April 7, 2012
Mike Baker, Associated Press | 4-06-2012
The special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee for a month could cost Washington state about $1 million after the expense of educating voters about the confusing ballot situation is factored, officials said Friday.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee for a month could cost Washington state about $1 million after the expense of educating voters about the confusing ballot situation is factored, officials said Friday. …… Read More


February 10, 2012
Peter Callaghan, TNT – Political Buzz | 2-10-2012
Rick Santorum will bring his surging GOP presidential campaign to Tacoma-Olympia on Monday
The former Pennsylvania senator will hold several events, one public, when he visits Washington state on Monday.

Andrea Innes, a state committeewoman from Pierce County, said the state party has notified party officials that Rick Santorum will lead a rally at 7 p.m. at the Washington History Museum in downtown Tacoma beginning at 7 p.m.
Rick Santorum speaks to Conservative Political Action Conference Friday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Beforehand he will have a closed meeting with state party officials including members of the state committee, Innes said. The event is free and open to the public……Read More


October 16, 2011
Jordan Schrader, TNT | 10-16-2011
Republicans and Democrats took their latest negotiating postures Friday in the process of redrawing districts for the state Legislature.

The bipartisan Redistricting Commission unveiled two maps, one for each party, a step in the process of setting state political lines that the commission hopes to finish by ……Read More

July 15, 2011
Lornet Turnbull, Seattle Times | 7-15-2011
In a state frequently criticized as a haven for illegal immigrants seeking driver’s licenses, licensing officials here believe stricter rules are discouraging those from out of state.

After noticing a three-year surge in the number of out-of-state license applicants who lacked Social Security numbers, the Washington Department of Licensing last November began to require stricter proof of state residency……Read More

July 7, 2011
Brad Shannon, The Olympian | 7-07-2011
State Republican Party chairman Kirby Wilbur spoke to reporters this morning in Washington about a new Republican-paid ad airing in 50 states that attacks President Obama’s record on the economy.

The Republican National Committee held press briefings with 13 states, including Washington. It and state Republican chairman Kirby Wilbur suggested the Evergreen State could be among the dozen or so battleground states for president in 2012 – despite Obama winning here by double-digits……Read More

July 5, 2011
Peter Callaghan, TNT | 7-05-2011
There’s an idea floating around the fairly small circle of Pierce County Districting Committee followers that might either be a simple fix to a thorny problem or a controversial blending of politics and map making.

What if the five-member districting committee took the final map submitted by Districting Master Steven Garrett and switched the name of two districts? That is, what if they changed the proposed 7th District to “4th District” and the proposed 4th district to “7th District ……Read More

June 25, 2011
Bob McDonnell, WSJ op-ed | 6-25-2011
State Republicans are tackling the issues voters want addressed. That will be a major asset for the party’s presidential nominee in 2012.

Democrats say otherwise, but Republican governors and their records will be a major asset to the GOP in 2012. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s monumental achievement this week in passing a bill to reform his state’s public-employee benefits is a prime example. As Gov. Christie said Friday, underfunded pension and health-care obligations are “the core problems of government spending in the country.” …..Read More

May 13, 2011
Rachel Rose Hartman | 5-12-2011
The idea that Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich could relocate to Washington state to beat redistricting challenges doesn’t appear to be sitting well with some people who live there.

“Democratic U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich can just stay in Ohio, thank you very much,” The Olympian’s editorial board wrote Wednesday. “Washington state residents don’t need a carpetbagger representing us in the United States Congress……….Read More

May 5, 2011
J P Donlon, Chief Executive.net | 5-4-2011
More than 500 CEOs considered a wide range of criteria, from taxation and regulation to workforce quality and living environment, in our annual ranking of the best states for business. The charts and articles in this special report show how each state fares on the factors most essential for a business-friendly environment—as well as what states are doing to attract and retain companies in the increasingly competitive battle to win site selection………Read More
April 15, 2011
Jordan Schrader, The Olympian | 4-14-2011
The state House has advanced a spending plan authored by Democrats, and the Senate could approve its own bipartisan plan as soon as Friday. Next comes the negotiations. With just 11 days left in the scheduled legislative session in Olympia, there are major differences to work out between the two budgets. Here’s a comparison of the budgets on key issues ………Read More
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