Following Jay Inslee’s appearance in the second Democrat debate (where the Boston Globe graded his performance with an “F”), things appear even worse in the latest RealClearPolitics average where Inslee fails to make the top 20 or even register an 0.0% average. This is especially troubling for Inslee since Washington state has approximately 2.5% of the country’s voters and Inslee still can’t register at 0.1%.  Worth noting, Montana Governor Steve Bullock is listed at 0.2%.  If Inslee is looking for a 0.2% bump maybe he should follow Governor Bullock’s lead and reimburse the taxpayers of his state for his security expenses while campaigning. (RealClearPolitics) 

Since its February formation, only eight people have contributed to Inslee’s “Super PAC.” Of the $2.2 million raised, wealthy environmentalist Rose Letwin accounted for nearly half with her $1 million donation. The Super PAC spent most of its money early on with tv and on-line advertising and now appears to be nearly broke. Inslee has received criticism from watchdog groups for not disavowing Super PACs which have no contribution cap restrictions. Regarding Inslee, the president of End Citizens United said, “He is the only candidate using big money to do his dirty work and attack fellow Democrats.” (Seattle Times)

While issues are being resolved around the state with the new VoteWA voting system, King County continues to experience problems ahead of this Tuesday’s Primary Election. Name and address formatting problems have led to reports of people receiving multiple ballots in King County.  Election officials across the state are also preparing for the first election in which people can register to vote on Election Day. (Seattle Times)

Lessons for Washington from Oregon in implementing a possible pay-per-mile tax. A spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Transportation said, “It has to be a mandatory program for revenue to be gained from it.” Oregon has also wrestled with privacy concerns with what could be considered government tracking devices, by using third party private companies to coordinate the reporting and paying of the tax. (The News Tribune)

Will this get Seattle City Councilmembers to look up from their phones during public comment periods? The “Party Bros,” who have made a name for themselves speaking at Southern California city council meetings, say they are planning to speak soon at a council meeting in Seattle. Representing the surfer culture, the Party Bros have a built a social media following, making silly recommendations for local governments to consider. They are most famous for proposing to Manhattan Beach that they name their water treatment facility the Britney Spears Toxic Water Treatment Plant. (MyNorthwest)

Heading into the final hours of the Primary Election, the two top contenders to become Spokane mayor are neck-and-neck in fundraising. City Council President Ben Stuckart has received union support to reach $156,000 while former news anchor Nadine Woodward has earned business support to reach $150,000. Woodward also benefits from nearly $140,000 of independent expenditures spent in support of her candidacy. Three other contenders are in the primary race but none of them have amassed more than $20,000.  The top two primary vote receivers will face off in the November general election. (Spokesman-Review)

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