see how important it is for Washington to go first on a bill that no other state has proven dumb enough to pass, as its sponsor puffs up her own importance, saying, “you have states that are willing to lead and implement these policies at the state level, we start to create a chain reaction for other states to be able to follow suit and create national change” here… The Columbian.

You seriously cannot even make up just how whacky the Democrats in the Washington State Legislature have become when it comes to advocating for the rights of criminals at the expense of crime victims at every turn.  The latest example comes from the Spokesman-Review’s coverage of a bill to let criminals out of prison early in the name of “healing intergenerational trauma” caused by criminals breaking the law at multiple times in their own lives.

You can read on to see how “800 and 1,500 Washington residents are sitting behind bars, serving extra time for their juvenile records,” a tragedy that is keeping the public safe from these law-breakers and which Democrats want to fix by letting the criminals go. That’s because, as one far-Left judge testified, enforcing “longer sentences on adults because of the impulsivity of their youths is unjust,” even though these criminals in question did not learn from the crimes they committed as juveniles, which is why they are in adult prison now.  Read on to see how victims of crime are unmentioned by the Democrats in their push to reward the criminals… Spokesman-Review.