Dems, GOP vying for control of state senate
SEATTLE (AP) - Whether Republicans or Democrats take control of the state Senate next year will be up to voters in a handful of districts.
Currently, the Democrats hold a 27 to 22 seat lead. But the two parties and their allies have poured millions of dollars into just a few districts, mostly located west of the Cascade Mountains.
The Republicans see an opportunity to seize the Senate for the first time in a decade. Democrats want to win enough seats to shed the influence of conservatives in their ranks, which has made their control of the upper chamber shaky at best.
All of the seats in the House of Representatives and about half of the Senate are on the ballot this year.
In King County's 5th District, which covers eastern King County territory such as Issaquah and Maple Valley, Democrats are hoping to gain the Senate seat vacated by Republican Cheryl Pflug, who continues to have a public fall out with her party after she accepted a state job offered by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
Pflug withdrew her name from the race just a few days after the candidate-filing period came to a close. That did not allow the GOP to recruit a candidate. Democrat Mark Mullet won the primary with 52 percent of the vote and has also been endorsed by Pflug.
In the Vancouver area, incumbent Republican state Sen. Don Benton is being challenged by state Rep. Tim Probst. While Benton took the primary with 890 votes, Democrats are feeling confident they can unseat the incumbent.
In the 10th District, which covers all of Camano Island and parts of Skagit and Snohomish counties, Republican state Rep. Barbara Bailey received more votes in the primary than longtime incumbent Democrat Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen.
Republicans are also mounting a challenge to Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, who represents parts of northern King County and south Snohomish County.
McAuliffe, a lead lawmaker in education issues, race has been fueled education organizations. McAuliffe is being boosted by the teacher's union, the Washington Education Association. Her opponent, Dawn McCravey, has seen nearly $250,000 of support from the pro-charter school outfit, Stand for Children Washington.
Spending by candidates, their parties and outside groups in those four races has neared or topped a million dollars each.
Democrats are expected to keep their majority in the House. Republicans would need a net gain of 8 seats to challenge the Democrat's majority in the lower chamber.
Currently, the Democrats hold a 27 to 22 seat lead. But the two parties and their allies have poured millions of dollars into just a few districts, mostly located west of the Cascade Mountains.
The Republicans see an opportunity to seize the Senate for the first time in a decade. Democrats want to win enough seats to shed the influence of conservatives in their ranks, which has made their control of the upper chamber shaky at best.
All of the seats in the House of Representatives and about half of the Senate are on the ballot this year.
In King County's 5th District, which covers eastern King County territory such as Issaquah and Maple Valley, Democrats are hoping to gain the Senate seat vacated by Republican Cheryl Pflug, who continues to have a public fall out with her party after she accepted a state job offered by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
Pflug withdrew her name from the race just a few days after the candidate-filing period came to a close. That did not allow the GOP to recruit a candidate. Democrat Mark Mullet won the primary with 52 percent of the vote and has also been endorsed by Pflug.
In the Vancouver area, incumbent Republican state Sen. Don Benton is being challenged by state Rep. Tim Probst. While Benton took the primary with 890 votes, Democrats are feeling confident they can unseat the incumbent.
In the 10th District, which covers all of Camano Island and parts of Skagit and Snohomish counties, Republican state Rep. Barbara Bailey received more votes in the primary than longtime incumbent Democrat Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen.
Republicans are also mounting a challenge to Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, who represents parts of northern King County and south Snohomish County.
McAuliffe, a lead lawmaker in education issues, race has been fueled education organizations. McAuliffe is being boosted by the teacher's union, the Washington Education Association. Her opponent, Dawn McCravey, has seen nearly $250,000 of support from the pro-charter school outfit, Stand for Children Washington.
Spending by candidates, their parties and outside groups in those four races has neared or topped a million dollars each.
Democrats are expected to keep their majority in the House. Republicans would need a net gain of 8 seats to challenge the Democrat's majority in the lower chamber.
Republicans will never win unless they can prove they have the LEADERSHIP AND
NO WHINNERÂ !!!
 @scychan ...and $$10 Billion in debt led by The Queen & her flock shows leadership how???
It will still be a democrat majority, this is why we need to keep McKenna OUT. RINOs are dangerous when they face opposing-party controlled legislatures, they will fork up all kinds of stuff as sacrifices that the dems didn't even ask for. Why else would Romney and Schwarzenegger sign GUN BANS when they were governors of MASS and CA?
 @NorthwestEconomist ....keep drinking the Kool-Aid ther pal. Keep supporting State union ferry workers running amok by abusing the rules and having a "Governor" turning a blind eye...keep supporting the disaster that is D.S.H.S. where children die because of ineptness & incompetence and where layers of middle-managers hauling in $100K salaries for pushing papers are the norm////keep supporting a DOT led by Paula Hammond that wastes Hundreds of MILLIONS of dollars....
p.s.-You are correct...truth does hurt.
 @Sydthepiper  @NorthwestEconomist I agree, those are problems, too bad the state GOP put up such a wolf-in-sheeps clothing candidate like McKenna. There were 10000 better candidates, and they could have won with so many of them. The GOP is to blame for more dysfunctional government because they could have put up a good candidate here.Â
 @ryanthecubfan  @NorthwestEconomist  @Sydthepiper It was the GOP's job to pick a better candidate than McKenna, instead they picked a charlatan who ignores his own base and pretends to be a democrat. They are responsible for not getting a better candidate.
 @NorthwestEconomist  @Sydthepiper Ok, I generally find myself to be pretty left-leaning, and am happy to take pot shots at Dino Rossi and of course Mitt the Nitwit, but how can I blame the GOP for the problems that have primarily come about under democrat governors, democrat-controlled assembly, and democrat-controlled senate?
 @NorthwestEconomist Your RINO argument is old, lame and incorrect. Try something else.
 @Gino  @NorthwestEconomist Truth hurts doesn't it? Maybe McKenna will realize he shouldn't have alienated his base and pretended to be a liberal.