Latest news with #primaryelections
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washington Primary Election: King County Executive race
Tuesday's primary elections in King County will include a position that hasn't been on the ballot for more than a decade. Seven candidates are vying for King County Executive, one of the highest-ranking elected offices in the county, which guides policy and budget. It will mark the first time since 2009 that the County Executive position is on the ballot. Current CEO of Sound Transit, Dow Constantine, held the King County Executive seat for fifteen years before stepping down on March 27 to become the public transit company's chief executive. The seven candidates aiming to succeed current County Executive Shannon Braddock are: Claudia Balducci Girmay Zahilay Amiya Ingram Bill Hirt Don L Rivers Derek Chartrand Rebecca Williamson Who are the candidates? Claudia Balducci Balducci is the former mayor of Bellevue and currently serves on the King County Council, focusing on transportation accessibility and safety, as well as creating an affordable housing task force that established housing projects on the east side of the county, according to As County Executive, Balducci says she plans to focus on housing affordability, crisis intervention, transit safety, and expanding mental health services, according to her campaign website. She has been endorsed by Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, the Seattle Times Editorial Board, and the SEIU Local 925 Union. Balducci has raised $713,000 for her campaign. Girmay Zahilay Zahllay is a former attorney who currently serves as the Chair of the King County Council and sits on the Sound Transit board. He has been endorsed by Governor Bob Ferguson, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, and Attorney General Nick Brown, according to As Chair of the King County Council, he has worked to develop crisis care centers, affordable housing, and gun violence prevention strategies. His policy plan is focused on building affordable housing, reducing gun violence, supporting small businesses, and expanding access to behavioral health programs, according to his campaign website. His campaign has raised $905,700. Amiya Ingram A former cybersecurity analyst and Microsoft AI employee, Ingram is proposing to offer up to $1,000 monthly stipends for small businesses, converting retired train cars and buses into transient housing, and bolstering background checks for gun purchases. Imgram has raised $13,090 for her campaign, according to the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC). Bill Hirt Hirt is retired after working at Boeing for 36 years. His primary campaign platform is reducing spending for Sound Transit projects. Hirt has proposed to stop the East Link light rail program and claims it will not ease congestion on I-5, according to his website. Don L Rivers Rivers is retired after working for King County Metro and has served as an adviser for community and law enforcement officials in Washington State, according to his campaign website. His policy proposals for County Executive include investing in affordable housing, increasing public safety by fostering relationships between law enforcement and members of the community, as well as investing in local businesses, his campaign website says. Rivers has raised $4,500 for his campaign. Derek Chartrand Chartrand is a manufacturing manager and former president of the Washington Trucking Association, according to He is running on decreasing county spending, funding law enforcement, reducing crime, and building homeless shelters to remove encampments, according to his campaign. Chartrand has raised $8,000 for his campaign. Rebecca Williamson Williamson is a freight rail conductor, and she highlights her twenty-five years of experience as a member of a union. She is running on supporting working-class voters, raising wages, building affordable housing, and proposing a shorter work week for public works employees, according to Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Campaign cash in Spokane elections falls along typical lines -- even in race with two Democrats
Aug. 3—Washington's primary elections are Tuesday, and while Spokane's City Council races aren't yet attracting the kind of big money they did in 2023, hundreds of thousands of dollars are already pouring in. It's an opportunity for the council's thin conservative majority to gain the seats needed to have some power in city government, or for the liberal majority to oust one of their loudest critics — and for donors both big and small to attempt to sway the outcome. While there are three Spokane City Council seats up for election this year, one in each district, only one appears on primary ballots. This means more cash to spend in that race and a greater need to spend it. State law limits donations from a single source to $1,200 per candidate per election; primary and general elections count as separate elections. Races with more than two candidates appear on the primary election ballot, effectively doubling the amount of campaign cash donors can send to candidates. In recent years, races with an active primary election have primarily benefited the coffers of Spokane's conservative candidates, who are significantly more likely to receive maxed-out donations and can make the most use out of the higher limit. This pattern has held thus far for the only City Council seat on this year's primary ballots: Northwest Spokane, where incumbent Councilman Zack Zappone is defending his position from two conservative contenders. They are delivery driver Chris Savage and private cigar lounge co-owner Cody Arguelles. Arguelles leads total contributions, with $45,600 raised compared to $37,000 for Zappone and roughly $35,000 for Savage. Arguelles also leads, by far, in high-dollar contributions, with four double-maxed donations of $2,400 each from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Washington political action committee, the Harley Douglass Rental Account and LKB Properties. Arguelles has received another 11 donations of at least $1,200 from many of the area's most reliable conservative donors: real estate, hospitality and self-storage interests. Nearly half of Arguelles' donations came directly from companies or corporate associations. These other top donors include the self-storage company Pay 'N Pak, hotel managers Peppertree Hospitality Group, the trust of the family of Jerry Dicker of GVD Commercial Properties, Backyard Public House, RenCorp property management executive Chris Batten, the Build East political action committee, commercial real estate company Kiemle Hagood CEO Gordon Hester, the Rental Housing Association of Washington, Best Western Peppertrees of Washington owner Rita Santillanes, and Alvin and Jeanie Wolff of the Wolff real estate empire. A relatively small portion of Arguelles' campaign cash comes from small-dollar donations, around $2,700 in total. Zappone, who holds the record for the most money raised by a Spokane City Council candidate from his 2021 race, is currently in the middle of the fundraising pack this year with support from labor interests and other typical liberal donors, raising around $37,000. He has received two double-maxed donations: $2,400 each from the local branch of the Laborers International Union of North America and the Spokane Firefighters Union political action committee. Zappone received $1,200 from another six organizations, including three other unions, retired surgeon Jerry Leclaire, former Gesa Credit Union executive Brian Griffith, and Avista. Zappone leads significantly in small-dollar donations, with $8,700, nearly a quarter of his coffers. Both Zappone and Arguelles have been relatively frugal with their campaign cash with just days left in the primary election, likely in part because anything over a $1,200 donation from an individual donor generally can't be touched before the general election. The penny -pinching may also come with the expectation that they will make it past the primaries and need to spend big in the coming months. And at least in Arguelles' case, there's $5,000 in campaign debt to consider, which would need to be paid out of surplus contributions sooner or later, depending on his performance on Tuesday. Zappone reportedly has around $23,000 cash on hand, around 62% of his takings thus far, signaling his campaign's comfort headed into Tuesday's election, while Arguelles has around $18,000, or 39% of what he's raised. Chris Savage, on the other hand, has taken another approach entirely. This is his fourth run for Spokane City Council, and in all previous attempts he failed to make it past the primary, so his campaign cash strategy appears to be: spend it if you got it. He certainly has raised more cash this year than in any of his previous attempts, reporting roughly $35,000 in contributions, of which he has spent more than $29,000, more than either of his better-funded opponents. It appears to be part of a name-recognition blitz campaign, along with the string of public forums Savage has attended while either only Zappone or neither of his opponents joined him. It remains to be seen whether the strategy pays off, but if it does it will leave Savage in an initially precarious, cash-strapped position headed into the general election; at least temporarily, though he would likely soon attract the deep pockets currently in Arguelles' corner if the political newcomer fails to advance. Savage could also potentially ask some of his top donors to dig deeper into their own pockets, as he has attracted many high-dollar donations but few that have gone beyond that $1,200 maximum allowed for the primary election. Those current top donors include Mike Kelley, of KT Contracting; Brandon Casey, of the Casey Law Office; former Spokane County GOP vice chair Lyle Dach; retiree Brett Ellis, of Winnsboro, Texas; retired teacher Jackie Gleason; Erik Nelson, of Koru Pharmacy; and both Mark and Pam Walker, of Walker's Furniture. Savage's own family also gave the lion's share of the candidate's early campaign cash, and a Friends of Christopher Savage political action committee also donated around $2,400. Despite significantly lower contributions overall, Savage's small-dollar contributions total around the same as Arguelles, just shy of $2,700. Northeast Spokane Nowhere in Spokane is there a greater disparity between warchests than in northeast Spokane, where incumbent Councilman Jonathan Bingle — the only member of the city's conservative minority defending their seat this year — is facing reproductive rights activist Sarah Dixit. Despite not having a primary election and being unable to raise more than $1,200 from any single source, Bingle has thus far raised more cash than almost any candidate in the city with a whopping 25 maxed-out donations. Even after an infusion of cash from a Seattle-area fundraising group, Dixit has raised only around $35,000, currently one of the smallest war chests in the city this year. Bingle's top contributors are a veritable who's-who of Spokane developers and real estate interests, with maximum donations from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Washington; Batton, of RenCorp Real Estate; Build East PAC; Bonnie Quinn, of KVC Development; the Rental Housing Association of Washington; Sheldon Jackson, of Selkirk Development; Jackson's wife Melanie; LKP Properties; Hester, of Kiemle Hagood; the Washington Multi Family Housing Association PAC; Urban Empire Homes; Mead Works Development; and the Spokane Home Builders Association PAC. Other maxed-out donors include restaurant owner Derek Baziotis; Dallas Low, of Golden Rule Brakes; Santillanes, of Best Western Peppertrees of Washington; the Washington Hospitality Association; Jonathan Ferraiulio, of the Pacific Holding Corporation; and Avista. Perhaps the most surprising top donor is the Spokane Firefighters Union PAC, which has typically been more closely aligned with prounion liberal candidates. Meanwhile, every one of Dixit's maxed-out donors is either from the Puget Sound area or, in one case, her father, Augustin Dixit. She was a recipient of a "money bomb" from the First Mile donor circle, which works to boost