The 2022 election confirmed once again that Republicans, weighed down by the toxicity of their national brand, cannot win major statewide races in Washington or achieve legislative majorities” (Chris Vance, “Democrats Dominate WA Politics, But There Are Red Flags”: MNT 12/18/22).
Democrats have dominated Washington state politics since 1985 when the last Republican governor, John Spellman, finished his four-year term. According to Vance’s opinion column, Democrats will continue to control power in the future. Population demographics see progressives moving into largely rural areas in the state, weakening the power of Republican districts. But there are red flags for Democrats in Washington: rising crime and the handling of the environment pitting moderate and progressive Democrats against each other.
If you go to Fred Meyer, you will see that some high demand toys like Legos are now locked behind glass cases that must be opened by clerks due to rampant and blatant shoplifting. Several grocery stores have brought in cameras on poles to monitor and prevent shoplifting. One local police chief told me he is frustrated that the county prosecutor has refused to prosecute the laws against some crimes, arguing short staffing and cost as reasons.
According to conversations Vance had with voters while doorbelling over 5,000 homes in the 31st District during the last election cycle, homeowners voiced frustration that their homes had been broken into and nothing had been done to catch the offenders and prosecute them. As a result, some people had resorted to buying guns for the first time as a remedy.
One local business where I buy locally squeezed apple juice can’t reuse half-gallon glass jugs due to insane COVID regulations, even when the bottles are re-sterilized. Consumers were given $1 discounts before COVID. When the owner tried to find out why the ban against reusing jugs had not been lifted even though most COVID restrictions ended, the answer she got was silence. Her complaint was that state Democratic leaders were against small businesses. I responded that the real problem is not an anti-small-business vendetta, it was just that Inslee and progressives simply don’t care.
Vance noted that “several prominent building trades union representatives told me they had donated to Republicans this year, or at least refused to support Democrats, largely because of Democratic polices on the environment that they felt would cost them jobs.”
A real estate investor in rental apartments told me he is looking in more conservative states to find investment properties to purchase apartment complexes because strict laws that favor renters over landlords in Washington state make it difficult and costly to evict renters who do not pay their rent.
According to Vance, progressive Democrats constitute the majority in the state legislature. He predicted that “moderate Democrats might form a coalition with the Republican minority.” This happened before, in 1963, 1987, and 2012. In 1963, moderate Democrats and Republicans worked together to elect a moderate Speaker of the House. In 2012, “dissident moderate Democrats in the state Senate worked with Republicans to take over the drafting of the state budget.”
The national Republican Party is sick and dysfunctional. Lies and seditious actions, big business control of Congress that affect both Republican and Democratic representatives and senators, and a lack of positive platform planks among Republicans have spread the political rot to state levels.
According to Vance, tensions are building in the Washington state legislature between progressive and moderate Democrats. It’s likely a time will come soon when the Democrats cannot hold their coalition together. Extreme positions on both sides of the political spectrum portend contentious and unstable political conditions in the future.
Political toxicity must be neutralized. The only solution that seems viable is for moderates in both parties at the state level to rise up and act against political extremism. Perhaps, if Washington can find a way to avoid the excesses of progressivism by finding the middle ground, then Washington’s historic national leadership role can help heal the national rifts as well. Leading by example is a powerful tool to bring about change. Washington has led the way before. It’s time to do it again.
