Outside of Seattle, independent voters usually hold the key to winning an election in the heavily populated Puget Sound region. Which is why a political strategy favored by two of the state’s most prominent labor unions — having popular state Rep. Hans Dunshee challenge fellow Democrat Steve Hobbs for the latter’s 44th District state Senate seat in 2010 — seems so wrong-headed.
As reported Sunday by The Herald’s Jerry Cornfield, the Washington Education Association and the Service Employees International Union have been courting Dunshee to run against Hobbs, a first-term moderate. Dunshee says he’s considering it.
Beyond the obvious political risks — Democrats would be putting Dunshee’s relatively safe House seat in play without any guarantee of holding the Senate seat in a swing district — this represents an apparent larger strategy by labor to remove moderate Democrats from office.
Statewide and nationally, labor and other “progressive” groups have their dander up because some Democrats have dared to seek a middle ground on certain high-priority issues. In Washington, that has included an openness by some, including Hobbs, to concepts such as merit pay for teachers — anathema to the state’s leading teachers union. The SEIU is unhappy about Hobbs’ opposition to unionizing child-care center directors and employees, a proposal that was also opposed by such reactionary organizations as the YMCA.
Democrats currently control both legislative chambers in Washington, and have held the governor’s office since 1985, largely because of the presence of moderates, including the past two governors. A good way to lose that grip, it seems to us, would be to take the sharp leftward turn these unions are advocating.
On the heels of Boeing spurning Washington for a new production line in South Carolina, independent voters are likely to be more receptive to candidates who offer innovative, fiscally disciplined ideas for balancing the state budget than to those who insist on raising taxes, as some union leaders favor.
Besides, how is it smart politics to encourage moderates in your own party to consider switching sides? Sounds like a recipe for losing seats, and influence.
The presence of moderates in the Democratic Party, leaders who bring an even-handed approach to issues involving business, labor and trade, is a strength, and not one to be taken for granted.
Dunshee, a savvy politician known for having a practical streak, would best serve his constituents by declining the invitation to challenge Hobbs and holding on to his considerable seniority in the House.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
