Filing Week: Report for June 2nd, 2008

It's filing week in Washington State and already a significant number of candidates have turned in their paperwork to run for office.

Here's a quick roundup of the important races. First, federal:

• Rick Bart has filed to run against Congressman Rick Larsen in the 2nd Congressional District.
• Cheryl Crist is challenging Congressman Brian Baird in the 3rd Congressional District. (Note that Crist is a Democrat, not a Republican. Baird will undoubtedly be selected as the nominee at the state convention).
• Doc Hastings has filed for reelection in the 4th CD. Challenger George Fearing, the likely Democratic nominee, has not filed yet.
• In the 5th Congressional District, neither incumbent Cathy McMorris Rodgers nor the likely Democratic nominee Mark Mays have filed yet. But two other candidates have: Barbara Lampert, who claims to be a Democrat, and Libertarian John Beck.
• Doug Cloud (a Republican) is challenging Representative Norm Dicks in the 6th Congressional District.
• Mark Goldman and Richard Todd have filed in the 7th and 8th Congressional Districts, respectively, as independents. Democrats Darcy Burner and Jim McDermott have not filed yet.

On to statewide executive races:

• Chris Gregoire has filed for reelection as Governor (no challengers yet).
• Brad Owen has filed for reelection at Lt. Governor (no challengers yet).
• Three candidates have filed for Secretary of State: incumbent Republican Sam Reed, Democrat Jason Osgood (who NPI will likely support) and perennial candidate Mark Greene.
• Brian Sonntag has filed for reelection as Auditor (no challengers yet).
• John Ladenburg has filed to run for Attorney General. Incumbent Rob McKenna hasn't turned in his paperwork yet.
• For Superintendent of Public Instruction, Don Hansler and Randy Dorn have filed. Incumbent Terry Bergeson hasn't yet.

For Supreme Court, only two justices seeking reelection have filed so far: Mary Fairhurst and Charles W. Johnson.

I won't go through the legislative races because there are so many, but you can see them for yourself at the Secretary of State's website.

So far, almost all of the candidates are honoring Sam Reed's request to use the language "Prefers X Party", but early filers tend not to be the most colorful candidates - there's plenty of time for the Goodspaceguy Nelsons of the state to toss in their names and slogans. We'll continue to keep you posted all week.