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Apart from 2020, when Republicans in Washington picked a candidate for governor who was embarrassingly unqualified, the state GOP has an extended historical past of fielding credible candidates for the state’s high job. Lawyer Common Rob McKenna was a critical challenger for Jay Inslee in 2012 and, in 2016 when Gov. Inslee first ran for re-election, Seattle Port Commissioner Invoice Bryant was way over a token opponent.
Nonetheless, Washington voters haven’t elected a Republican governor since 1980. Because the state has grow to be steadily extra progressive, Republicans in statewide places of work have grow to be like Bigfoot: hardly ever sighted.
May Dave Reichert change that? He was a part of the law-enforcement workforce that nabbed the Inexperienced River Killer earlier than serving two phrases as King County Sheriff and later spent 14 years in Congress with out ever shedding an election. He’s the type of independent-minded Republican who was widespread in these components, so individuals who wish to see the GOP return to sanity are happy to see him enter the gubernatorial contest.
Nonetheless, he’s a conservative operating in a liberal-leaning state and, thus, routinely begins behind within the race. That isn’t an insurmountable handicap, however the activity can be vastly more durable if he has to run within the shadow of the possible GOP presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, who received solely 39% of the Evergreen State’s vote in 2020.
Going again six many years, there may be an instance of a Republican candidate for governor who received an election, regardless of operating the identical yr as a extremely controversial, very conservative GOP presidential nominee. In 1964, to the chagrin of right-wing zealots in his get together, Dan Evans efficiently distanced himself from Sen. Barry Goldwater and was elected to the primary of three phrases within the governor’s workplace.
Reichert could, and definitely should, distance himself from Trump. However this isn’t 1964. Again then, the state leaned barely Republican, whereas Republicans like Evans leaned barely liberal. Evans was a close to good candidate to seize the broad middle of the voters.
Reichert may mood his conservatism, write off the votes of the MAGA Republicans and run towards the center, the best way Evans did, however there might now not be sufficient votes within the middle to win; not in a state – and nation – so politically polarized.
See extra of David Horsey’s cartoons at: st.news/davidhorsey
View different syndicated cartoonists at: st.news/cartoons
Editor’s notice: Seattle Occasions Opinion now not appends remark threads on David Horsey’s cartoons. Too many feedback violated our community policies and reviewing the handfuls that have been flagged as inappropriate required an excessive amount of of our restricted employees time. You may remark by way of a Letter to the Editor. Please electronic mail us at letters@seattletimes.com and embrace your full identify, deal with and phone quantity for verification solely. Letters are restricted to 200 phrases.
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