We now know the outcome, more or less, of the Washington State US Senate race-and it looks like it's going to be Patty Murray, D-(Actual No-Kidding Progressive), over Dino Rossi, R-(Guy Who Will Be Running Again For Something As Soon As He Can).
Murray managed to win in a State that is far more "purple" than you might think, in a vote-by-mail election that guarantees at least a few days of uncertainty.
You have to do some unusual math to figure out how these elections will go, and we're going to walk through how this race got called by NBC just a couple hours ago.
Whether you are deliriously happy, incredibly sad, or still uncertain about how you feel about what has emerged from the House this weekend, it's probably safe to say that one thing everyone is...is sick of the whole thing.
Of course, we're far from done-but just to give us all a break, I'm going to abruptly change the subject.
I have a Flip Video camera-which I am still getting used to-and last night we ran up the hill to Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, ostensibly to test the camera's low-light capabilities...but really so we could drive around in all the fresh new snow.
There's plenty of time to get back to the political wars in a bit; but for right now let's head up the mountain, see some cool stuff, talk about what the camera can-and can't-do, and, just for fun, we'll answer the age-old Seattle question: "how long does it take to find three places that sell espresso at the top of a mountain pass in the middle of nowhere?"
Over the past few days we have been talking about Washington State's Referendum 71, which was voted on this week. If passed, the Referendum will codify in law certain protections for same-sex couples.
In the first story of our three-part series we discussed Washington's unusual vote-by-mail system; in the second we examined the pre-election polling.
Today we talk about what happened Election Night at the R-71 event and where the vote count stands today...and where it might end up when we're all done.
We have lots of geeky electoral analysis ahead-and as a special bonus, we have video of the event, including an exclusive interview with Charlene Strong, the woman who became one of the icons of the pro-71 campaign.
It's a lot to cover, so we better get right to it.
It is now Election Day around the US, and one ballot question that is attracting national attention is Washington State's Referendum 71.
Voting "yes" on the Referendum would codify in law various protections for same-sex domestic partners, and it is similar to a measure that the citizens of Maine are also voting on today.
We have polling data that is fairly fresh, so let's take this last chance to look at where we might be, and what you should be looking for over the next few days as you attempt to judge how this one is going.
It occurred to me yesterday as I glanced up at the calendar. Election Day. It's now under a week away. It's easy for me to sometimes forget that there's an Election Day every year, especially with so much going on re health care and other issues, but there it is.
The reason I'm working so hard on Maine is because I remember last year when Obama and Democrats up and down the ballot were winning nationwide, we suffered a defeat in California. In the largest state in the union, people got to vote on other people's marriages, and stripped them of their rights. It was completely stunning, and generated a lot of the pushback via protests and online organizing in the weeks to follow. Now organizers in California are struggling to decide whether to go back to the ballot in 2010 or 2012, which is a heartwrenching decision. How do you tell people they have to wait to get married while you figure out a political strategy to accomplish that? And if you don't, and lose a second time, what will that mean?
This is why I'm so concerned about losing in Maine, as well as New Jersey, where a Corzine loss could mean no marriage equality in the state. While health care is raging, there's a deadline coming up in those states, and in Washington State and Michigan. I previously wrote about Referendum 71 in WA here. In Michigan, the Kalamazoo City Commission twice approved an ordinance protecting LGBT individuals from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations. It's on the ballot for repeal too.
The other reason that I'm concerned is that these votes affect our movement- grassroots enthusiasm, funding, media memes about setbacks. If you don't believe me, consider how many people you've heard haven't voted for President since Kennedy in '80, or McGovern in '72, until Obama. All of these votes matter, and they're all coming up in less than a week. And if LGBT activists like myself, who also care about health care, suffer defeat on all these fronts on Election Day 2009, I guarantee we will have less energy and resources to win that battle. Our movement is inter-connected.
If you haven't found the time to pitch in yet, myself and other activists in the netroots have put together an action page here for who these campaigns are, what they need, and how to do it. All it takes is a few hours or a few dollars. You can travel to these states or you can call voters from home. Every little bit helps. While the battle on health care is raging in the Senate, we've got six days left to pick up victories on other parts of the playing field.
Click here to go to the action page, see what you can do, and help make sure 2009 isn't a bittersweet year. Maine, Washington and Kalamazoo's biggest needs are in the graphics below, and you can click on those.
We are now about two weeks away from the November election in Washington State, and one item on the ballot that has national attention is Referendum 71, the so-called "everything but marriage" proposal that would give same-sex couples more rights and protections than they have today.
There has been a lot of conversation about whether it will or won't pass-and a lot of conversation about whether it should pass.
I hope it does, and if you live here I encourage you to vote "yes" November 3rd.
But that said, you may not be aware that Washington has an electoral system in transition, and that as a result of the transition Washington has some idiosyncrasies that will make forecasting the results a bit tougher, and determining the results a bit slower.
We'll talk about that today, and by the time we're done you should have an appreciation of the odd way in which things can work out-and that, absent a landslide, we aren't likely to know the results on Election Day.
