Democrats promised “just pennies” on gas prices, delivered 50+ cents a gallon, and now call affordability complaints an emergency — just not the kind they want to fix.
Democrats’ Climate Tax Hits Drivers — But Don’t Expect Them to Hit the Brake
GOP State Sen. Chris Gildon is pressing Gov. Bob Ferguson to use emergency authority to suspend Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA), arguing it could immediately cut roughly 50+ cents per gallon from fuel prices in a state already about $1.20 above the national average.
The CCA — a cap-and-trade system pushed by Democrats under former Gov. Jay Inslee — was sold as a minor cost adjustment, with promises it would only add “pennies” to gas prices. In reality, it’s become a significant driver of Washington’s persistently high fuel costs since taking full effect in 2023.
Gildon argues the policy is hitting working families hardest, especially in rural and suburban areas where driving isn’t optional. He isn’t calling for scrapping climate policy altogether, but for a pause that recognizes the basic economic reality Democrats keep brushing aside: when fuel prices spike, it’s households, not politicians, who absorb the pain.
Even Ferguson has acknowledged Washington’s affordability crisis in broad terms, but Republicans say that recognition rings hollow when the policies contributing to it remain untouched. Meanwhile, the state continues collecting billions through carbon credit auctions while drivers keep paying some of the highest prices in the country.
The debate now is whether Olympia prioritizes its climate funding model — or the people footing the bill at the pump. Read more at Seattle Red.
Jason Mercier: Fiscal Discipline States Are Winning — Washington Keeps Proving the Point
Jason Mercier, Vice President and Director of Research at the Mountain States Policy Center, argues that the economic contrast across the Mountain West is becoming impossible to ignore — and Washington keeps ending up on the wrong side of it.
In his review of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, Mercier points to what he sees as straightforward results from fiscal discipline: balanced budgets, restrained spending, lower tax burdens, and stronger financial footing. He highlights governors in those states emphasizing the same theme over and over — keep government within its means, return money to taxpayers, and avoid the kind of structural overspending that creates long-term instability.
Then there’s Washington.
Mercier notes weaker-than-expected job growth, downward revisions in employment data, and a regulatory environment widely described by business groups as one of the most complex in the country. He points to findings that a large share of Washington regulations are duplicative or redundant, creating what he characterizes as a heavy “red tape” burden that slows investment and job creation.
He also references past warnings from former Gov. Chris Gregoire acknowledging that Washington’s rapid spending growth and steady layering of taxes and regulations has made the state less predictable for employers — a concern Mercier argues is now showing up in the economic data.
The throughline in Mercier’s analysis is simple: states that prioritize fiscal discipline are seeing stability and growth, while Washington’s continued reliance on higher spending and expanding regulation is producing the opposite outcome. Read more at Center Square.
STA’s New Transparency Standard: “We Swear It’s Too Hard”
The Spokane Transit Authority (STA) has now joined a long list of Washington agencies opting out of maintaining a public records index, declaring the requirement “unduly burdensome” despite spending just a tiny fraction of its $154.59 million budget on public records compliance.
The change means STA will still accept public records requests, but it will no longer organize key documents into a centralized index that helps the public actually find what they’re looking for — a step critics say turns “transparency” into a scavenger hunt.
Agency officials argue modern digital records make indexing too complex and resource-heavy, effectively claiming that in 2026, organizing information is more difficult than responding to thousands of individualized requests one at a time. STA’s legal team also insisted the exemption simply brings them into compliance with state law, which allows agencies to opt out if they declare the process burdensome.
But open-government advocates aren’t buying it. Transparency experts note STA spent about $43,631 on records requests last year — roughly 0.03% of its total budget — and argue that calling indexing “too expensive” stretches credibility for an agency of its size.
Still, the STA board approved the exemption with little resistance, following a pattern already seen in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, and other Washington jurisdictions that have made similar “burdensome” declarations over time.
The result is a familiar tradeoff in Washington governance: officials keep the legal ability to comply with public records laws, while quietly removing tools that make those laws meaningful for everyday citizens. Read more at Center Square.
WA-03: The “Working-Class Democrat” Experiment Starts Hitting Reality
Inside Elections just upgraded Washington’s 3rd Congressional District from “Tilt Democratic” to “Toss-up,” signaling growing trouble for Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez heading into 2026.
New polling shows Republican challenger State Sen. John Braun leading 41% to 34%, with a sizable bloc still undecided — and more importantly, the incumbent sitting on deeply negative favorability numbers, including soft support from independents and even some Democrats.
The warning signs aren’t subtle: weak approval, base erosion, and a campaign increasingly reliant on out-of-state money despite a district that brands itself as deeply local and working-class. Braun – the State Senate Minority Leader, a longtime Southwest Washington business owner, and Navy veteran – is leaning hard into that contrast, while the incumbent faces questions about alignment with statewide Democrat priorities that have become politically toxic in the district.
Add in a presidential margin that barely broke Democrat in recent cycles, and WA-03 is looking less like a “lean blue” seat and more like a full-on battleground where incumbency suddenly isn’t much of a shield. Read more at Seattle Red.
Democrats Call Accountability an “Obsession” When They Can’t Defend the Damage
Rep. Michael Baumgartner pushed back after Seattle media tried framing his criticism of Gov. Bob Ferguson as some kind of personal fixation. Baumgartner made the obvious point: when Democrats keep driving up taxes, wrecking affordability, and catering to far-left Seattle activists, Republicans have a responsibility to call it out.
Instead of answering for Ferguson’s reckless spending and anti-business policies, the media seemed more interested in questioning why anyone would criticize him at all — a perfect snapshot of the protection Democrats enjoy in Washington’s one-party political machine.
Baumgartner also noted what many Washingtonians already know: Ferguson represents Seattle special interests far more than working families or Eastern Washington voters. And while Democrats obsess over national political drama, businesses and taxpayers keep looking for the exits. Read more at Seattle Red.
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