The 32nd Legislative District is a Democratic-party district, last electing a Republican in 1968.
Now, the district that includes Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Woodway and parts of Edmonds, is becoming a two-party district. I call the two parties the “Democrats” and the “democrats.”
Leading the capital-D Democrats are state Rep. Maralyn Chase, of Edmonds, and district Chairwoman Lila Smith. Chase was appointed to her seat in 2001 and later elected to two, 2-year terms. In the small-d democrat camp is state Sen. Darlene Fairley, who has served three, 4-year terms in Olympia.
Chase has long been active in party work. Fairley has the kind of liberal voting record one would expect of a suburban Democrat and is a friend of Gov. Christine Gregoire, but she has little involvement with party organizations.
She has a history of defying her party. She supported the top-two primary against party wishes. In 2002, when she backed another Democrat against Chase in the primary, the District Party Committee “unendorsed” her.
Smith apparently visited Fairley in Olympia during the spring and told her not to talk to me.
When the district committee declined to endorse Fairley for re-nomination this summer, she said the Committee was punishing her for her backing Kevin Grossman against Chase in that primary.
Party officials say the endorsement decision was based on Fairley’s refusal to endorse Chase.
All this leaves the district’s third legislator, Rep. Ruth Kagi, caught between Fairley, a close friend, and Chase, her seatmate in the House.
While both Chase and Fairley sent long e-mail responses to my questions, Kagi declined comment. Smith has not responded to a half-dozen e-mail requests over two months.
Rumors flew before the filing period that Chase would challenge Fairley, that Fairley would drop out for health reasons and that Kagi would move out of the district. To make sure the party wasn’t left without candidates, the Capital D’s found other Democrats to file against all three. The potential challengers to Chase and Kagi dropped out, but Chris Eggen remains on the Democratic ballot against Fairley.
As Seattle Times political correspondent David Postman wrote in mid-August, Eggen offered to drop out if Fairley would include sustainable energy and campaign-finance reform in her campaign material, endorse Chase and agree not to talk about Chase.
When Smith repeated the request that Fairley endorse Chase, and agree not to bad-mouth her, Fairley, says Smith, “demanded to know why I wouldn’t endorse Maralyn. I finally told her why. ‘She’s mean-spirited, divisive, is not well-thought-of in her caucus and is totally ineffective as a Legislator.’ Boy, that ended that.”
Both sides deny rumors that they’ll back Republicans against the Democrats on the other side of the feud. However, don’t expect to see a version of the picture taken of Fairley, Kagi and former Rep. Carolyn Edmonds, celebrating together eight years ago.
Evan Smith is the Enterprise Forum editor. Send comments to entopinion@heraldnet.com.
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