Special election causes scheduling mess.
Wednesday, April 4,
2012 | 12:57 p.m.
The resignation of Rep. Jay
Inslee (D)
has created an open seat, but the timing of that resignation, coupled with
redistricting, have further complicated the landscape. Gov. Chris
Gregoire (D) "originally hadn't
planned to call a special election to replace Inslee, who resigned last month
to run for governor full time.
But on March 21, the general
counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives issued a memo saying Washington
had a constitutional duty to fill the seat this year, even if just for a month,
and backed it up with a series of previous court decisions." The special
election will involve "a top-two primary in August and a general election
in November." Both the August and the November ballots will feature not
only the special election, but also the regular election for the first
district, which will be administered according to the redrawn boundaries.
The winner of the special election "can't take office until the vote is certified, which could be as late as Dec. 6." Additionally, "Just 40 percent of the current 1st District is in the new district. That means thousands of voters will pick a temporary 1st District representative even as they elect lawmakers from their new congressional districts."
Leaders of the state Dems and GOP agree that "the simplest solution may be to find a consensus candidate," but "finding a consensus candidate may be difficult. Democrats don't want to give up a seat -- even briefly -- that's been held by their party since Inslee first won there in 1998. And the GOP might be reluctant to agree to a Democratic caretaker, with potentially big issues facing Congress in December.
Most of the six announced candidates for the regular election in the new district have yet to decide whether to contest the special election as well; they have until the May 18 filing deadline to do so (Martin, Seattle Times, 4/3).
The demographics of the district have changed as a result of reapportionment: "The former 1st was solidly Democratic, but the new boundaries include Republican strongholds, like conservative Whatcom County" (Idlis, Seattle Times, 4/3).
The winner of the special election "can't take office until the vote is certified, which could be as late as Dec. 6." Additionally, "Just 40 percent of the current 1st District is in the new district. That means thousands of voters will pick a temporary 1st District representative even as they elect lawmakers from their new congressional districts."
Leaders of the state Dems and GOP agree that "the simplest solution may be to find a consensus candidate," but "finding a consensus candidate may be difficult. Democrats don't want to give up a seat -- even briefly -- that's been held by their party since Inslee first won there in 1998. And the GOP might be reluctant to agree to a Democratic caretaker, with potentially big issues facing Congress in December.
Most of the six announced candidates for the regular election in the new district have yet to decide whether to contest the special election as well; they have until the May 18 filing deadline to do so (Martin, Seattle Times, 4/3).
The demographics of the district have changed as a result of reapportionment: "The former 1st was solidly Democratic, but the new boundaries include Republican strongholds, like conservative Whatcom County" (Idlis, Seattle Times, 4/3).
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