the campaigns of progressive candidates of color throughout Washington with the support of deep-pocketed West Side contributors; that added nearly $15,000 to her coffers. At most, $12,000 of Dixit's contributions have come from Spokane — and more than half of that is small -dollar contributions that don't require information about the donor so the origin can't be quickly verified — while the majority of her campaign is currently funded by out-of-towners. Outside of the Seattle millionaire's who funneled cash to Dixit via First Mile's recommendation, her top donors the Seattle-based caregivers union SEIU 775. South Spokane South Spokane has an interesting election this year, with the only open seat up for election and two candidates who are both Democrats but whose contributions may indicate very different kinds of supporters. Former Councilwoman Lili Navarrete held the seat until recently, and Shelby Lambdin was appointed last Monday to fill the spot for the next four months while business executive Alejandro Barrientos and former prosecutor Kate Talis seek election this November for a full four-year term. Barrientos has attempted to position himself as a moderate Democrat concerned about liberal causes like immigrant rights while being friendlier to conservative efforts for stronger law enforcement. He faces a progressive closely aligned with the council majority. Barrientos has faced accusations of being too closely linked with local business conservatives from the jump, initially due to his employer, businessman Larry Stone, whose big budget political ads and independent electioneering have hounded Spokane's progressives for years with mixed success. Those accusations, potentially potent in the city's bluest district, have only mounted as Barrientos' campaign donations have come in. Many of his top donors are the standard supporters of local conservatives: $2,400 each from the Wolff family, Patricia and Jerry Dicker, and Bonnie Quinn-Clausen and Kent Clausen, who own marketing and hospitality businesses respectively. Batten donated $1,200, developer Cyrus Vaughn donated another $1,200, retired boat dealership owner William Trudeau gave another $1,200, as have the Build East PAC, the Associated Builders and Contractors PAC. Conservative politicians have also chipped in, with attempted Republican politician Kim Plese donating $250. Spokane County Commissioner Al French initially donated $125, as did his wife Rosalie, though this was later amended so the entire $250 appears only under Rosalie's name. Telis, meanwhile, has a coffer more familiar for left-leaning candidates in the city. That coffer's bursting with unions, Democratic politicians, liberal retirees and a significant number of small dollar donations, and at roughly $53,000, it's the largest war chest in the city currently. LeClaire has donated $1,200, as has attorney and Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown's husband Brian McClatchey, SEIU 775, the Washington Education Association and the Spokane Firefighters Union. Don Barbieri and Sharon Smith of the Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund each donated $1,200, as have Scott and Kathryn O'Hare, a partner at Austin investment firm Daylight Partners and an attorney respectively. Two retirees from the Department of Homeland Security donated another $1,200, Leslia Hope and Sheila Rawls, as did retiree Kathryn Maynard. Three members of Telis' own family each pitched in $1,200: Alex, Sherman and Karen Telis. Others have donated smaller amounts, including City Council President Betsy Wilkerson, former state Sen. Andy Billig, the Washington state Democratic Party and the Washington Machinists Council. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
N.Y.C. Panel Withdraws Proposal to Switch to Open Primaries
The primary elections that New York City uses to pick its mayors will remain unchanged, after a special panel that had been formulating a switch to an open primary system said on Wednesday that it would not put the proposal on the ballot this fall. Under the proposal, all registered voters, regardless of their party affiliation, could participate in primary elections. The 13-member panel, called a Charter Revision Commission, said it had decided not to put the proposal before voters because there was no consensus among civic leaders as to what the new primary model should look like. Richard R. Buery Jr., the chairman of the commission, which was created by Mayor Eric Adams, said in a statement that he was 'personally disappointed' in the decision and hoped the issue might be revisited in the future. 'I hope civic leaders will build on the progress that we have made this year, develop greater consensus and advance a proposal to voters prior to the next citywide election,' Mr. Buery said. In a 135-page report released earlier this month, which outlined the open-primary plan and other proposals, the commission acknowledged that some members of the panel felt that this year was not the right time to introduce such a major change. One reason to delay a move to an open primary system, the report said, was that New York had only recently enacted a big change to its elections — ranked-choice voting — that some voters still struggled to understand. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Independents who want to vote in Pennsylvania's closed primaries seek help from state's high court
