Offering frequent news and analysis from the majestic Evergreen State and beyond, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's unconventional perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Eric Oemig, Roger Goodman draw Republican opponents in 45th LD for 2010

Republicans in Washington's 45th Legislative District have finally found candidates to go up against the two progressives first elected in the Democratic landslide of 2006, according to filings with the Public Disclosure Commission.

Challenging Representative Roger Goodman is Kevin Haistings, forty nine, of Carnation, who ran against Roger's seatmate, Larry Springer, last cycle and lost. A Seattle police officer who works in and has headed SPD's Harbor Patrol's dive-rescue unit, Haistings gained some notoriety for tossing Democratic Party cameraman Kelly Akers out of an event the Seattle Police Guild hosted for Dino Rossi in the summer of 2008.

His voting record is rather spotty; he's missed more than half of the primary elections held in the last decade, as well as the 2001 and 2005 general elections. Since King County switched to all-mail voting, he has not missed an election.

Challenging Senator Eric Oemig is Andy Hill, forty seven, a newcomer, Harvard alum, and past president of the PTA at Emily Dickinson Elementary, who helped develop educational software for Microsoft before leaving the company.

Hill's sparse campaign website is light on substance and heavy on platitudes. True to form for a legislative candidate, Hill is promising to address "the problems we have in our schools and the congestion on our roads" if he is elected.

Now there's an original platform.

It's true that Senator Eric Oemig made his campaign four years ago about education and transportation, but unlike most politicians, he actually delved in and started working on those priorities once elected.

A self-professed data guy, Oemig has led the push in the Legislature to make our schools more transparent, and, together with Senator Rosemary McAuliffe, he has served as a key bridge between teachers, parents, and students concerned about the Legislature's inability to fully fund education.

Hill and Haistings' campaign announcements appear to have been carved out of standard Republican boilerplate. For instance, Haistings quotes himself as saying:
There’s a real disconnect right now between Olympia and our community. So many families are struggling, but all the Legislature is focused on is how to raise our taxes. We need new leaders in Olympia who actually believe state government needs to live within its means.
...while Hill says:
After watching our government over the past few years, it’s apparent that our elected representatives have lost touch with the voters and their families. There is a fundamental disconnect between what the people want and need - and how our legislators represent us.
And later, one of Hill's bullet points reads, "It’s time for the state to live within our means, just like every family and every small business does."

Another bullet point: "we need to reduce the oppressive regulations that hamper our businesses from creating jobs." What would those regulations be?

He and Haistings both call for state government to help businesses to create jobs, while in the same breath, they complain about rising taxes and unemployment insurance rates. Perhaps they'd care to tell us how it's possible for the state to help businesses create jobs while it is laying off its own employees. Because layoffs are inevitable if the state doesn't raise taxes.

Hill's voting record is somewhat incomplete; he has missed several elections over the last decade, including the 2008, 2005, and 2001 primary elections.

Like Haistings, he also missed the 2008 Republican presidential primary, which was used to partially allocate delegates to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hill has not missed any general elections since 2000.

Republicans have not managed to find a challenger for the 45th LD's most senior legislator, Representative Larry Springer, although it is expected that they will.

No Republican has won a legislative election in the 45th since 2004.

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