Rick Desimone, a familiar name in Washington political circles for two decades, announced today he is starting his own consulting business.

Desimone, a former chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, is leaving his job as executive vice president with McBee Strategic to launch Desimone Consulting. He left Murray's employ in 2007 to join the lobbying firm.

In an email, he told friends:

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Union members are going to get a chance next month in Everett to quiz candidates vying for the 1st Congressional District seat.

The Washington State Labor Council announced today it is putting on a forum for the hopefuls from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 23 at the Machinists Union Hall in Everett.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum won't be stopping by to see Gov. Chris Gregoire in his pass through the Capitol this afternoon.

"He hasn't asked to meet with me," Gregoire said after she signed the law legalizing same-sex marriage.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum will be visiting the state Legislature Monday as part of a quick swing through the state.

Santorum is penciled in for conversations at 3 p.m. with House Republicans and at 3:30 p.m. with GOP members of the Senate.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

A bill legalizing marriage for gay and lesbian couples will be signed into law Monday morning, the governor's office announced this afternoon.

Gov. Chris Gregoire will sign Senate Bill 6239 at 11:30 a.m. in the state reception room on the third floor of the Capitol. TVW will provide live coverage online.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Today is a big day for Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna who played a central role in negotiations leading to the $25 billion mortgage settlement.

And McKenna wasted no time trying to convert the news into a little momentum for his campaign for governor. On his campaign web site he set up a petition for people to sign which thanks him for his efforts

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Tens of thousands of Washington homeowners may be eligible for aid in refinancing their homes or cash if they've already lost their house through foreclosure under the $25 billion mortgage settlement announced today.

All the details are posted online at nationalmortgagesettlement.com.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Today should be the day the state Legislature finishes work on a bill to legalize marriage for same-sex couples.

Starting around 1 p.m., the state House of Representatives will begin its debate and vote on the bill to make it legal for gay and lesbian couples to marry.

You can watch it live online on TVW.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Democrat Jay Inslee today revealed how he'd boost the state's economy if he is elected governor.

The plan entitled “Building a New Economy for Washington” outlines steps Inslee would pursue in the arenas of clean energy, aerospace, agriculture, military procurement, life sciences, small business and information and communication technology.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Thousands of gay and lesbian couples could receive a Valentine's Day present from Gov. Chris Gregoire - the ability to get married legally.

It's a possibility given the last few steps in the process for a bill to legalize marriage for same-sex couples.

Monday morning at 8, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the version passed by the Senate this week. When the hearing ends, the committee is scheduled to vote on it. Passage is expected.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

For weeks, Democratic state Sen. Paull Shin of Edmonds kept silent about how he might vote on the bill legalizing marriage for same-sex couples.

And he didn't speak during Wednesday's debate in the Senate before he cast a vote against the bill. The proposed law did pass on a 28-21 margin.

Today, Shin, who is believed to be in his final term in office, formally broke his silence with release of a statement that begins:

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Updated Monday morning to include statement issued Friday by Sen. McAuliffe explaining she would have voted on a teacher evaluation bill offered by Sen. Tom.

Last week ended on a sour note for several Democratic senators and Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire because of a bitter dispute on the handling of education bills.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Below is a sample of the statements issued tonight before, during and after the debate.

Gov. Chris Gregoire, who watched the proceedings in the wings on the Democratic side:

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

State senators are planning to meet at 6 p.m. to debate and vote on a bill to legalize marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

How long the proceedings will last depends a lot on how many amendments are proposed. In the end, it is expected to pass as 25 of the chamber's 49 senators are on record supporting the bill.

As of this morning, there are two amendments posted online and both are from conservative Democrats.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

As expected, the state Senate Rules Committee agreed today to send a bill legalizing same-sex marriage to the floor for a vote as early as Wednesday.

Thirteen Democrats and one Republican -- Sen. Cheryl Pflug, R-Maple Valley -- voted to send it to the floor for debate and action. Seven Republicans voted against the bill leaving the committee.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Republican Snohomish County Councilman John Koster woke up this morning as the only GOP candidate vying for the 1st Congressional District seat.

That's because Kirkland Republican James Watkins quit the race Friday and threw his support to Koster.

And on Thursday, the other Republican who had been seeking the position, Greg Anders of Bellingham, ended his campaign. Anders did not immediately endorse Koster.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

An initiative making it legal for adults to grow, smoke and sell marijuana has qualified for the November ballot.

The expected announcement came today from the Secretary of State's Office.

Sponsors of Initiative 502 submitted 354,608 signatures and needed at least 241,153 of them to be of valid voters. A signature-check using a random sample determined that sponsors had nearly 278,000 valid signatures, according to agency spokesman David Ammons.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Republican Rob McKenna, who polls show is currently leading the race for governor, is making clear this week he will vote against legalizing gay marriage if the issue reaches the ballot in November.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Republican Greg Anders of Bellingham announced today he is getting out of the race for the 1st Congressional District seat.

In a statement, he said that in recent days “it has become clear that I will no longer be able to give my campaign for Congress the complete attention it deserves.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Puget Sound Energy wants to send a $50 refund to every customer left without power for five or more days due to the storm.

On Thursday, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission will consider the company's request at a public hearing in Olympia.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Thousands of constituents of U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wa. will be getting a phone call around 1 p.m. today inviting them to join the congressman in a telephonic town hall.

Larsen plans to share his thoughts on last night's State of the Union address by President Barack Obama and legislative efforts to promote the creation of jobs in the 2nd Congressional District.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Twenty-four down, one to go.

State Sen. Jim Kastama, a conservative Democrat from Puyallup, announced today he will support a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry, leaving supporters one vote shy of a majority in the state Senate.

But it wasn't easy for him.

In a statement, he said:

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

In the state Senate, there will be one less uncommitted vote on gay marriage Thursday.

State Sen. Jim Kastama, a conservative Democrat from Puyallup, is calling a news conference at noon to announce how he will vote on legislation to legalize marriage for same-sex couples.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

A bill to make marriage legal for gay and lesbian couples was filed today in the state Senate.

Twenty-three senators -- 21 Democrats and two Republicans - signed on as sponsors of Senate Bill 6239. And the order of their names is interesting and probably intended to send a message to undecided colleagues.

As expected, Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, is the prime sponsor and his name is first.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Democratic Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe of Bothell said today she will support a bill to legalize marriage for same-sex couples, moving the Senate to within two votes of passing the legislation.

In a prepared statement, she said:

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

The state's most crowded race for Congress got even more crowded today when Democrat Suzan DelBene entered the fray in the 1st Congressional District.

DelBene becomes the seventh Democrat and 10th candidate in a contest to succeed Democratic Rep. Jay Inslee, who is running for governor.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

A tip of the hat to the blog of the Family Policy Institute of Washington for reporting first that a hearing is set for Jan. 23 on a Senate bill to make marriage legal for same-sex couples.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Washington chief economist Arun Raha said this morning he will leave his job at the end of month.

More details will be shared at a noon press conference.

Raha is executive director of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council and the man responsible for predicting how much money the state will collect.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

Add red light cameras to the pile of red meat issues for politicians in 2012.

These automated devices, which snap photos of cars running through red lights and speeding through school zones, are the target of initiatives and legislation.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.

The Washington Poll today released more details of an October survey that show voters may not be willing to repeal a law legalizing marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

»» Click to continue reading this blog post.