There's a very moving new ad out in Washington State. Referendum 71 is on the ballot out there, and it would take away adoption rights, inheritance rights, even rights to visit one's partner in the hospital. Take a look.
Because it's the public education c3 arm, they can't directly ask for approval of Referendum 71, but it helps remind people of the challenges faced daily by LGBT couples. Plus, Washington State is a vote by mail state, and this ad will be playing as voters fill out their ballots.
Please post this ad (here's the link) to Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail the action website - www.amiprotected.org - around to people you know in the state. Remember that if you don't know anyone in Washington, you may have friends out there in your networks who do. And if you have a few shekels, you can chip in to keep it on the air.
One other update- Microsoft just threw in $100,000 to support the Approve Referendum 71 campaign. This accounts for more than "Protect Marriage Washington" has raised altogether. A few years back, Microsoft had brazenly flip-flopped on a statewide LGBT anti-discrimination measure. This helps make amends in one way. Kudos.
Update: There is still some confusion around Referendum 71. We want to APPROVE Referendum 71, which would be APPROVING the domestic partnership law recently passed. by the state leg and signed by Gov. Gregoire. It's counter to what one usually thinkgs, but ask folks for a YES vote.
I just got off the phone with Josh Friedes, the campaign manager of Approve Referendum 71, the campaign to protect the domestic partnership law in Washington State. I previously wrote about the campaign and what was at stake here, for a little background. Rights that would be stripped away from LGBT couples include using sick leave to care for a partner, unemployment and disability benefits, adoption rights, and more.
Approve Referendum 71 is releasing an internal poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner tomorrow showing 51% approve, 44% reject. This is great news for our side- I had been hearing from a few places that the numbers in Washington State looked bad, and that the state's fight would be overlooked this year.
The key here, though, is as much the turnout as the numbers. Josh told me:
The problem isn't that there isn't support for the domestic partnership law- the problem is that as much as half of the electorate doesn't vote in a Washington State off-year election. Those people most likely not to vote are younger, more liberal voters. The key here is voter turnout of our base. Washington is only one of very few states to have referenda in the off-year. People need to explain to their family and friends the importance of approving Referendum 71, but also the importance of an off-year election.
If you know anyone in Washington, take 5 minutes and ask them to vote to APPROVE Referendum 71. The campaign has an easy tool to do so. Washington State is a vote by mail state in 38/39 counties, so we have to get our ballots in. Ballots should be in mailboxes around Oct. 16th.
We have yet another front to defend in the fight to secure equality for LGBT families this fall. In Washington State, Referendum 71 looks like it will qualify for the ballot with just over the 120,000 signatures needed. The final certification will come Wednesday in a court case filed by our side challenging it, but it appears all but certain at this point that it's going to the ballot, according to the Secretary of State. The measure would overturn a major expansion of LGBT partnership rights passed in the legislature and signed by Gov. Gregoire, including:
The right to use sick leave to care for a domestic partner
The right to wages and benefits when a domestic partner is injured, and to unpaid wages upon the death of a domestic partner
The right to unemployment and disability insurance benefits
The right to workers' compensation coverage
Insurance rights, including rights under group policies, policy rights after the death of a domestic partner, conversion rights and continuing coverage rights
Rights related to adoption, child custody and child support
Essentially, a major part of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The good news is that the campaign will be fought hard. Josh Friedes, a friend who just left Equal Rights Washington, the organization in large part responsible for Washington State's comprehensive domestic partnership laws (which provide all the rights and benefits of marriage under state law), is managing it. And my good friend Josh Cohen, who did a lot of volunteer work around Prop 8 and general all-around tech guru, is helping with new media for the campaign. Josh C., in his capacity working at Microsoft, worked hard to help me set up a great event there for The Progressive Revolution book tour when Mike went to Seattle a few months ago. Both Joshes came to Netroots Nation two weeks ago to reach out and ask for help, and ask what they could do for us, too. They both get it, and need a hand now.
The bad news is that this will be less than a nine-week campaign- Washington State is vote by mail, so ballots start coming in during mid-October. Although you could argue the other side has the same problem, our side needs to vote yes on Referendum 71, in an electoral quirk, in order to approve the rights. Because "yes" efforts are always harder to win on ballot campaigns, we face an uphill challenge. I also have concerns the public will be willing to approve new rights with opposition likely messaging about added costs to businesses in a recession.
The first step to any campaign you want to support is to help give them the capacity to win. Washington Families Standing Together is the organization on our side working to defeat this attack on LGBT families. Please sign up for their e-mail list here, and ask several friends you know to do the same. If you are able, contribute to get them seed money. There are some legal hoops they need to jump through still to be on ActBlue. Josh F. tells me Washington State has a large donor ban that bans any $5,000 contributions or more at the 21-day mark before the election, so there will not be any last-minute Melissa Ethridge fundraising concerts here where all the big donors wake up like during Prop 8. They need help as early as possible.
Their Facebook fan page with over 7,500 members is here.
