Ed Minger Independent
environmental technician, community activist
refuses to purchase advertising, reducing the need for $ in politics
interesting personal history focused on people working together and mutual support. Sounds like a very good teacher.
Approval Voting – ban candidate advertising. A fairly long tutorial on his proposal, a variant on ranked choice voting. He’s a bit long winded explaining the concept.
Proposes an elected research team.
Proposes amended voter’s pamphlet, complete with his Approval Voting.
A lot of interesting ideas. I don’t have time to watch all the videos. Not sure I want to see Approval Voting rather than ranked choice voting, but they are similar attempts to break from the current dysfunctional system.
I would like to explore some of this man’s ideas for more representative voting. For now, though, I consider him an ‘also ran.’
Gentry Lange independent
real estate broker, progressive activist, county exec candidate 2005
2013 item re Sales agent extraordinaire
lives in Seattle, political activist, ardent spokesman for voting reform, experienced independent journalist, worked as campaign manager for a previous candidate for Sect of State. Volunteer reporter for Seattle Indymedia and Real Change.
article objecting to voting by mail because 47k primary ballots were destroyed for failure to declare party preference. He believes in-person voting would have prevented the problem. He believes voter signature matching further disqualifies ballots. He claims that people submit the wrong ballot, left over from a previous election. He insists that voting by mail is a disaster. He advocates for allowing early voting, for a week, in every county and state.
I am running for office to restore the Secret Ballot, Eliminate Private Vote Counting Software, and bring a voice to the Executive Branch for Small Business, and Worker Recovery
He’s not as crazy as he sounds. He makes some valid points. I still disagree with him, but he has actually thought through the question of how to protect the vote. I would like to see further explanations of his objection to voting by mail, but meanwhile I will not be voting for him.
Kim Wyman R incumbent
she is finishing her 2nd term
she praises herself for improved voter access and turnout
she made many state permit and license applications available on line
She has evidently been quite busy publishing letters and op eds about the benefits of voting by mail.
She has amassed over $566k in campaign funds, which seems a bit of overkill given the lack of visible campaign.
I found a “stipulation and agreed judgment” from the Thurston County Superior Court dated January 2017, in which Wyman and her campaign agree to pay a fine, with attorney’s fees and 3 years probation, in the matter of the Public Disclosure Commission finding her to have committed a campaign fund violation.
She has not responded to Gael Tarleton’s challenge concerning the candidate filing process going south during the one week registration period. There is no evidence that she takes the threat to voting by mail seriously, although she has co-authored those articles in national outlets about its desirability and efficacy.
I do wonder what happened to all that voter information she submitted to that bogus federal voter fraud commission.
She wouldn’t be awful, but I prefer someone I think would be a whole lot better.
Gael Tarleton D
state rep, ex Seattle port commissioner, ex university official
“It’s time we had a Secretary of State who is not only prepared for the current threats to our elections, both foreign and domestic, but also supports and leads efforts to expand voter participation and engagement. I’m committed to protecting every voter and every vote.”
She has been challenging the incumbent to defend Washington’s vote by mail system in the face of attacks by Trump. She asserts that a failure to defend our elections will only embolden further strikes.
As State Rep she has called for “an immediate audit of the VoteWA system.” PCOs (Precinct Committee Officers) and candidates have been complaining of problems with the system, which developed problems during filing week.
She raises the issue of incumbent Wyman providing voter data to Trump’s bogus commission on voter fraud after the 2016 election. Most states refused and the commission was disbanded. One does wonder what happened to the information provided to that commission.
She reports that incumbent Wyman testified against HR 1, the For the People Act of 2019, a bill to increase cyber security in electronic voting and vote counting. HR 1 would also have implemented an automatic voter registration program, prohibitions on foreign nationals advertising on social media, and a national strategy for election protection.
She reports that Wyman donated to the election of Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger, the man who rather deliberately botched the George primary and will most likely do the same to the November general election.
She is a member of the Northwest Progressive Institute.
She is a national security and defense intelligence expert.
Endorsed by Washington Conservation Voters and Washington State Labor Council, WA State Federation of State Employees.
As is obvious from reading this blog, I have some very intense feelings about the sanctity of elections and voting. I want to see the integrity of the election process restored and protected. In that regard, I very much like what I see. I will be voting for Gael Tarleton.
