Everett, Wash.
Published: Sunday, August 24, 2008

Making sense of primary results

 Separating the sense from the nonsense in the results of the primary feels a bit like separating egg yolks from the whites with your hands -- eventually you'll end up with something in one palm and not much in the other.

Here's a half-dozen of what I ended up with.

Democrat Fred Walser of Monroe picked up six of the nine votes cast so far in the Whatcom County portion of the 39th District, where he's running for state Senate.

That's the good news.

Everywhere else in the district, he underperformed against state Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington. She hauled in 59 percent, which may prompt the state Democratic Party to start snipping its financial umbilical cord to Walser.

Republican Mike Hope of Lake Stevens can't be faulted for feeling the third time will be charming in his pursuit of a legislative seat in the 44th District.

He's a mail tray of votes behind appointed incumbent Rep. Liz Loomis, D-Snohomish, far closer than he ever came during his failed runs for state office in 2004 and 2006.

This is only the primary. Loomis should be sweating, but Hope shouldn't be picking out office furniture, either. Twice as many voters are expected in November, and prevailing wisdom says a majority of them will be inclined to the Democratic way of thinking. He'll need to keep them from voting that way.

Republicans are dangerously close to losing their majority on the three-member Island County Commission, though Democrats may not wind up with control, either.

Republican Commissioner Phil Bakke is clinging to second place in balloting with a 22-vote edge on Curt Gordon, an independent.

If Gordon passes Bakke, he will face Democrat Helen Price Johnson in November. If Gordon wins then, the commission will have one Democrat, one Republican and one independent.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson emerged in pretty good shape by her standards -- only 60 percent of the voters chose someone other than her. Four years ago, it was almost 64 percent and she still kept her job.

Randy Dorn, her chief foe, did less than sterling for a former lawmaker and leader of a statewide union. In fact, 67 percent chose someone other than him.

Come November, look for ballots marked with "none of the above."

Republican Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland is on shaky ground. He had a lead on Democrat Peter Goldmark, the only other person in the race. With November's expected surge of voters, he'll be in for a fight to keep his gig.

And finally, the award for the most impressive performance by a candidate in a statewide race goes to Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna.

He put a whupping on Democrat John Ladenburg from the Pacific Ocean to Idaho and from Canada to Oregon. McKenna even won in Pierce County, where Ladenburg is the county executive.



Political reporter Jerry Cornfield's blog, The Petri Dish, is at www.heraldnet.com. Contact him at 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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