While one might think that, after a great victory that saw the election of a Progressive African-American to the Whitehouse and the triumphant re-election of your party's governor, not to mention pickups in both the legislature and other executive offices, the chair of the state Democrats would be in a pretty safe position. But this is Washington and we are talking about Democrats. For those who need a refresher, Dwight Pelz came to be the chair of the state Democrats when Paul Berendt stepped down from the post in January of 2006 (after leading the effort to ensure all the votes were counted in the first Gregoire-Rossi match-up) and a special election was held to fill the vacancy. While Pelz has presided over the successes listed above, he has also rubbed some of the rank and file a bit sore with an often abrasive personal style and a perceived lack of respect for the grassroots. It is possibly the fact that those successes have been achieved and that there are no real overriding electoral challenges ahead of the party for another two years that might seem to signal an opening for someone to mount a challenge for Pelz's job.
Enter Darcy Burner?
Darcy Burner - New Party Head?
In the past few days I have heard from a few inside sources that, soon after it had become apparent that Burner was not going prevail in her race against Dave Reichert, she was being approached to challenge Pelz for the Chair's position. While I have not gotten any official confirmation from Darcy or anyone in her "inner circle" it is my understanding that she considering the challenge. Obviously Darcy Burner would benefit from great support from the so called netroots community and plenty of name recognition amongst the potential Democratic voting bloc in the King County area and beyond. She certainly would represent a stark contrast to Pelz's macho persona. A potential drawback, of course, would be the perception that Burner might be seeking to use the position as a "place holder" while she determines her next political move. For many there is a distinct line between "party people" and politicians and for them positions of intra-party leadership should be reserved for the former.
One of the untold stories in 2007 is the success that progressives have had winning local elections.
Last week's primary election in Washington state had 11 candidates on the ballot that were endorsed by Progressive Majority, the country's leading organization that recruits, trains and elects progressives to down-ballot offices. These candidate will form a farm team who can run for higher office in future years.
I am privileged to serve as the Washington state director for the organization.
Ten of these 11 candidates won their primaries and moved on to the general election this November. This is a stunning victory for Washington state progressives, and for progressives across the country! These are candidates that we recruited and spend months training and assisting with their campaigns.
Here are two examples of this work unfolding in the primary:
Snohomish County: A new Progressive Majority
The most important race in the primary was for Snohomish County Council, where Brian Sullivan won the Democratic nomination against a long-time elected official. As his district is strongly Democratic, he faces only token conservative opposition in the general election. Sullivan replaces a conservative Democrat and changes the balance of power on the council from conservatives to progressives!
At Progressive Majority, we have been working on the Snohomish County Council since we opened our doors in 2004 when the council had a 4-1 conservative majority. In 2005, we helped Dave Somers get elected here; this primary Sullivan won, and this fall we have one other council race in the county. If our candidate Mike Cooper wins in the other Snohomish County district up for election this fall, we will have a 4-1 progressive majority! Now, that's PROGRESS!
Big upset in Port of Seattle, but battle not over yet
The other shocker on primary night was when Progressive Majority candidate Gael Tarleton led incumbent Seattle Port Commissioner Bob Edwards. In fact, Edwards is at 28%!!!!
Currently, the split is 3 conservative commissioners and 2 progressive commissioners, so if Gael wins, and Progressive Majority endorsed incumbent Alec Fisken retains his seat, we're ready to take a majority. The progressive community has been fighting for a majority on the port for years; this year we have our best chance in years to win. It's time for change, and Gael is ready to deliver that change!
With a unique background in national security, Gael has experience that counts - she reported to Al Gore's commission on Global Climate Change, developed plans for oil spill response and cleanup for the U.S. Coast Guard, and put technology in place to limit the impacts of nuclear power at ports nationwide for the EPA. She's been endorsed by King County Democrats, Washington Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club and 15 local Democratic organizations.
Here is a complete list of Progressive Majority-endorsed candidate results from the Washington State primary.
County Offices
John Lovick - Snohomish County Sherriff
Won! Faces a tough general election.
Brian Sullivan - Snohomish County Council, District 2
Won! Faces token opposition in the general.
Bob Kelly - Whatcom County Council, District 1, Position B
Won! Currently leading other candidates 2:1.
City Offices
Dan McShane - Bellingham Mayor
Won! The leading vote-getter over 6 primary opponents.
Maureen Judge - Mercer Island City Council, Position 3
Won! The leading vote getter over 3 primary opponents.
Terry Scott - Shoreline City Council, Position 6
Won! While the election results are close, he will advance to the general election and held an incumbent to under 35%!
Marilyn Strickland - Tacoma City Council, At Large
Won! The leading vote-getter in a four-way primary.
De'Sean Quinn - Tukwila City Council, Position 2
Lost in a three-way primary.
Ron Bonlender - Yakima City Council, District 3
Won! Bonlender will face strong opposition this fall.
Port Commission Note: despite its name, all of King County votes on the port commission races -- about 1/3 of the state's voters
Alec Fisken - Seattle Port Commission, Position 5
Won! Alec will face a very strong race this fall against a very well-funded opponent.
Gael Tarleton - Seattle Port Commission, Position 2
Won! Leading a 6-way primary over an 8-year incumbent.
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