Duane Davidson R incumbent
He worries about the state’s Rainy Day fund. He says the legislature keeps raiding it.
He has created a funding directory to help local governments find state funding.
He wants to amend federal law to allow for state banks to finance the cannabis industry.
His challenger accuses him of supporting Trump.
His website was not responsive so I was not able to “learn more.”
The PDC lists among other Major donors:
Northwest Credit Union Assoc
Bruce McCaw (McCaw Communications)
Washbank PAC
George Weyerhaeuser
Assoc of General Contractors of Washington Build PAC
CBW PAC- Community of Bankers of WA
Trucking Action Comm
Spokane Teachers Credit Union
Premera Blue Cross
WA Food Industry Assoc PAC
First Financial Northwest Bank
WA Hospitality Assoc PAC
All the usual corporations and business associations. One does wonder what he does for them.
Not awful, but not all that good either.
Mike Pellicciotti D
state representative, attorney, ex Gonzaga U regent
~ He has never accepted campaign contributions from corporations
~ He will stop the practice of the state treasurers investing tax dollars in the very corporations that fund their campaigns.
~ He says the incumbent supports Trump.
~ He has passed legislation to:
- get dark money out of politics,
- increase financial penalties for corporate crime,
- require greater campaign finance transparency by PACs.
~ He has called on the legislature to obey the open public records act and has disclosed his own records.
~ He introduced legislation to fix property valuations re property tax.
~ He advocated (and won) an end to corporate tax breaks.
~ He has served as assistant attorney general, managed unit of financial examiners, auditors, & analysts.
~ He recovered $30 million from financial fraud and government waste.
~ He is the chair of the equal justice coalition of renters, mortgagees, vets, and predatory loan victims.
~ He earned a Fulbright scholarship in economic development, an MA in rural development, and a law degree from Gonzaga.
~ He led a national initiative to reduce student debt for public service grads.
endorsed by just about everybody – except Rs
He has received donations from various unions, and has invested his own money in the campaign.
I like what I see and intend to vote for Mike Pellicciotti.
State Auditor
Chris Leyba R
police officer, grad student
introduces himself as an 11 year police detective, law enforcement auditor, animal rescue operator, & 21st century Republican. Mission: bring balance back to the assessment of our state financial oversight.
- certified law enforcement auditor
- proud republican
- 11 years of criminal investigations experience
- experience in financial & performance management administration
- BS, molecular biology, working on MA, business finance @ WSU
- law enforcement trainer, former state contractor
~ He claims that the auditor is no longer non-partisan/neutral. Faults McCarthy for focusing on IT audits, saying it shows a lack of balance.
~ He wants to increase public transparency, and wants the public to have direct input into what is investigated.
~ He wants to audit the hours worked in various government agencies, i.e. state government, representatives and senators, to assure the mental health of decisionmakers.
~ He wants to audit traffic and toll camera contracts.
~ He cites to an auditor’s report of major irregularities in child welfare programs, SNAP, etc and claims that proves his point that the current auditor is biased and not doing the job.
~ He claims the unions have bought the current auditor. “Are you ready to take back your government agency oversight from the unions?”
He sees everything as criminal misconduct rather than actually auditing the agencies.
That includes backed up sexual assault testing. He claims that the auditor’s reports will help the legislature allocate funds.
He’s quite upset by the disrespect shown for police in the Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
He claims that Dems raise far more campaign funds by hustling major organizations and party organizations, while Republicans have to raise $ from individuals.
He wants to change the office from auditor to inspector general. This shows that he is really running for the wrong office and wants to change what that office does.
He appears to believe that there is a conspiracy involving state governors to require face masks.
He wants to abolish the Growth Management Act. “Team Washington. Revise and restrict GMA.”
He doesn’t want cops to have to enforce facemask orders, and says to leave that to public health officers and leave cops to deal with violent crime.
if/when he becomes auditor he will begin by auditing the office of the governor, dept of health, and emergency management.
he comes across as a classic cop right wing republican conspiracy theorist. I just checked out his accusation that Dems are hustling organizational $ while Rs are stuck hitting up individuals. That is not the case for most of the candidates I have checked. It is true for Mr Leyba, who should be glad he has so many relatives. They’re his major donors. I then checked on Pat McCarthy. She does have a few organizational donations, and you’ll find them listed in the entry for her.
