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Seattle Times: Battle for State GOP Chair
Seattle Times reporter Jim Brunner has good primer
on the upcoming GOP election for state chair starring current chair Luke Esser and challenger Kirby Wilbur, the former KVI radio talk jock.
On thing Brunner leaves out, though, is that Wilbur is the head of Americans for Prosperity Washington, the local chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the controversial Koch Brothers group that funded Tea Party candidates and anti-health care reform campaigns this year.
Wilbur's local chapter is currently being investigated by the state Public Disclosure Commission over allegations that they weren't up front about their funding when they backed local Republican candidates.
One reason this is relevant is this: If the charges against AFPW land in the lap of Republican attorney general Rob McKenna's office—as they did with the campaign finance complaint against Democratic firm Moxie Media—McKenna, who's backing Esser, would be in the uncomfortable position of investigating (and perhaps suing) his state party chair as he's simultaneously running for governor on the GOP ticket.
There was a bit of drama four years ago when Esser ousted former GOP chair Diane Tebelius.
On thing Brunner leaves out, though, is that Wilbur is the head of Americans for Prosperity Washington, the local chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the controversial Koch Brothers group that funded Tea Party candidates and anti-health care reform campaigns this year.
Wilbur's local chapter is currently being investigated by the state Public Disclosure Commission over allegations that they weren't up front about their funding when they backed local Republican candidates.
One reason this is relevant is this: If the charges against AFPW land in the lap of Republican attorney general Rob McKenna's office—as they did with the campaign finance complaint against Democratic firm Moxie Media—McKenna, who's backing Esser, would be in the uncomfortable position of investigating (and perhaps suing) his state party chair as he's simultaneously running for governor on the GOP ticket.
There was a bit of drama four years ago when Esser ousted former GOP chair Diane Tebelius.
