NPI releases 2008 primary endorsements

Primary Election Day has arrived in Washington State, and that means it's time for all of us to exercise our civic duty and vote.

If you vote at the polls, remember you have until 8 PM to weigh in. If you vote by mail, your ballot must be postmarked by today, or it won't count.

Not sure who to vote for? Our endorsements for the primary election are as follows:

Partisan races
Thanks to the implementation of the lousy "Top Two" primary, Democratic and Republican voters have lost the right to nominate one standard bearer who will represent their party on the November ballot.

Since Democratic voters no longer have the power to nominate candidates, the party's grassroots (who represent the Democratic electorate) have done so in most jurisdictions. Our recommendation is to vote for the Democratic nominee in partisan races where there's more than one candidate running.

In federal races, we endorse our incumbent Democratic representatives as well as challengers Darcy Burner, Mark Mays, and George Fearing.

For Governor, we endorse Chris Gregoire, whose record as our state's chief executive is unmatched by any of her recent predecessors. Gregoire has worked diligently to better our quality of life by investing in public services and infrastructure, including our transportation system and public schools. She's led the way on environmental protection and bolstered healthcare for thousands of children. We need to keep her in the governor's mansion working for us.

For Lieutenant Governor, we endorse Brad Owen.

Although we don't like his taking of Building Industry Association of Washington money, he does an admirable job presiding over the State Senate, and he is a loyal deputy to Governor Chris Gregoire.

For Secretary of State, we endorse Jason Osgood, who will work to protect our right to a secret ballot, ensure our elections system is open and transparent, decertify unreliable vote-counting machines, and end the use of the Secretary of State's office as a bully pulpit. Jason will also introduce accountability measures to ensure that purges of the voter rolls are legitimate and accurate.

For Commissioner of Public Lands, we endorse Peter Goldmark, who will bring competent leadership back to the Department of Natural Resources. There's no one better qualified than Peter for the job.

An Okanogan rancher, former Washington State University regent, and scientist, Peter knows how to wisely manage our public lands. Incumbent Republican Doug Sutherland is a tool of mining and timber interests who couldn't care less about environmental protection. It's time we replaced him.

For Insurance Commissioner, we endorse Mike Kreidler, who has done of outstanding job of looking out for the people of the Evergreen State. Kreidler helped defeat the insurance industry's attempt to repeal a law last year that allows consumers who are mistreated to get fair compensation from their insurer. Notably, during his current term he also stood firm in rejecting Premera Blue Cross' application to become a for profit company - a decision which was upheld by the Court of Appeals. Kreider is a champion for Washington's good health and its future.

For State Treasurer, we endorse Jim McIntire, whose strong grasp of finance makes him the best candidate to succeed incumbent Mike Murphy. McIntire has served in the state House of Representatives for years, where he worked to strengthen fiscal responsibility, restore the estate tax, and create a Constitutionally-protected rainy day fund. In addition to his private economic consulting practice, he teaches economics and government at the University of Washington. He has the public and private sector experience needed to wisely manage the state's treasury.

For State Auditor, we make no recommendation. Regretfully, we cannot endorse incumbent Brian Sonntag as we did four years ago. Besides taking money from the BIAW, Sonntag has spent too much time listening to Tim Eyman and not enough time listening to the public. The state auditor's office recently announced it would begin yet another performance audit of Sound Transit, its second in as many years. At a time when so many other local and sate agencies are deserving of his scrutiny, we are disappointed to see Sonntag wasting state resources doing the bidding of conservatives desperate for fodder to use against Sound Transit.

For Superintendent of Public Instruction, we endorse Randy Dorn. Incumbent Terry Bergeson has done a terrible job administering our schools system. From mismanaging money to obsessively focusing on standardized testing, Bergeson has let teachers, students, and parents down. And her political pandering this year is plain evidence that she cares more about getting reelected than providing sound leadership. Someone needs to clean up the mess she's made and get us back on track. There's no candidate in this race better qualified to take on this tough job than Randy Dorn, who has served as a teacher, school administrator, legislator, and union leader.

For Supreme Court, we endorse incumbent Justices Mary Fairhurst, Charles W. Johnson, and Debra Stephens. All are extraordinary public servants (rated Exceptionally Well Qualified by the King County Bar) who have excellent legal experience and a record of impartiality and fairness. None of their challengers have made the case that change is needed at the State Supreme Court.

Justice Stephens is unopposed. Justice Fairhurst has only one opponent, which means the outcome of her race will be decided tonight. Don't forget to vote for Justice Fairhurst - it really counts.

For King County Superior Court, we endorse:

• Position 1: Tim Bradshaw
• Position 10: Regina Cahan
• Position 22: Rebeccah Graham
• Position 26: Laura Gene Middaugh
• Position 37: Nic Corning
• Position 53: Mariane Spearman

For state legislature, we again urge you to vote for the Democratic nominee, except in the 36th and 46th Districts, where the local party organization has not clearly chosen a standard bearer.