Surprise Primary – Not!

The primary election was held with lackluster turnout. No surprise there. Since the primary election was moved to August rather than September, the turnout has decreased. The turnout rate for Pierce County dropped to 20 percent, which is about 4 percent lower than the state rate this time.

The results of the primary were straightforward. Those candidates expected to win, did. Those expected to lose, did. If there was any surprise, it occurred for the voters. This primary was the first time the state has used the Top Two system to determine the candidates moving on to the November general election ballot. Voters were able to vote across party lines for any candidate they chose and, regardless of party affiliation, the top two candidates with votes move on. Theoretically, two candidates could run against one another in the general election. However, no surprises occurred there.

On the federal side, Reps. Norm Dicks (D) and Adam Smith (D) both managed to “eke out” victories enabling them to move on the general election with approximately 58 and 66 percent respectively. Rep. Dave Reichert (R) garnered about 48 percent against his continual opponent Darcy Burner (D), who captured 45 percent of the vote out of a six candidate primary.

State-wide results show the Governor Gregoire (photo, left) with 49 percent of the vote in the ten candidate primary.

Dino Rossi (photo, right) secured 45 percent to allow him a second challenge to the incumbent.


Lt. Governor Brad Owen, Secretary of State Sam Reed, State Auditor Brian Sonntag and Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler all won fairly substantial victories against their primary opponents.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson appears to have a close race after only obtaining 41 percent in a field of six candidates. Her challenger will be former Pierce County legislator Randy Dorn, who managed to capture 33% of vote. The open seat for State Treasurer will have Allan Martin (R) and Jim McIntire (D) against one another in November. Public Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland (R) will face off against Peter Goldmark (D) after a close primary.

The race for Attorney General will feature AG Rob McKenna (R) and John Ladenburg, current Pierce County Executive, in a race that will certainly be contentious until the very end – which should be expected from two attorneys running against one another.

The state legislative races will show most incumbents in strong positions against their opponents except for two long-time senators. Both Marilyn Rasmussen (D-Spanaway) and Mike Carrell (R-Lakewood) have tighter than expected races.

No Pierce County races appeared on the ballot due to new Ranked Choice Voting system. You can learn more about this system by reading our previous story about it.

Rep. Norm Dicks visits the Chamber

The Chamber’s Simpson Room was the site of a lively interview between Rep. Norm Dicks and Mike Weinman, the Chamber's contracted community relations director, as cameras captured the footage for the Chamber’s Annual Meeting video.

Mike Weinman took Rep. Dicks down memory lane as he recalled how the idea for the Chamber’s Washington-to-Washington, D.C. trip was hatched. Rep. Dicks relayed how he and David Graybill, Chamber CEO, were talking about “how the Tri-Cities and the Puget Sound Naval Bases Association in Bremerton were going back there” to Washington, D.C. to discuss issues with congressional members. Together, they wondered about doing a similar thing to advocate for “our own incredible bases here in Pierce County.”

“We wanted to tell key officials, ‘Thank You,’” said Rep. Dicks, “We had lots to talk about and the C-17s were a good one to start with.”

Rep. Dicks went on to say how there were now 44 cargo lifting C-17s based out of McChord Air Force Base. He felt the Washington-to-Washington, D.C. annual trip was one of the best advocacy programs the Chamber "accomplishes year in and year out."

The subject of the economy was reviewed as well. Citing large numbers of area military personnel, civilian employees, and retirees, Rep. Dicks stated “their sheer numbers act as a stabilizing effect” on our economy. “The millions of dollars in construction contracts and resulting numbers of local workers,” he added, “provide additional certainty during economic downturns.”

Rep. Dicks ended the interview with several statements about how the Chamber has maintained a great relationship with local officials like himself under the guidance of CEO David Graybill. He discussed how the Chamber has played a major role in the revitalization of downtown and how it has been a positive force for job creation e.g. working with him and others to convince Boeing to develop a plant site in Frederickson. He believes the overall position in the business community is well represented by the Chamber.