I don’t believe Mr Leyba understands the job, and it appears that he would approach it as a cop rather than an auditor. We’re seeing enough of that on the streets. We really don’t need it in the halls of government.
Joshua Casey D
accountant
He touts his CPA and educational credentials as essential to the job.
He implies that incumbent McCarthy is a political insider and therefore not qualified.
He has almost no experience in government and does not list any interests other than CPA. He interned for a member of congress. There’s a photo of him at a peace march to end the Iraq war.
He is gay and married.
My impression is that he doesn’t quite get the job description. Yes, his CPA credentials would be helpful, but that’s only a small part of a very big job, and I don’t see that he addresses those other parts of the job at all.
I’m afraid he’s an ‘also ran.’
Pat McCarthy D incumbent
currently state auditor, previously Tacoma School Board 1987 – 1999, Pierce Co Executive
“Pat is dedicated to shining a brighter light on government operations for the public. She believes audits increase public trust in government.”
McCarthy was elected to replace a Republican fraud in that position (he resigned. I think he was arrested). She ran on restoring trust in government. She has been honored for changing policy re: email. It was previously kept only 2 weeks. She changed that to 6 years.
Helping local governments move into the digital record keeping age.
Making that information available to the public.
McCarthy announced investigations into WA Employment Security after significant fraud and loss of state funds. Needed benefits were stolen and/or delayed. Criminals in Nigeria stole $500 million in unemployment benefits. WA has recovered $333 million. She’s not blaming Employment Security. She just wants to recover the funds and prevent a repeat.
And here’s a story on how it happened https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/may/25/how-missed-red-flags-helped-nigerian-fraud-ring-sc/
6-25-20 Tacoma News-Tribune story. McCarthy donates pay raise to charity. Can’t get the story because of a paywall.
introducing report re Alternative Learning Experiences. I’ve not checked out the report, in part because I had trouble finding it on the Auditor’s website. There are a LOT of reports dealing with all sorts of questions and issues. The Auditor does a whole lot more than I ever knew.
In 2019 she discovered and dealt with shenanigans in the Wapato city council/mayor/city manager offices, including misappropriation of funds, missing funds, and nepotism, among other things. She blew the whistle on the city, which has theoretically cleaned up its act. 10 citizens of Wapato complained via the auditor’s citizen hotline. “I feel strongly that if you have a problem you’re better off embracing it, owning it, and trying to turn it around.”
State auditor’s office reports more than $6.9 mil stolen from Pierce Co Housing Authority by its former finance director, from 2016 to the end of 2019. And this is precisely what the Auditor’s job is about.
I just checked out her challenger’s accusation that Dems are hustling organizational $ while Rs are stuck hitting up individuals. That is not the case for most of the candidates I have checked. It is true for Mr Leyba, who should be glad he has so many relatives. They’re his major donors. I then checked on Pat McCarthy. She does have a few organizational donations: WA Education Assoc PAC, Boeing PAC, Iron Workers District Council, Justice for All PAC, Citizens for Better Government, and the Hospitality Association. None of these are particularly large donations. This is an unfortunately low key race. I think it deserves a lot more attention.
This job is far bigger than I realized, and I think we are lucky to have Pat McCarthy covering it. I will be voting to re-elect Pat McCarthy.
Attorney General
Brett Rogers R
attorney, ex police officer, ex correctional officer
~ focused on the RIGHT Washington
~ was a Seattle cop during what he calls the WTO “riots.”
~ earned law degree while working as cop
~ small solo practice with focus on pro-bono work
Under ‘issues’, there is a diatribe to the effect that it is unacceptable for the state to use the courts to settle differences with the federal government or, as he puts it “to obstruct the federal executive.” Calls Ferguson a “Sideshow.”
He objects to I-1000, thinks free speech is being squelched on campus, doesn’t like “illegal immigrants” or sanctuary.
“Unconstitutionally subverting the electoral college.” – The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact makes him apoplectic.
He has run previously as an independent, but the two party system makes that impossible, so this time he’s running as an R
He supports capital punishment.
He “unapologetically” supports the 2nd amendment.
He supports Trump without question.
Ok, he’s pushed just about every button I’ve got. I was going to list the ways, but I think his agenda speaks for itself. We are currently witnessing a federal government notable for its embrace of sadism. We are seeing officials who openly take pleasure in causing pain to the people of this country. We really don’t need another one of those in state government.
