To Stop All This Conservative Bullshit, Democrats Have to Take Back the State Senate

[pscot]

Jay Inslee stood before a group of reporters wearing an orange tie and a scowl. "Folks," the Democratic governor said on the morning of February 8, "the senate Republicans are out of control."

Inslee's statement—and nearly 30 minutes of even more thinly veiled rage—came after weeks of Republicans pushing extreme legislation and the last minute firing of Inslee's transportation director by Republican legislators. Republicans in Olympia have tried to restrict access to abortion, delay funding for education, and "quarantine" cities across the state from wage increases and sick time laws. That's to say nothing of their rabid attacks on trans people.

Seattle regularly sends Democratic lawmakers to the capital. But electing Seattle Democrats is not enough. In order to turn off the bigoted garbage fountain of Republican legislation (see the anti-trans bills here) and to make it easier to pass common-sense laws (see the police reform bills here), Democrats must retake the state senate.

The Republicans have a slim majority in the senate: the GOP has 25 seats, the Democrats have 24, and one "Democrat" (Tim Sheldon, Potlatch) caucuses with Republicans to effectively create a 26–23 Republican majority. Democrats must focus their energy and efforts this fall—and direct their money—to races where Democrats have a good chance of taking seats away from Republicans.

http://www.thestranger.com/news/feature/2016/02/10/23549788/to-stop-all-this-conservative-bullshit-democrats-have-to-take-back-the-state-senate-heres-how-they-can-do-it

Four races to start with:

District 41, Mercer Island: Steve Litzow

District 28, University Place: Steve O'Ban

District 17, Vancouver: open seat

District 25, Puyallup: open seat

[Wounded Bear]

1. K & R ...... nt