The race to succeed retiring Democratic state Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe of Bothell got underway Thursday with the emergence of two Democratic candidates.
One of them, Rep. Luis Moscoso, D-Bothell, picked up McAuliffe’s endorsement right away.
The other, business owner and Snohomish County Planning Commissioner Guy Palumbo of Maltby, raised $45,500 late last month when he quietly began constructing his campaign.
At stake is the Senate seat in the 1st Legislative District occupied by McAuliffe since 1993. She announced Wednesday she would not seek re-election and would retire at the end of her term.
Moscoso has served in the state House since 2010 and is a vice chairman of the House Transportation Committee. He’ll garner support from progressive groups and labor unions, especially teachers who dislike Palumbo’s support of charter schools.
“I thank Senator McAuliffe for her years of dedicated public service and her expression of confidence in me to continue that legacy,” Moscoso said in a statement. “I look forward to a healthy exchange of ideas for the future as we move forward with this campaign.”
Palumbo lost to McAuliffe in 2012. Most recently he sought appointment to the Snohomish County Council to replace Dave Somers who is now county executive.
Democratic precinct committee officers made him their first choice. But three Democratic members of the county council chose Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish instead.
Among the contributions reported by Palumbo are $3,800 from Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos and his wife, Mackenzie, and the same sum from Bezos’ philanthropist parents.
Ed Barton, a Republican who lost to Moscoso in 2014, launched his Senate campaign in December and has reported raising $2,670.
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