An Upper Left Endorsement

An Upper Left Endorsement



One outcome of last year's election was the passage of a measure which reduced the size of the King County Council from 13 members to 9. When the new maps were drawn, two incumbent Democrats, Carolyn Edmonds and Bob Ferguson, found themselves in the same district, setting up a primary that, given the political geography involved, should prove conclusive regardless of what the local R's do.

I've decided to support Ferguson, despite the fact that Edmonds has represented me as a member of the State House or the County Council since 1999.

Bob Ferguson is already something of a local political legend for his first political campaign in which he upset a 20 year incumbent largely by personally knocking on tens of thousands of doors. Since then he's set a noteworthy standard for public accessibility and accountability.

One important consideration for Democrats when forced into a choice like this should be future prospects. This kind of election is important if we're serious about building the kind of candidate farm team that our adversaries have been generating for years. It's not hard at all to imagine Bob Ferguson, after a time, serving in Congress, perhaps, or the Governor's mansion. In the meantime, he's the kind of open, articulate public servant - with an emphasis on service - that we want our Party to be represented by at every level of government.

I don't find Edmonds future prospects as bright, frankly. In fact, these days the lights seem to dim a bit every time she enters a room. While she boasts an impressive list of endorsements from what she describes as "The Leaders Of The Democratic Party," the loyalty of past and present colleagues seems a small point compared to the support of her actual constituents. It's noteworthy that Edmonds has twice been nominated for, and twice failed to capture, the endorsement of the 32nd District Democrats, the district she represented in the State House and which is fully contained by her Council district. The district Party has gone with Ferguson, as have the 46th District Democrats, which hold a similar place in Ferguson's old district.

In other words, his most active Democratic constituents support Ferguson. So do Edmonds' most active Democratic constituents. That's a powerful message in a Democratic primary.

It's not without good reason. There are those that find that Edmonds has become remote from her roots as a community activist, and has come to regard her position as an entitlement. That may explain her dismissive attitude toward Party process and discipline earlier this year.

Before a court decision that restored the ability for the Democratic Party to have some measure of control over the participants in its primary election, the nomination process was put in the hands of Precinct Committee Officers. The PCOs are grassroots activists, the folks I really mean when I say 'Democratic Party.' The people who show up in church basements and Legion halls to plot campaigns and argue policy over coffee in paper cups and donated cookies.

The people both candidates for this seat pledged to respect before the PCO Convention was held. The people Carolyn Edmonds turned her back on when she was soundly defeated. After the convention, Edmonds announced that she would disregard the results and challenge Ferguson in the state's illegitimate 'Cajun' primary (since found unconstitutional in Washington). As a citizen, that's her perfect right. As a Democrat, especially as an elected Democrat, it's a fundamental breach of trust with the Democratic Party, and the Party's most devoted volunteer base.

You can find out more about Ferguson here, and offer whatever help you may here (from the look of his site, he looks to need a primer on engaging the netroots, but I'm betting he's very receptive to the notion). I'll have more to say as the campaign moves on.