Late breaking: Brett Rogers attended a Republican event in Oak Harbor on July 4. It was hosted by Mr Scott Thompson, the man who is trying to foist Wright’s Crossing on us all. In part he is doing that by buying himself a commissioner. This event was partly an introduction for his candidate, Dan Evans. There is video of this event/incident. It involved a more liberal individual who came to observe the event. Thompson took umbrage at that and kept pointing to the man and calling him “Antifa.” This riled the crowd until a bunch of them knocked this man down and then beat up on him until he had to be taken to Harborview to deal with the concussion and other injuries. Meanwhile, Scott Thompson grabbed and broke his camera. What is truly disgusting is that not a single one of the whole crowd of candidates did anything to stop the beating. I am following up on this because I want to know which other R candidates were present. Ron Muzzall is easy to spot, standing on the stage with mic in hand and Eyman sticker on his shirt. Brett Rogers is heard ending his speech at the start of the video. I’m hoping others can identify some of the other candidates.
I really really REALLY do not like the idea of anyone in a position of political power who thinks its alright to commit violence against people with whom they disagree.
Matt Larkin R
attorney, ex GW Bush White House aide
former Spokane and Pierce county prosecutor
“worked across the aisle”
He worked in Bush’s White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, “empowering private charities to obtain federal aid.”
He was also Associate Director of Presidential Speechwriting
He is currently chief corporate legal counsel for his family manufacturing business in Bothell.
“Washington cannot afford another 4 years in the wrong direction. We need a fresh perspective and real solutions to homelessness, drug abuse, and crime.”
His agenda:
~ clean up our streets
~ hope for the homeless
~ reclaim our city parks
His issues:
~ enforce the laws
~ crack down on drug abuse
~ support police
~ provide real solutions to homelessness
~ lower taxes
~ make government accountable
~ run the state like a business
lot of east side endorsements, especially east side sheriffs
under COVID-19 he lists a couple of websites. period.
I’m not sure this is a serious candidate, although he would be happy to push the R agenda on us. I consider him an ‘also ran.’
Mike Vaska R
attorney, GOP activist
His agenda:
~ protecting our economy and creating jobs
* reducing regulations and bureaucratic burden on our businesses and workers
* convene a “create jobs now” task force to streamline permitting and reduce regulatory burdens, especially for small employers, the self employed, and independent workers.
* work to provide more certainty and reduce the fear of liability lawsuits for front-line health providers and businesses, better defining their responsibilities to avoid claims during the pandemic and recovery.
* help small businesses, local government and the state protect themselves against the onslaught of cybercrime.
~ protecting communities, consumers, and your tax dollars
* taking on homelessness and public safety issues, consumer scams, fraud against government
programs
* rampant homelessness
* unpunished criminals
* consumer scams
* massive cyber-fraud against government programs
He claims Ferguson is diverting millions to pay for his obsession with partisan national suits.
He claims Ferguson disbanded the computer crimes unit and has failed to address homelessness and related public safety issues.
He says he will follow in the steps of Rob McKenna to create task forces to address homelessness, cybercrime, and monitor for potential fraud in government programs
~ protecting your rights as an independent watchdog over state government
He complains that Ferguson has turned the AGs office into a partisan shop and has abandoned his oversight responsibilities.
He complains Ferguson has been silent while Inslee has led the state into a constitutional crisis over his partisan and unequal use of his emergency powers (does this refer to the shutdown?)
He proposes to exercise his independent power to advise government on the limits of their powers, including limits on emergency orders.
* He will issue public AG opinions on the limits of emergency and other powers
* He will propose amendments to the emergency power laws to require AG review
He supported the $30 car tab legislation after Eyman’s initiative failed
He is on the board of Mainstream Republicans of WA
He claims to be the only candidate with decades of legal experience.
