The Monroe Monitor & Valley News, Monroe, Washington, The Voice of the Sky Valley Since 1899

Election 2008 results: Incumbents take strong lead in primaries

By POLLY KEARY, EDITOR

Voter turnout for the Aug. 19 primary elections was high in Snohomish County, with just shy of 40% of voters returning ballots. The results are not yet official, but 100% of the votes received by Friday have been counted. Here are the results of the races that included more than two candidates.

U.S. House of Representatives District 2

Rick Larsen, (D-Everett) who is seeking a fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, emerged from the primary with a handy lead. He received 50% of the votes, while his closet competitor, former Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart (R-Marysville) garnered 41%.

Independent Doug Schaffer of Snohomish picked up 5.12% of the vote, and Democrat Glen Johnson of Mount Vernon trailed with 2.7%.

“I was obviously very pleased,” said Larsen via cell phone from the Democratic National Convention in Denver Sunday night, over the noise of a large crowd. “It’s some vindication of work we’ve done for veterans, and for local law enforcement and fighting meth.”

But his comfortable lead won't leave him resting on his laurels, he said.

“I door-belled Wednesday and Thursday and Friday, and I’ll be back next week,” he said. “I take nothing for granted.”

Bart, who will join Larsen on the November ballot, was also pleased with the outcome.

“My family and I want to thank all the voters who supported us in the primary,” he said via e-mail. “We are honored to advance and are looking forward to the general election process.”
His campaign, he said, will continue to focus on critical issues.

“Our efforts will be on contacting as many voters in the district as possible with our message of changing congress so we can solve our energy crisis, Social Security and health care,” he wrote. “The same old partisan politics of the past will not work any longer. I still believe our number one problem is the national debt and this congress is doing nothing to reduce it. Our economy is eroding everyday because we are going deeper in debt on a national level.”

Schaffer hopes to remain involved in the campaign season, and may soon join another campaign as a consultant.

Although his enthusiasm for involvement in the race remained high, he offered a critique of the new primary system, in which the top two candidates, regardless of party, advance to the November election.

“From the perspective of an Independent candidate, the new primary system was something of a disaster,” he wrote. “Very little time was allowed for our campaign to get organized, develop a strategy, get a website up, get signs printed and placed throughout the district, schedule our own policy forums and town meetings, etc. We found it very difficult to reach the 100,000 plus voters in the three months allowed.”

The system, meant to increase voter options, may in fact do the reverse, he opined.

“I think this gave the advantage to the known Republican and Democratic candidates, who had to do little campaigning, and were able to count on voters sticking to their party ticket,” he said. “This is the last time I will run without an (R) or (D) behind my name and the full backing of the party I represent. If others feel as I do, the new primary will have served to take away the opportunity to provide voters with much of any choice, beyond the current two party system. The result is a degradation of our electoral process, in which the ability to provide voters with different ideas and opportunities for change is severely restricted.”

39th District Representative Position 2

Kirk Pearson, (R-Monroe) emerged with 58% of the vote, a clear lead in his bid for a fifth two-year term representing the 39th District, including parts of Island, Skagit, Whatcom and Snohomish County, in Olympia.

He will face David Personius, (D-Arlington) in the general election. The result was gratifiying, said Pearson.

“I was pleased with the result,” he said. “I’m getting my message out, and people know what I’m working on, so that made me happy. I was thinking if I got 50% that would look pretty good. Now it’s 58%.”

But he still has a lot of work to do, he said.

“Between now and November I’ve got to get more signs out, do more doorbelling, and I’ve got more people to visit,” he said. “And I have to be a legislator too. I’m working on legislation for January. But I’m looking forward to the general election, and to the debates.”

Personius, who earned 30% of the vote, said that change is important for 39th District voters.
“Many of the citizens of the four counties that are included in the 39th District are asking for change,” wrote Personius in an e-mail.

Most people with whom he speaks are concerned about infrastructure, he said.

“Nearly every sector is asking for improvements to a particular road or highway project,” aid Personius. “A drive through neighboring districts reveals expensive projects underway. It appears that most of the money from the recent gas tax increases is being spent elsewhere. Why is this? Why aren’t our representatives pressing for money to be spent in our area?"

The problem, he said, is in politics.

“ ‘Dead on arrival’ is a term used in the legislature for bills that will never make it out of committee,” he wrote. “This unfortunately is the price we pay for electing Republicans who voted against those very taxes that are financing the work. Brutal? Yes. Sadly that is sometimes the nature of politics. It has been termed 'the tyranny of the majority.'"

So the best strategy is to align with the majority, he said.

“We must elect Democrats, who are in the majority, to have our needs acted upon in Olympia,” he said. “As your elected Representative I will fight to bring our fair share of dollars back to our community. The incumbents will never make it out of committee.”

Samantha Hicks, (I-Lake Stevens) took 11% of the vote.

“The results were better than I expected,” she said. “The whole process was a learning experience for me and it all happened so quickly. My efforts at reaching out to the public by internet and newspapers didn’t work successfully. Next time I will be better prepared as I plan to continue my efforts to get elected someday.”

Superior Court Justice for Snohomish County Position 6

The three candidates vying for a seat on the Snohomish County Superior Court bench for Position 6 were narrowed to two following the primary.

George Appel of Everett, a former prosecutor, won the largest share of the vote with 42%, and will face Everett attorney Joe Wilson in the November election.

“I’m pleased with the primary results and would like to thank the voters for placing me first in the primary,” Appel commented. “I’m also thankful for the support I received. We worked hard and will continue to do so in the next ten weeks. As I look forward to the general election, I will continue to promote my message of court room experience, integrity and hard work. These are the things for which I’m known and it’s clear they resonate with the voters.”

Wilson, too, is eager for the homestretch of the election.

“I am encouraged by the numbers and will continue the work we are doing to tell the voters about my unmatched legal experience and commitment to our community,” he wrote.

Edmonds attorney Jim Johanson was knocked out of the race with 21.25% of the vote.

Fire levies

Monroe’s Fire District 3 was spared running a second chance election this fall with 63% voter approval of a maintenance levy, and Gold Bar Fire District 26 likewise triumphed with a 68% victory.

Other races

For those candidates not facing more than one opponent, the votes tallied during the primary were a way to see who was ahead going into the final stretch of the campaign season.

Here are the unofficial results of the rest of the Sky Valley races, as of Sunday night.

Jay Inslee, (D-Shoreline) is handily ahead of opponent Larry Ishmael, (R-Kirkland), leading with 65% of the vote, to represent the 1st District of Washington in Washington D.C. The 1st District includes the west half of Monroe.

Superior Court Judge candidate Eric Lucas is leading opponent David Hulbert 51%-48%.

A nearly 20 point spread separates Val Stevens, (R-Arlington) who got just shy of 60% of the vote, from challenger Fred Walser (D-Monroe), who picked up 40% of the vote.

Walser, a former police chief with 40 years experience in law enforcement, was undeterred by the gap.

“I’m trying to run on the issues,” he said. “I think people will listen to what I have to say.

We’re advocating for change and getting away form partisanship, which has inhibited things for years on the 39th District.”

And Dan Kristiansen, (R-Snohomish,) led with 56% of the vote, to opponent Scott Olson's 44% (D-Sultan).

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