Questions in a judicial race

Last Tuesday’s primary election, a low-turnout profile in voter indifference, pulled back the curtain on voter choice. When in doubt, is ignorance bliss or an inconvenient expression of our lesser angels?

State Supreme Court Justice Steven Gonzalez, a celebrated jurist with strong, bipartisan backing, throws the question into relief.

Gonzalez, an eminently qualified former King County Superior Court Judge, was appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire earlier this year to fill the remaining term of Justice Gary Alexander, who was forced to retire at age 75 (an ageist requirement that needs to be nixed.) Gonzalez’s stellar record earned him unprecedented bipartisan support, from Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna to former Democratic Rep. Jay Inslee. Blessed are the peacemakers such as Gonzalez who can corral endorsements from both the conservative Association of Washington Business to every union imaginable.

A little-known attorney from Kitsap County, Bruce Danielson, became the self-appointed, sacrificial opponent. Danielson raised zero dollars, appeared never to campaign and was, in political-science parlance, a nobody.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Arguably, however, Danielson was enough of a somebody to win in 28 of Washington’s 39 counties. Fortunately, Gonzalez triumphed, earning 58 percent of the statewide vote because voters in high-population counties like Snohomish (and enlightened rural counties like Island) could separate the wheat from the political placeholder.

Gonzalez boosters anticipated trouble in Tuesday’s deciding vote, and the Stranger’s Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, Eli Sanders, flagged the question as an impassive electorate received ballots with the names of two souls running for a judicial office that demands judgment, seasoning and intelligence. Is it prudent, when in doubt, to surmise based on a gut sense? Could the absence of a printed, statewide voters’ pamphlet be to blame?

No one likes to drudge up what W.E.B. Du Bois called “the color line.” Nevertheless, we can avoid discussing religion and politics with our in-laws, but we’re obliged to be forthcoming in the public sphere. At times a culture of “Northwest nice” militates against highlighting the obvious. So take note of the elephant in the election returns, that in many parts of Washington, Gonzalez fared poorly because he has a non-Anglo surname. Period.

Latinos, who continue to be politically underrepresented, are the state’s largest-growing ethnic group. As a population, Latinos brace against a current of invidious, cross-class discrimination compounded by an acrimonious debate over immigration.

So, let’s confess that anti-Latino bigotry is a problem in Washington, and invest in educating the next generation about the consequences of racial ignorance. We can’t do much with bigoted adults. The solution, as Frederick Douglass noted, is to build strong children.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Monday, May 19

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Comment: Cuts to Medicaid will make fentanyl fight harder

Medicaid’s expansion is helping many get the addiction treatment they need, reversing the crisis.

Comment: PBS, NPR need funding, and a good shake-up

PBS’s best dramas come from British TV. It needs to produce its own money-makers like ‘Downton Abbey.’

Saunders: Why did Tapper wait until now to admit Biden’s decline?

It was clear to voters long before Biden dropped out. Yet, now the CNN host has a book to sell.

Wildfire smoke builds over Darrington on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020 in Darrington, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Loss of research funds threat to climate resilience

The Trump administration’s end of a grant for climate research threatens solutions communities need.

Sarah Weiser / The Herald
Air Force One touches ground Friday morning at Boeing in Everett.
PHOTO SHOT 02172012
Editorial: There’s no free lunch and no free Air Force One

Qatar’s offer of a 747 to President Trump solves nothing and leaves the nation beholden.

The Washington State Legislature convenes for a joint session for a swearing-in ceremony of statewide elected officials and Governor Bob Ferguson’s inaugural address, March 15, 2025.
Editorial: 4 bills that need a second look by state lawmakers

Even good ideas, such as these four bills, can fail to gain traction in the state Legislature.

Goldberg: How did so many Democrats miss Biden’s infirmity?

Democrats need to own up to the cover-up now while there’s time to earn back voters’ confidence.

In the summer of 2021, members of the Skagit River System Cooperative counted fish in the restored estuary of Leque Island near Stanwood. What they found was encouraging. (Chuck Taylor / The Herald) 20210817
Comment: Ignoring the climate choice to adapt or die

The loss of funding for climate adaptation science will leave regions to weather impacts on their own.

Reverse Congress librarian’s unjust firing

I am beyond heartbroken by the unceremonious firing of Dr. Carla Hayden,… Continue reading

Should states handle issue of immigration?

OK, here we go again. The southern states have been screaming ‘states’… Continue reading

Candidates without opponents should decline donations

No candidates registered to run against Jared Mead or Nate Nehring for… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.