Now that the Aug. 6 primary is behind us, voters across our state know who will be on the general-election ballot.
While knowing the names of the finalists is important, knowing what all is at stake in this election is even more important. That's because Democrats are dreaming of seizing a supermajority in at least one chamber of the Washington Legislature.
Just one more seat in both our Senate and House of Representatives will give Democrats a 3/5ths majority, allowing them to bind the state — meaning taxpayers — to billions upon billions of dollars in long-term debt without bipartisan consent.
Picking up just a handful of Senate seats will give them a supermajority capable of putting partisan constitutional amendments before the House, and the people — like one to create a full-blown state income tax.
That part of the Democrats’ strategy is exemplified by their coordinated effort to literally displace popular Republican senators through the recent judicial “gerrymandering” of the Yakima Valley’s two legislative districts, and put those seats in the Democratic column for the first time since World War II.
The Seattle senator in charge of the Senate Democrats' campaign committee recently described the prospect of a supermajority as "pretty exciting, heavy stuff to think about."
What's exciting to him would be extreme for our state, because Democratic leadership no longer seems able to tolerate moderation among its members.
Soon, there will be no one left among the Senate and House Democrats to join Republicans in the "adult in the room" role.
When our 2025 session begins, the Democratic senator closest to being a moderate will be gone: King County’s Mark Mullet, with whom I've served in the Senate since we were elected in 2012.
If that name is familiar, it's because Senator Mullet chose not to seek another term in the Senate, opting to make a run for governor instead.
He finished fourth in the recent primary, behind Democrat Bob Ferguson and Republicans Dave Reichert and Semi Bird.
Although he and I had differences of opinion on some topics, Senator Mullet is a business owner who frequently worked with Republicans in the Senate budget committee to promote affordability and support our jobs climate by blocking tax proposals and other job-killing legislation.
He also became an important ally when it came to the ongoing Senate Republican effort to reestablish public safety.
For that reason, Senator Mullet had a level of credibility on those important issues that Ferguson, now the Democratic candidate for governor, will never have.
As a loyal Democrat, he may encourage those who voted for him to now support Ferguson.
However, if we set party labels aside and instead look at the kitchen-table issues that are common to Washington families, Senator Mullet's supporters really ought to get behind Congressman Reichert, who took second in the top-two primary.
Ferguson's pitiful record on public safety includes backing the 2021 social experiment that decriminalized drug possession in our state and made drug overdoses the leading cause of death for Washingtonians under the age of 60.
He can't be trusted to be serious about dealing with the overdose crisis he helped create. That alone should cost Ferguson the support of moderate Democratic voters.
But getting back to the Legislature, I see no incumbent Democratic lawmaker who would be as willing and capable as Mark Mullet to buck the far-left Democratic leadership.
While some already in office might have seemed less extreme as candidates, it didn't last.
Case in point: Sen. T'wina Nobles. When running for the Senate in 2020 from south Pierce County, her statement in the state voters' pamphlet listed “stabilizing the economy and creating jobs” as top priorities.
Within four months of taking office, the Democrats’ newest pickup was right there to support the most radical and costly agenda in anyone’s memory.
What about Gov. Jay Inslee’s cap-and-trade proposal, knowing it was expected to dramatically raise gas and energy prices in Washington? Yes, she said.
Thankfully, the voters can and should repeal the Climate Commitment Act, as it's formally known, by passing Initiative 2117 in the general election.
A tax on capital-gains income? Senate Democrats never brought such a bill to the floor until Senator Nobles came along — and provided the deciding vote. Fortunately, voters can and should repeal the tax by approving Initiative 2109 in November.
Restrictions on police pursuits that were a gift to criminals? Another yes. And in March, Senator Nobles was among the Democrats who doubled down by opposing Initiative 2113.
Happily, every Republican and enough other Democrats joined forces to pass I-2113. As of two months ago, police are again able to engage in vehicular pursuits of any suspected criminal, including car thieves.
Either Senator Nobles buckled under pressure from Democratic leaders, or she was simply a bait-and-switch candidate all along — like Jay Inslee, who quickly forgot his no-new-taxes campaign pledge once in the governor's mansion.
It doesn't matter. The best thing voters in Senator Nobles’ district can do, if they want public safety and affordability, is to put a Republican back in that Senate seat by supporting Maia Espinoza.
Similarly, no voter should put faith in other Democratic candidates who would be new to the Legislature, and are presenting themselves as moderate, or capable of being independent. That claim simply won't survive the pressure Democratic leaders are capable of applying.
An example is the Democratic candidate for the open Senate seat in southwest Washington's 18th Legislative District.
He told the local newspaper, correctly, that Clark County isn't Seattle or Olympia, but then went on to say the county “shouldn't be run by those with only those perspectives.” That’s wishful thinking.
If elected, there is no question he will eventually fall right in line with Seattle and Olympia priorities. The right answer for 18th District voters is to remember the selfless leadership of Sen. Ann Rivers, who is stepping away after 14 years of service, and keep that seat in Republican hands.
Back in 2012, the priorities of the Senate's majority Democrats drifted so far left — by the standards of the time — that three Democrats crossed the political aisle to form a bipartisan majority coalition with Republicans.
For five years our coalition led the Senate, bringing balance to the lawmaking process. It was a remarkable run that saw no general tax increases while producing a bipartisan overhaul of the state's unconstitutional K-12 funding system.
Taxes have shot up since Democrats regained one-party rule of the Capitol in 2018, along with the passage of radical laws like the no-pursuit policy.
The very real concern now is that one-party rule could become supermajority rule, should enough seats tip to Democrats.
If the Legislature becomes that unbalanced, expect to see an all-out effort to impose an income tax on the people of Washington.
I realize the Legislature just passed Initiative 2111, which bans any income tax in our state — but if their majority expands enough, Democrats would repeal that law in a heartbeat.
There's no telling what other pro-criminal, anti-family policies they would pursue, without any moderate members to help rein in the radicals.
Ballots for the Nov. 5 general election won't be mailed out until mid-October. That allows ample time for candidates to make their case and for voters to then decide who they will trust.
The threat of a Democratic supermajority in these divisive, hyper-partisan times means a lot is at stake, but the solution is simple: Vote Republican.
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Sen. John Braun of Centralia serves the 20th Legislative District, which spans parts of four counties from Yelm to Vancouver. He became Senate Republican leader in 2020.
