State Senate candidate Ken Smith doesn’t fit the GOP’s mold

Ken Smith (Northshore School District)

Ken Smith (Northshore School District)

OLYMPIA — As an elected board member in the Northshore School District, Ken Smith served the public and conducted his politics in relative anonymity to those outside the district’s boundaries for the past 18 months.

That’s about to change.

He quit the school board last month in order to run in this fall’s election for a state Senate seat in King County, a high-stakes contest that could reset the balance of power in the chamber.

So what do we know about Mr. Smith?

He’s an associate professor and chairman of the Central Washington University Department of Accounting;

He doesn’t live in the legislative district but intends to move there before the end of April;

He supports a state income tax;

He kneels during the playing of the National Anthem and reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance;

And he is a Republican, the first in the Grand Old Party to announce his candidacy. He joins two Democrats and an independent who’ve already declared.

This sampling from his resume doesn’t scream Republican. But Smith, 51, a husband and father of two, isn’t worried his ideas and actions “are outside the majority view” of fellow party members. Rather he’s confident there’s room for him inside the party’s Big Tent, enough that he hasn’t sought the blessing of party leaders.

“No one needs the permission of a party to run,” he said Monday.

It’s good he feels that way because it seems unlikely those atop the hierarchy of the state GOP, and the Senate Republican Caucus, will be quick to embrace his endeavor.

His position on the income tax alone seems a deal breaker for many.

Smith is a numbers guy and said a “fair and trusted” economy that serves everyone well requires a stable three-legged stool of tax policy consisting of sales, property and income taxes. He delivered testimony to that effect Monday in a public hearing on the House Democrats’ $3 billion tax bill. He didn’t voice support for the legislation but didn’t denounce it either.

Former three-term Republican Gov. Dan Evans pressed for an income tax for much the same rationale — a half-century ago. Today, nothing is opposed by the Republican Party stronger than an income tax.

And then there’s Smith’s kneeling and holding three fingers over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem.

While a similar demonstration by professional football player Colin Kaepernick ignited a spirited debate nationally, it’s garnered Smith scant attention since he started doing it at the Sept. 27 Northshore School Board meeting.

That day he issued a letter explaining it as an act of solidarity with professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe and others across the country seeking to inspire conversations on issues of racial equity and social justice.

“That was the appropriate response I felt to the events that were going on at that time,” he said of his decision to kneel. “It was a very serious quest that I made.”

Another reason cited by Smith was watching the difficulty Northshore School Board members had in discussing racism following a series of incidents in the community in early 2015, including graffiti on a Hindu temple. He said their struggles motivated him to run, and win, a board seat that fall.

As for blow-back, there’s been none so far, he said. He’s committed to kneeling through this September, which means he could take a knee at Lincoln Day dinners or other Republican Party events in the upcoming campaign.

For those who don’t know Smith, it could be a conversation starter.

Political reporter Jerry Cornfield’s blog, The Petri Dish, is at www.heraldnet.com. Contact him at 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dospueblos.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Three injured after high-speed, head-on collision on Highway 522

Washington State Patrol is investigating the crash that happened before 4:30 p.m. on Monday.

Fernando Espinoza salts the sidewalk along Fifth Avenue South on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Think this is cold, Snohomish County? Wait until Tuesday

Tuesday could bring dangerous wind chill during the day and an overnight low of 19 degrees

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

The Washington State Department of Licensing office is seen in 2018 in Seattle. (Sue Misao / The Herald)
Drivers licensing offices to close Feb. 14-17

Online services are also not available Feb. 10-17. The Washington State Department of Licensing said the move is necessary to upgrade software.

Pharmacist Nisha Mathew prepares a Pfizer COVID booster shot for a patient at Bartell Drugs on Broadway on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett lawmakers back universal health care bill, introduced in Olympia

Proponents say providing health care for all is a “fundamental human right.” Opponents worry about the cost of implementing it.

Outside of the updated section of Lake Stevens High School on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020 in Lake Stevens, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lake Stevens, Arlington school measures on Feb. 11 ballot

A bond in Lake Stevens and a levy in Arlington would be used to build new schools.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.