Fred Thompson just dropped out. Bill Richardson’s been out for a while. And who knows who next will leave the presidential race.
But Thompson, Richardson and others will be on the Feb. 19 ballots that will be mailed to Snohomish County voters next week.
By law, the list of candidates was set Dec. 28 and millions of ballots have already been printed with 16 Republican and Democratic candidates.
Those ballots are already stale and outdated; five of the 16 candidates are no longer running.
On Feb. 5 — Super Tuesday — 22 states will hold caucuses and primary elections and the field of presidential hopefuls is expected to narrow again.
“That’s the big test,” Secretary of State Sam Reed said.
Whoever is left standing might quickly steer their campaigns to Washington, according to the state’s political party leaders.
“I encourage voters to hold on to them (ballots) and wait until after Feb. 5 to see how things shake out,” Reed said.
Ballots go out Jan. 31 and won’t be tallied until Feb. 19.
This is the most hotly contested nomination either party has had in 30 or 40 years, state Democratic Party chairman Dwight Pelz said.
“As I travel the state, a third of voters are for Hillary, a third for Obama, a third for Edwards and a third for other,” he joked.
For Democrats here, the Feb. 19 primary election is just a beauty contest. The party instead will rely solely on the Feb. 9 caucuses where party faithful will choose delegates to the national convention to nominate a candidate to lead the ticket for the party.
Republicans plan to use 51 percent of the primary vote to assign delegates to the national convention, and base 49 percent of delegates on the results from caucuses.
GOP chairman Luke Esser accused the Democrats of discouraging people from voting by not counting the Democratic primary votes.
Pelz retorted that Republican candidates won’t know when they should book a flight to Washington because they’ve split their delegates between the caucuses and ballot tallies, which are separated by 10 days.
More than half the states will have completed their primaries or caucuses before Washington holds Democratic and Republican party caucuses on Feb. 9 and its primary on Feb. 19.
Reed and political party leaders are quick to tout the bright side even as some voters throw their hands up wondering whether their vote will count.
“It’s such a wide-open race, and it sure appears our timing will be good,” Reed said. “We’re positioned at a great time to really have the whole nation looking at us.”
Two, three or four GOP candidates will be left standing after Super Tuesday, Esser predicted.
“I think we’re in a very good position to attract a lot of attention from major candidates the week leading up to the 19th. It’s us and Wisconsin. We’re a bigger state. They’ll be ogling us.”
Washington’s Democratic caucuses will be akin to game five of the World Series of presidential primaries, Pelz said.
“It’s clear to us Super Tuesday is not going to be the knockout blow,” he said. He predicts up to 120,000 people across the state filling gymnasiums and church basements for his party’s caucuses.
“We expect the Democratic candidates to get on a plane and come out here and campaign for our votes,” he said. “We’re the next big thing after Super Tuesday.”
The election is already under way, Reed said. Election officials sent ballots in the mail last week for military and overseas voters.
Everyone else will get their ballots starting Feb. 1.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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