Ken Jacobsen retires; Scott White vies to succeed him, David Frockt to run for House

One of the State Senate's longest serving Democrats has announced his decision to retire from public service, three weeks to the day before the 2010 filing period begins. Senator Ken Jacobsen, who represents the 46th LD (north Seattle) revealed in a statement released earlier today that he has opted not to run again.

After careful thought and consideration I have decided that this year will be my last year serving as a state legislator. Therefore, I will not be seeking re-election to the Washington State Senate.

It has been an honor and privilege to represent the 46th Legislative District for the past 28 years. The job has been wonderful, but at times very stressful. My high blood pressure has forced me to reassess my priorities, especially after it was responsible for a brief stay in the hospital this past October. I'm proud of my work on behalf of veterans, the environment, higher education, holocaust education, gender equity in college sports and helping to solve my constituents' problems.

This has been the best job of my life, and I'm honored that voters of the 46th Legislative District have supported me for so long. I have strived to serve with dignity, integrity and passion.

Jacobsen represents one of Washington's bluest legislative districts, so his departure does not put another seat into play for Republicans. However, it has touched off (figuratively speaking) a prearranged game of musical chairs within the 46th. Scott White, who was elected to the state House last cycle, has declared his intention to seek Jacobsen's position, with the blessing of Jacobsen's Democratic challenger David Frockt, who will now be running for the position Scott White is vacating.

Frockt issued his own statement this afternoon, congratulating and thanking Senator Jacobsen for his many years of service, and endorsing Scott White for the position he was previously seeking. He reflected:

Despite all of these new developments, one thing remains the same – the 46th District deserves a strong voice in the State House that will lead on economic development, full funding of our public schools, protecting our natural environment and moving us toward a clean energy economy. I intend to work each and every day on behalf of North Seattle should I have the honor of serving in the State House of Representatives.

I have visited nearly 4,000 voters since launching my campaign, and I intend to continue doorbelling across the district in the coming months as I campaign for the State House. I will hit every precinct in the district by the time the campaign is over. My goal is to earn the support of this district by demonstrating, through my campaign, how hard I will work for the people of North Seattle if I am elected.

White also issued his own press release, stating "David Frockt is an outstanding candidate. I am pleased to endorse him for the House of Representatives, as I know he will represent the citizens of the 46th district well."

The timing of all the announcements — which were released in quick succession — suggests that Jacobsen told White about his plans to retire, and that White and Frockt subsequently decided to change their own plans and endorse each other in advance. Assuming no other Democrat decides to run against White and Frockt, the arrangements make for a fairly orderly transition in the 46th.

The developments in the 46th LD bear some similarities with what is already happening in the 34th: Joe McDermott is leaving the Senate to run for Dow Constantine's county council seat (currently held by Jan Drago) and Sharon Nelson is running to succeed McDermott.

Representative Nelson previously succeeded McDermott when he moved from House to Senate after the retirement of Senator Poulsen.

Three Democrats are running to succeed Nelson; among them is her legislative assistant Joe Fitzgibbon. (The others are Marcee Stone and Mike Heavey).

We at NPI also want to thank Senator Jacobsen for his many years of service to our state, and for his vocal opposition to Tim Eyman's nefarious schemes. We wish him nothing but the very best as he retires from the Legislature.