Republican incumbent state Rep. Glenn Anderson has held his 5th District seat (Issaquah, Snoqualmie, North Bend) since 2000, where he's built up his conservative credentials, most recently by voting against payday loan regulations, against domestic partnership benefits, against suspending I-960 (Tim Eyman's two-thirds requirement for increasing taxes) and public financing for local campaigns.

Anderson does have a strong record on education, having voted to overhaul the definition and funding of basic education in 2009. And he defied his caucus by supporting state regulations that require pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception.

But ultimately, Anderson's opposition to universal health care, coupled with his stated willingness to slash the state health care budget, is a deal-breaker for PubliCola. Additionally, Anderson has taken significant sums from corporate sources such as Kemper Holdings LLC (AKA anti-transit developer Kemper Freeman Jr.), Philip Morris, and the Washington Beverage Association, which is currently bankrolling the effort to repeal several minor tax increases which were necessary to fund basic services. (Those tax increases, by the way, make up just 8.5 percent of the legislative solution to the $12 billion shortfall the state faced.)

Anderson faces two challengers in the primary, both Democrats. One of them, Dean Willard, an IT consultant and former T-Mobile VP, is a standout candidate—an Eastsider who's hot for light rail and pledges to invest in a local green economy, clean up Puget Sound, and reform the tax system.

Yeah, yeah, that's what all Democrats say. But we were struck by Willard's alternate pitch. He isn't all idealistic about an income tax. "I know there's a lot of people who jump to the conclusion that we should have an income tax, but ... the voters want us to look at other alternatives." Saying that the legislature needs to do "something substantial in the way of tax reform" in 2011, Willard recommends repealing the business and occupation (B&O) tax and replacing it with a business tax based on profitability.

The other Democrat, school teacher David Spring, has only raised $2000. Willard has raised an impressive $67,000—from nearly 300 donors— with about $14,000 on hand. (Anderson raised $39,000, from just 70 donors— and also has about $14,000 on hand.)

The King County Labor Council, Washington Conservation Voters, and NARAL have all endorsed Willard. So do we.

PubliCola picks Dean Willard.