The Herald’s endorsements are biased toward Democrats

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 27, 2023

The Herald ran an editorial challenging readers to perform their “civic duty” by voting in August’s primary elections (“Time to prepare for your civics exam, aka elections,” The Herald, June 15).

Left unsaid is the admonition to vote for candidates The Herald Editorial Board endorses.

As someone who has read The Herald for more than 50 years, I have noticed a startling decline in the thoughtfulness of The Herald’s endorsements. In last fall’s election, The Herald did not endorse a single non-Democrat.

I suspect that the meet-and-greets The Herald editors hold are little more than a Russian trial accompanied by celebratory wine and cheese. Claps on the back and self-congratulation surely follow.

What The Herald provided was 100 percent left-wing rubber stamps for Gov. Jay Inslee and the school unions. In the meantime, murder, drive-by shootings, homelessness and illegal drugs have made Washington a very scary place. No, Herald, your endorsements have contributed to our permissive society rife with high crime rates and drug abuse.

Bob Kelly

Everett

Editor’s note: For the record, The Herald Editorial Board endorsed six Republicans for state legislative House and Senate seats in its endorsements for the 2022 general election. Coffee or water are offered to candidates during endorsement interviews; we don’t have the budget for wine and cheese. As for the “admonition” to vote for candidates the board endorses, here is what the editorial said: “While the editorial board will endorse specific candidates, it makes every effort to fairly represent the qualifications, past experience and positions of all candidates interviewed, allowing voters to weigh those responses as part of their consideration of which candidates they will support.”