Late lawmaker’s husband joins local political group

Published 11:04 pm Friday, January 9, 2009

A political veteran is adding his voice to Washington’s newest chorus of social conservatives.

Bruce Craswell, husband of the late Ellen Craswell, is signing on with the Washington Values Alliance. The Arlington-based group is led by Larry Stickney, a longtime friend of the Craswells and former executive director of the Family Policy Institute.

Bruce Craswell was chief of staff to King County Executive Ron Dunlap and ran for Congress in 1998. Ellen Craswell was a Republican state lawmaker who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1996 against Gary Locke.

Separately and together, the Craswells made an indelible mark on the state’s political landscape in the 1980s and ’90s. The staunch fiscal and social conservatives inspired and mentored a small group of individuals, many of whom remain involved in politics today, including Stickney.

Over time, the couple broke with the Republican Party. Doing so diminished their political influence significantly but not the loyalty among the ranks of like-minded conservatives.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.