There will be a fight Monday to keep Everett Democrat Nick Harper from taking his seat in the Senate.
State Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, said today he will introduce a resolution to not seat Harper who won election in November in the 38th Legislative District.
Harper is set to succeed
state Sen. Jean Berkey — unless Kastama succeeds.
I’ve been writing about the prospects of this for awhile. Earlier this week Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown said a vote on seating Harper would “create a divisive, poisonous atmosphere” on the first day of session.
Kastama said in his press release that he’s convinced the actions of political consultant Moxie Media – some of which are now the subject of a lawsuit – tainted the results of the August primary that ousted Berkey.
She finished third in that election behind Harper and conservative Rod Rieger. Harper beat Rieger in November.
“This is not a rebuke of Sen.-elect Harper,” Kastama said. “This is about the integrity of the election.”
“The documents I have seen, including signed affidavits, show there is no doubt that Moxie Media’s actions were illegal and that they were responsible for changing the outcome of the election,” Kastama said in the statement. “These actions shifted a sure primary election victory from Sen. Jean Berkey to a razor-thin victory for Rod Rieger, a candidate whose support and campaign efforts were largely nonexistent.”
“I can’t look the other way when it is clear to me that Moxie Media’s actions affected the election’s outcome,” he continued. “Out of respect for this institution and our duty as public servants, I urge my colleges to join me in voting to not seat Sen.-elect Harper.”
Only once in state history have senators used their constitutional power to bar the winner of an election from taking office. That came in 1941 when Democrat Lenus Westman of Arlington didn’t get seated because of his ties to the Communist Party.
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