voters have plenty to pick from
By Kevin Hanson
The Courier-Herald
Local voters have no local races to decide this fall, but there are still plenty of political contests to keep everyone entertained.
The official filing period - for political seats throughout the state - came to a close Friday. There was a distinct lack of local flavor, as every position on the Enumclaw and Buckley city councils, along with every seat on the Enumclaw and White River school boards, is filled for another year, at least.
But a long list of political races remains, and Plateau residents will be called upon to help decide who represents the area in Washington, D.C., and in Olympia.
The following is a list of candidates Plateau voters will choose from, either during the September primary election or November's general election. Primary voting will be different this time around, as the Supreme Court tossed out Washington's traditional blanket primary; voters now will be limited to voting for candidates within a single party.
In the general election, voters will cast ballots as usual.
State Legislature
31st Legislative District - This race, the closest to home, has no drama at all. The two seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs and the two incumbents are running unopposed. Dan Roach will be elected to a third two-year term and Jan Shabro will be elected for a second time. Both are Bonney Lake-area Republicans and represent at area that takes in nearly all of the Plateau.
2nd Legislative District - This district sits primarily off the Plateau, but includes the town of Carbonado and part of Wilkeson. In the Senate race, incumbent Marilyn Rasmussen and challenger Deryl McCarty will advance directly to the general election. Rasmussen is a Democrat, McCarty a Republican.
The Position 1 seat in the House of Representatives is being vacated and there's no shortage of candidates. Four candidates are looking to carry the Democratic banner: Ronald Springer, Larry Nelson, Dennis Townsend and Cindy Poysnick. There are three candidates seeking the Republican nomination: Dianna Hawkins, Jim McCune and Scott Christie.
Governor
Democratic candidates:
Mike The Mover
Ron Sims
Eugen Buculei
Don Hansler
Scott Headland
Christine Gregoire
Republican candidates:
John W. Aiken Jr.
Bill Meyer
Dino Rossi
Libertarian candidates:
Michael Nelson
Ruth Bennett
Lieutenant governor
Democratic candidate:
Brad Owen
Republican candidates:
Jim Wiest
Jim Nobles
Scott Bonifield
Libertarian candidate:
Jocelyn A. Langlois
Green Party candidate:
Bern Haggerty
Secretary of state
Democratic candidate:
Laura Ruderman
Republican candidate:
Sam Reed
Libertarian candidate:
Jacqueline Passey
State treasurer
Democratic candidate:
Mike Murphy
Libertarian candidates:
John Sample
State auditor
Democratic candidate:
Brian Sonntag
Libertarian candidate:
Jason G. Bush
Attorney general
Democratic candidates:
Deborah Senn
Mark Sidran
Republican candidates:
Rob McKenna
Mike Vaska
Libertarian candidate:
J. Bradley Gibson
Green Party candidate:
Paul Richmond
Commissioner of public lands
Democratic candidate:
Mike Cooper
Republican candidate:
Doug Sutherland
Superintendent of
public instruction
Nonpartisan candidates:
Judith Billings
KumRoon Maksirisombat
Teresa (Terry) Bergeson
Juanita Doyon
David Blomstrom
Neil (Nails) Helgeland
John Blair
Insurance commissioner
Democratic candidate:
Mike Kreidler
Republican candidates:
Earl C. Dennis
John Adams
Curtis L. Fackler
Libertarian candidate:
Stephen D. Steele
Supreme Court
Position 1
Gary Carpenter
Jim Johnson
Mary Kay Becker
William (Bill) Murphy
Maureen Hart
Robert H. Alsdorf
Position 5
Terry Lukens
Barbara Madsen
Position 6
James White
Steve Merrival
Doug Schafer
Richard B. Sanders
Fred L. Stewart
Terry Sebring
King County Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 1
Position 1
C. Kenneth Grosse
William Fosbre
Pierce County Court of Appeals, Division 2, District 1
Position 1
Marywave Van Deren
U.S. senator – statewide
Democratic candidate
Patty Murray
Mohammad H. Said
Republican candiddate
Chuck Jackson
William Edward Chovil
George R. Nethercutt Jr.
Brad Klippert
Reed Davis
Libertarian candidate
J. Mills
Green Party candidate
Mark B. Wilson
U.S. Representative, District 8
Democratic candidate
Dave Ross
Heidi Behrens-Benedict
Alex Alben
Republican candidate
Diane Tebelius
Luke Esser
Dave Reichert
Conrad Lee
