It's nice, I suppose…

…to have one's endorsements supported by the facts on the ground, but it's kind of a shame it has to happen this way.

My decision to support Bob Ferguson in the race for the 1st District seat on the King County Council was based more on the skills, experience and commitment that he brings to the table than anything his opponent lacked. Carolyn Edmonds has represented me both in the state legislature and on the current Council. I can't say that I've been particularly disappointed with her performance, although I've viewed her more as a reliable caucus vote than the kind of Democratic leader we always hope each of our representatives will be. The difference in leadership that the candidates offer now and their potential for future leadership were the major factors in my decision to take a stand in the race.

Still, it's a Democratic primary, with a pair of competent incumbents facing off due to redistricting. It was my hope that the campaign could be conducted 'gloves on,' focusing on the respective merits and visions of the candidates. No such luck.

Edmonds' first primary mailing arrived this weekend, and she decided to drop the gloves and go for an early knockout with a series of low blows. There are at least four direct attacks on Ferguson, and a couple that are a bit more oblique. Altogether, it's nothing but a smear. I'll ask Bob to comment on a couple of the particulars, though some are so specious that they shouldn't merit comment. The idea, for instance, that Ferguson opposes public transit because he's spoken out against Sound Transit's 'train to nowhere' boondoggle is absurd on its face. Ferguson is the only member of the current Council who uses public transit for his daily commute to the courthouse. Campaign reality, though, demands that charges made must be laid to rest with an appropriate response. I'm confident Bob can make that response without reducing himself to Edmonds' level, but in the end, she chose to take the fight to the gutter so she can't really expect that no mud will splash back on her.

The smear that should dismay every Democrat is one that relates to an issue that may have been the most definitive in my final decision to endorse Bob Ferguson. A little background is in order for distant readers.

After Washington's old 'blanket primary' system was thrown out by the federal courts, the Democratic majority in the Legislature decided on a version of the so-called 'Montana primary,' which requires voters to select a partisan ballot, but doesn't require partisan registration. One of the options that was rejected along the way was the 'Cajun' primary, in which the top two vote getters advance to the general election regardless of party identification. Our Republican Secretary of State responded with an initiative that threw out the Legislature's plan and installed the 'Cajun' system (that our Secretary of State would look to Louisiana as a model for election reform tells us all we need to know about him, I suppose). The initiative was successful despite doubts about the legality of such a system under the State Constitution.

Both the Republican and Democratic parties rejected the top two primary. Primary elections are inherently partisan exercises, and each qualified party has a right to advance their ticket to the general election, a right which the 'Cajun' system would have likely denied one or the other major party, and virtually every minor party, in many jurisdictions around the state. Instead, both of the major parties decided to nominate candidates via conventions, with the delegates being the elected Precinct Committee Officers, members of the Party rank and file selected by their neighbors in a general election.

As the candidate questionnaire Edmonds submitted to the King County Democrats prior to the PCO convention makes clear, she was a willing, even vigorous, participant in that selection process.

My campaign is comprehensive and involves strategies for winning the Nominating Convention, the Primary and the general. It includes direct mail, doorbelling, using influence makers and neighborhood leaders.

...We have planned at least 6 mailings, 2 for the Nominating Convention, 2 for the Primary and 2 for the General. (emphasis mine)

No indication there that she found the process illegitimate, or that she would spurn the decision of the Party's representatives following the convention.

Of course, she doubtless expected to win. I'm not sure what she based that expectation on, though, particularly after she failed to win the support of the Legislative District she once represented, which also comprises the bulk of the Council district she now represents. The fact of the matter is that the rank and file party workers who made the selection selected Bob Ferguson by an impressive majority. Edmonds immediately rejected the result, declaring that she would fight it out in the primary election despite the controversy and court challenges that surrounded it.

In the end, the State Supreme Court ruled against the 'Cajun' system and re-installed the Legislature's plan. With the opportunity to have a Democratic ticket selected by self identified Democratic voters, the issue seemed to have been resolved and the candidates were free to vie on their merits for a primary nomination that had the favor of the Party.

Edmonds, unfortunately, couldn't leave well enough alone. She's chosen to position herself as the champion of "allowing everyone to have a say" in the Primary. In other words, Carolyn Edmonds prefers that Democratic nominees might be the product of Republican voters and others who refuse to ally with our Party, but who expect a voice in our process. In the process, she slams Ferguson for respecting the Party and its right to select its own ticket, writing (or having the political hit squad at Moxie Media write) that…

Bob Ferguson has supported allowing a convention of party activists to decide who is your next councilmember. He has even gone so far as to tout this process on his campaign materials.

Two things jump immediately to mind. The first sentence is patently false. What Bob Ferguson, and Democratic Party organizations across the state, supported, and what Edmonds appeared to support when she still thought it might serve her ambitions, was allowing Democrats to select the Democratic nominee. The councilmember would still be elected by the general electorate in a general election.

It's true, though, that Ferguson has pointed to his commanding victory at the convention in his campaign material, alongside his endorsements by the King County Democrats, the 46th District Democrats and the 32nd District Democrats. Every time the candidates have been measured by Democrats, Carolyn Edmonds has failed to measure up. In response, she slams our Party's process, principles and clear choice for the Democratic nomination. It's not hard to see why she preferred a system in which Republicans might carry her to victory.

I suppose there are some D's who imagine that we have much to learn from Mr. Rove. Lies, smears and manipulation can, after all, work. Our current federal government provides any number of examples. Most of us, though, I think, prefer to distinguish ourselves from the GOP by our tactics as well as our ideas.

There's a long list of reasons that Bob Ferguson merits the support of Democrats in the 1st Council District. Edmonds attack on his candidacy and our Party provides a reason that Bob Ferguson merits the support of Democrats everywhere. Loyalty to our principles and respect for our process is the very least that Democrats should expect from our candidates. Right now, Ferguson trails a bit in the dash for cash. He makes up some of the deficit by eschewing the services of professional consulting firms, with a campaign that's focused on meeting tens of thousands of voters on their doorsteps and counting on the efforts of the Party rank and file who have repeatedly given him their support.

Still, Edmonds' decision to 'go ugly early' will demand a response, and responding is expensive. Make a difference for a Democratic candidate whose victory will make a difference for the integrity of the Democratic Party. Bob's set up for online contributions now. You can make yours here.