Voters hoping to open up Pennsylvania's closed primary system to independents asked the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to declare the current system violates the state constitution's right to free and fair elections. Four independent voters asked the justices to take up the case directly, arguing that in many districts and in many races, including for the great majority of legislative seats, the primary elections among Republicans and Democrats are the only real contests, not the fall election. There are relatively few "swing" districts — in most parts of Pennsylvania, one party or the other predominates. "Exclusion from primary elections is the functional equivalent of losing the right to vote in those districts," they argued in a 51-page petition. The Department of State was named as respondent to the lawsuit along with the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Secretary of State Al Schmidt, who serves under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro. A department spokesperson said Tuesday that the lawsuit was being reviewed. "It might be suggested that (the) petitioners have brought exclusion on themselves by choosing to not identify as members of a political party," the four voters argued in the lawsuit. They said that ignores how the state constitution's Free and Equal Elections Clause "is designed to equalize voters' power regardless of their faction (or lack thereof) and regardless of their individual political-viewpoints." Jeremy Gruber, senior vice president with New York-based Open Primaries, a group that campaigns for more open primaries among the states, says Pennsylvania is among 14 states with closed primaries. New Mexico this year passed a law allowing voters with no party affiliation to vote in primary elections without changing their nonpartisan status. Lawsuits are pending in Wyoming, Oregon and Maryland, Gruber said. It's unclear when the Supreme Court will rule on the request that it take up the case directly. Three of its seven justices, all Democrats, face up-or-down statewide retention votes this fall, with voters deciding whether they should get additional 10-year terms. When an open primary bill was passed in May by the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee, all Democrats were in favor and all Republicans opposed. It remains pending in the House. "I've always said, the primary's not the election — the primary's the nomination," House Republican Leader Jesse Topper of Bedford County said in the Capitol on Tuesday. Topper left the door slightly open on the topic, saying he is "always willing to give it a fresh set of eyes." The sponsor of the House bill, state Rep. Jared Solomon, a Philadelphia Democrat, said unaffiliated voters "pay into the system, prop up the election system and get zero in return, and no vote. It is not a partisan issue at all." Pennsylvania's nearly 8.9 million registered voters include some 3.8 million Democrats, 3.6 million Republicans and about 1.4 million others. The four voters who sued are broadcaster and political commentator Michael Smerconish; grocery story owner Jeffery Doty; physical therapist Rachel Shanok; and David Thornburgh, son of former Republican Gov. Richard Thornburgh and head of Ballot PA Action, a group that advocates for open primaries.
Associated Press
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Independents who want to vote in Pennsylvania's closed primaries seek help from state's high court
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Voters hoping to open up Pennsylvania's closed primary system to independents asked the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to declare the current system violates the state constitution's right to free and fair elections. Four independent voters asked the justices to take up the case directly, arguing that in many districts and in many races, including for the great majority of legislative seats, the primary elections among Republicans and Democrats are the only real contests, not the fall election. There are relatively few 'swing' districts — in most parts of Pennsylvania, one party or the other predominates. 'Exclusion from primary elections is the functional equivalent of losing the right to vote in those districts,' they argued in a 51-page petition. The Department of State was named as respondent to the lawsuit along with the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Secretary of State Al Schmidt, who serves under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro. A department spokesperson said Tuesday that the lawsuit was being reviewed. 'It might be suggested that (the) petitioners have brought exclusion on themselves by choosing to not identify as members of a political party,' the four voters argued in the lawsuit. They said that ignores how the state constitution's Free and Equal Elections Clause 'is designed to equalize voters' power regardless of their faction (or lack thereof) and regardless of their individual political-viewpoints.' Jeremy Gruber, senior vice president with New York-based Open Primaries, a group that campaigns for more open primaries among the states, says Pennsylvania is among 14 states with closed primaries. New Mexico this year passed a law allowing voters with no party affiliation to vote in primary elections without changing their nonpartisan status. Lawsuits are pending in Wyoming, Oregon and Maryland, Gruber said. It's unclear when the Supreme Court will rule on the request that it take up the case directly. Three of its seven justices, all Democrats, face up-or-down statewide retention votes this fall, with voters deciding whether they should get additional 10-year terms. When an open primary bill was passed in May by the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee, all Democrats were in favor and all Republicans opposed. It remains pending in the House. 'I've always said, the primary's not the election — the primary's the nomination,' House Republican Leader Jesse Topper of Bedford County said in the Capitol on Tuesday. Topper left the door slightly open on the topic, saying he is 'always willing to give it a fresh set of eyes.' The sponsor of the House bill, state Rep. Jared Solomon, a Philadelphia Democrat, said unaffiliated voters 'pay into the system, prop up the election system and get zero in return, and no vote. It is not a partisan issue at all.' Pennsylvania's nearly 8.9 million registered voters include some 3.8 million Democrats, 3.6 million Republicans and about 1.4 million others. The four voters who sued are broadcaster and political commentator Michael Smerconish; grocery story owner Jeffery Doty; physical therapist Rachel Shanok; and David Thornburgh, son of former Republican Gov. Richard Thornburgh and head of Ballot PA Action, a group that advocates for open primaries.
