News
Campaign Fizz: City and County Council Edition
• One big loser in last night's primary election was King County Council member Jane Hague, who---as of last night---had less than 40 percent of the vote, while challenger Richard Mitchell, the little-known former counsel to Gov. Chris Gregoire, had nearly 28 percent. Under 40 is a bad place for an incumbent to be, especially one as embattled as Hague, who was charged with drunk driving and received six months' probation in 2008. And we get the impression---based on his tough mail piece attacking third-place finisher John Creighton, whose former girlfriend accused him of stalking her and sending her dozens of intimidating and sexual text messages---that he won't shy away from going negative on Hague.
• Hague, who has received $2,100 from transit opponent Kemper Freeman, the Bellevue developer, his wife Betty, and his company Kemper Holdings, has reportedly been asked to give back some campaign contributions after she broke party lines last week to vote in favor of passing a two-year, $20 fee to preserve Metro transit service. If Freeman (and other Republican donors) is retaliating against Hague for her pro-transit vote, that could put pressure on Republican county council members not to break ranks on party-line issues like transit funding in the future. We have a call out to Hague's campaign and will update if we find out who, if anyone, asked Hague to return their contributions.
• City council candidate Maurice Classen, one of three candidates challenging Jean Godden, ended up the night with a surprisingly poor showing of 16 percent, just ahead of last-place finisher Michael Taylor-Judd, who got 14 percent. Second-place challenger Bobby Forch did have better name recognition, but he also proved the age-old theory that challengers should run to the left to get through the primary.
• Getting Forch to the general is a bit of a vindication for his consultant John Wyble, who has worked for a long string of council losers, including Tom Rasmussen challenger Sandy Cioffi (who dropped out before the primary); David Bloom, who ran for an open seat that was won by Sally Bagshaw; and Forch in 2009, when he ran for the open seat won by Mike O'Brien. Even sweeter for Wyble, his campaign beat out hot-shot consultant Christian Sinderman, who worked on Classen's campaign.
• Classen's weak showing may also be evidence that Sinderman had his attention elsewhere; he also worked on the tunnel campaign, which was both better-funded and had Seattle's entire establishment lined up behind it. Sinderman was feeling the weight of his entire client base counting on him to win the tunnel election.
• Another possible reason for the large margin (apart from second-time candidate Forch's better name recognition)? All of Classen's mailers (all those we received, anyway) identified him by his nickname, Mo, not Maurice---and "Mo Classen" wasn't anywhere on the ballot.
• Hague, who has received $2,100 from transit opponent Kemper Freeman, the Bellevue developer, his wife Betty, and his company Kemper Holdings, has reportedly been asked to give back some campaign contributions after she broke party lines last week to vote in favor of passing a two-year, $20 fee to preserve Metro transit service. If Freeman (and other Republican donors) is retaliating against Hague for her pro-transit vote, that could put pressure on Republican county council members not to break ranks on party-line issues like transit funding in the future. We have a call out to Hague's campaign and will update if we find out who, if anyone, asked Hague to return their contributions.
• City council candidate Maurice Classen, one of three candidates challenging Jean Godden, ended up the night with a surprisingly poor showing of 16 percent, just ahead of last-place finisher Michael Taylor-Judd, who got 14 percent. Second-place challenger Bobby Forch did have better name recognition, but he also proved the age-old theory that challengers should run to the left to get through the primary.
• Getting Forch to the general is a bit of a vindication for his consultant John Wyble, who has worked for a long string of council losers, including Tom Rasmussen challenger Sandy Cioffi (who dropped out before the primary); David Bloom, who ran for an open seat that was won by Sally Bagshaw; and Forch in 2009, when he ran for the open seat won by Mike O'Brien. Even sweeter for Wyble, his campaign beat out hot-shot consultant Christian Sinderman, who worked on Classen's campaign.
• Classen's weak showing may also be evidence that Sinderman had his attention elsewhere; he also worked on the tunnel campaign, which was both better-funded and had Seattle's entire establishment lined up behind it. Sinderman was feeling the weight of his entire client base counting on him to win the tunnel election.
• Another possible reason for the large margin (apart from second-time candidate Forch's better name recognition)? All of Classen's mailers (all those we received, anyway) identified him by his nickname, Mo, not Maurice---and "Mo Classen" wasn't anywhere on the ballot.
