Now that the August 6 primary is behind us, voters in our state know who will be on the general election ballot. While it’s important to know the names of the finalists, it’s even more important to know what’s at stake in this election, as Washington State Democrats dream of winning a two-thirds majority in at least one chamber of the Washington Legislature.
Just one additional seat in our Senate and House of Representatives would give Democrats a three-fifths majority and allow them to tie the government – and taxpayers – to billions upon billions of dollars in long-term debt without bipartisan approval.
Winning just a handful of seats in the Senate will give them a two-thirds majority that will allow them to present partisan constitutional amendments to the House of Representatives and the people – such as the introduction of a comprehensive state income tax.
This part of the Democrats’ strategy is evident, for example, in their coordinated efforts to literally oust popular Republican senators through the recent legal manipulation of Yakima Valley’s electoral districts, returning those seats to the Democrats for the first time since World War II.
The Seattle senator, who heads the Democratic Senate campaign committee, recently described the prospect of a two-thirds majority as “quite exciting and a difficult thing to think about.”
What would be exciting for him would be extreme for our state because the Democratic leadership appears to no longer be able to tolerate moderation among its members.
Soon there will be no one left in the Senate or the House of Representatives to support Republicans in the role of “adult in the room.”
When our legislative session begins in 2025, the closest thing to a moderate Democratic senator will be gone: Mark Mullet of King County, with whom I have served in the Senate since we were elected in 2012.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Senator Mullet has decided not to seek another term in the Senate and instead run for governor.
In the most recent primaries, he finished fourth behind Democrat Bob Ferguson and Republicans Dave Reichert and Semi Bird.
Although he and I disagreed on some issues, Senator Mullet is a business person who frequently worked with Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee to promote tax affordability and support our jobs climate by blocking tax proposals and other job-killing legislation.
He also became a key ally in Senate Republicans’ ongoing effort to restore public safety.
Because of this, Senator Mullet had a credibility on these important issues that Ferguson, today’s Democratic candidate for governor, will never have.
As a loyal Democrat, he could encourage those who voted for him to now support Ferguson.
However, if we ignore party affiliation and focus instead on the everyday issues discussed around the kitchen table in Washington families, Senator Mullet’s supporters should really be rallying behind Congressman Reichert, who came in second in the primary between the two leading candidates.
Ferguson’s pathetic His public safety accomplishments include supporting the 2021 social experiment that decriminalized drug possession in our state and made drug overdoses the leading cause of death for Washington residents under the age of 60.
He cannot be trusted seriously address the overdose crisis he helped create. That alone could cost Ferguson the support of moderate Democratic voters.
But getting back to the legislative branch, I don’t see any incumbent Democratic congressman as willing and able as Mark Mullet to stand up to the far-left Democratic leadership.
Even though some of the candidates already in office appeared less extreme, this trend did not continue.
A case in point is Senator T’wina Nobles. When she ran for the Senate in 2020 for southern Pierce County, she listed “stabilizing the economy and creating jobs” as top priorities in her statement in the state’s voter brochure.
Within four months of taking office, the Democratic nominee endorsed the most radical and costly program ever.
And what about Governor Jay Inslee’s carbon trading proposal, even though he knew it would dramatically increase gas and energy prices in Washington? “Yes,” she said.
Fortunately, voters can and should repeal the Climate Commitment Act, as it is officially called, by passing Initiative 2117 in the general election.
A tax on capital gains? Senate Democrats never brought such a bill to a vote until Senator Nobles came along – and cast the deciding vote. Fortunately, voters can and should repeal the tax by passing Initiative 2109 in November.
Restrictions on police chases that would be a gift to criminals? That’s a yes, too. And in March, Senator Nobles was one of the Democrats who doubled down on their efforts by opposing Initiative 2113.
Fortunately, all Republicans and enough other Democrats joined forces to pass I-2113. For two months now, police have been able to pursue any suspected criminal, including car thieves, by car.
Either Senator Nobles succumbed to pressure from the Democratic leadership, or she was simply a decoy candidate from the start – like Jay Inslee, who quickly forgot his campaign promise not to introduce new taxes when he was in the governor’s mansion.
It doesn’t matter. The best thing voters in Senator Nobles’ district can do if they want public safety and affordability is to put a Republican back in the Senate seat by supporting Maia Espinoza.
Likewise, no voter should place confidence in other Democratic candidates who are new to the House and present themselves as moderates or independents. That claim simply will not withstand the pressure that Democratic leaders can apply.
One example is the Democratic candidate for the vacant Senate seat in the 18th Legislative District in southwest Washington.
He correctly told the local paper that Clark County is not Seattle or Olympia, but then added that the county “should not be governed by people who only have those perspectives.” That’s wishful thinking.
If elected, there is no doubt he will ultimately fully align with Seattle and Olympia’s priorities. The right response for 18th District voters is to remember the selfless leadership of Senator Ann Rivers, who is retiring after 14 years of service, and leave this seat in Republican hands.
In 2012, the priorities of the Democratic Senate majority were so far to the left – for the time – that three Democrats switched sides and formed a bipartisan majority coalition with the Republicans.
For five years, our coalition led the Senate and brought balance to the legislative process. It was a remarkable period that saw no across-the-board tax increases while also pursuing a bipartisan overhaul of the state’s unconstitutional K-12 funding system.
Taxes have skyrocketed since Democrats regained control of the Capitol in 2018 and passed radical laws such as the no-pursuit policy.
The big concern now is that one-party rule could develop into a two-thirds majority if the Democrats win enough seats.
If the legislature becomes so unbalanced, we can expect a full-scale attempt to impose an income tax on the people of Washington.
I realize that the legislature just passed Initiative 2111, which bans any income tax in our state – but if their majority were large enough, Democrats would repeal that law in an instant.
It is impossible to predict what further anti-crime and anti-family measures they would take if they did not have moderate members at their side who could help them keep the radicals in check.
Ballots for the November 5 general election will not be sent out until mid-October, giving candidates plenty of time to make their case and voters enough time to decide who they trust.
With the threat of an overwhelming Democratic majority, the stakes are high in these times of division and extreme partisan politics, but the solution is simple: vote Republican.
John Braun, Republican Senate Majority Leader
Senator John Braun was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2012 to represent the 20th Legislative District in southwest Washington, which includes most of Cowlitz and Lewis Counties and parts of Clark and Thurston.
John is the chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus and a member of the Senate Budget Committee, the Labor and Commerce Committee, and the Housing Committee.
Prior to his career in business, John served on active duty in the U.S. Navy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington and master’s degrees in business administration and manufacturing engineering from the University of Michigan.
He and his family live on a small farm in rural Lewis County outside of Centralia.
COMMENT DISCLAIMER: The views and comments expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Lynnwood Times or any of its affiliates