This is definitely the machine R running against Ferguson. As with other Republicans, he wants to change the mandate of the job. He is wrong on just about every factual statement. Governor Inslee has done what had to be done to slow the COVID pandemic. Yes, it has hurt. Yes, it could have been done with more finesse. But as I pointed out in the discussion of governor candidates, when the train is about to smash into the whole crowd of you, there’s not a lot of time for finesse as you shove people out of harm’s way. Mr Vaska wants to limit the power to address the crisis. Good plan. He wants to prevent the kinds of lawsuits Bob Ferguson is filing on behalf of Washington residents against that over-reaching federal government. And incidentally, winning. Check the entry for Bob Ferguson for a summary of his wins. Mr Vaska likes Tim Eyman’s initiatives. Gee, thanks. Next time I’m stuck in a parking lot which claims to be I-5 I’ll remember that. Think about the chokehold on our transportation alternatives Mr Vaska supports. And of course there’s the “reduce regulations” plank. That one seems to show up in all R agendas. A very big issue is the one about reducing fear of liability lawsuits for health care insurers and providers. That translates to “oops, sorry ‘bout that, guess you’ll just have to die. No, you can’t hold us responsible.” Activists have worked a very long hard time to hold medical insurers and providers liable for their actions. I really don’t want to go back to square one on this issue.
If you like what you see at the federal level, I’m sure you’ll like Mr Vaska at the state level. It ain’t me. I will most definitely NOT vote for this man.
Bob Ferguson D incumbent
experienced lawyer, independent leader, 4th generation Skagitonian, internationally rated chess master.
He has filed more than 60 lawsuits against the Trump administration. He has won all those which have come to trial. 21-0. 12 of those are final and unappealable.
- defeated the original Muslim travel ban
- blocked the decision to rescind DACA
- blocked allowance for 3D printed gun plans on the net
18 enviro & climate change cases 13/0
8 immigrant protection cases 4/0
7 health care, reproductive care cases 3/0
2 consumer protection for student borrowers 1/0
2 LGBT
1 firearm access 1/0
1 net neutrality
WA is lead plaintiff in 14 cases, 7/0
https://ballotpedia.org/Bob_Ferguson_recall,_Attorney_General_of_Washington_(2020)
There was an effort to recall Ferguson inDecember 2019, which was heard by a judge in January 2020 and found to be insufficient to move forward. Proponents of the recall were unhappy with his support for I-1639, which set limits and standards on gun ownership. They were also unhappy that Ferguson did not support Eyman’s I-976, the $30.00 car tab initiative.
He has ordered a Seattle business to quit marketing what it claims is a COVID vaccine.
There are so many cases, now that I know where to look. This is one busy office, and all the cases I see are ones I would support: preventing immigrants from being arrested at the courthouse, suing Monsanto over PCBs, suing Johnson & Johnson over deceptive marketing of opioids, preventing the Navy from scraping the hulls of their ships in Puget Sound, and on and on.
https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/ferguson-file/ferguson-file-january-2020
Agenda:
~ protect the Constitution
~ protect civil rights
~ protect consumer rights
~ protect environment
~ fair elections
~ open government
~ protect veterans
~ protect seniors
~ protect workers
~ end human trafficking, stop sexually violent predators, end sexual assault
independent leader
lots of national recognition
Note that the focus is on protecting the land, the people, and their rights. That is refreshing.
Incidentally, he has filed a case against the US Navy over the Growler noise and its impacts on the people of central Whidbey. That was a politically risky thing for him to do, but all of us on the island appreciate his considerable support.
His office is investigating a police involved killing in Pierce County which was ruled a homicide but was not investigated under the new rules which resulted from I-940. The intent is to review at least 30 police use of deadly force investigations. And that’s just this year. And here is a relevant report to the effect that Ferguson has asked the legislature to require that law enforcement statewide be required to disclose all use of deadly force, and that such information should be available to the public on a website. This would be consistent with the intent of 2018’s I-940 to hold police more accountable. There is already an FBI reporting system which could easily be applied to Washington.
This man is exactly the right person in exactly the right place to protect Washington’s land and people from the thrashing and trashing coming out of the White House. We need him to keep doing what he’s doing.
I will be voting enthusiastically for Bob Ferguson.
Again...great information, great reading. Mega Thanks! And that takes the form of donating what we can. Anybody reading this--click the Donate button. Respect Marianne's hours and perspicacity.
ReplyDeleteWhile a “cheat-sheet” would save me time it would rob me of being an informed voter. I read everything written and researched. When complete I make my decision which aligns with Marianne’s. The information is so informative and useful. I donate gladly.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Thank you so much for all your hours of research, as well as your insight. You have made this huge list of candidates so much easier to navigate.
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