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For generations, the most radioactive position you could take in Washington politics was to support a state income tax.
Not anymore.
The tax has bedeviled and taken down state leaders for nearly a hundred years. Even the state’s most popular former governor, Dan Evans, tilted at the income tax windmill twice back in the '70s — and lost decisively at the hands of voters both times.
So after ruling Democrats finally pushed through their own version of a personal income tax this spring, the big question has been: Will they face backlash from voters?
The answer seems to be a resounding “No.”
Legislative Democrats who backed the tax this year, along with a slew of other taxes last year, were outcompeting Republicans in early returns in Tuesday’s primary.
Unless something shifts in the mood by November, voters signaled they may be priming up another blue wave for the fall elections.
Democratic incumbents were cruising most everywhere. It was some GOP incumbents, all of whom had railed against the new millionaires tax" and Democrats’ spend-happy ways, who seemed the most imperiled by the voting results.
Consider: Business groups had spent about $450,000 defending four GOP incumbent representatives down in the 17th and 18th Legislative Districts, near Vancouver. Yet upstart Democratic candidates were leading in all of those races.
Or: Republicans had targeted trios of incumbent Democrats in the Seattle suburbs, in Kent’s 47th District and Snohomish County’s 44th. All the Democrats voted for the income tax, and all were leading Tuesday. One of the architects of the new tax, Democratic Rep. April Berg, was cruising ahead of her GOP challenger by 22 points.
The prime sponsor of the new "millionaires tax," Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, was walloping two challengers by more than 40 points.
The critiques of the Democrats just aren’t landing. Out in Issaquah and Sammamish’s 5th District, Republican former police chief Michelle Bennett has adopted as her slogan “A Check on Olympia” and taken after the income tax. Yet two Democrats were combining to outpoll her by 11 points.
The Democrats seem immune — even from scathing criticism from within. Two former Democratic governors, Christine Gregoire and Gary Locke, emerged this summer to say their own party is “out of control” with spending and taxing. Also, corporate leaders such as Howard Schultz, who moved to Florida, have blasted the party as inhospitable to business.
But voters — the real bosses — don’t seem to be clamoring for a check on the Democrats.
There are two possible explanations for this. One is that what the Democrats are doing is popular. People want to tax the rich. They don’t believe more government spending is a problem. It doesn’t mean voters are going to approve the new "millionaires tax in November, when it will be on the ballot. But so far they approve of the Democrats’ overall approach.
The other explanation is that Democratic dominance has little to do with their own performance. It’s all about a giant reaction to you-know-who.
Donald Trump has so damaged the brand of local Republicans that their candidates aren’t in any position even to make a case against Democratic rule here. Nobody listens to it. Because of Trump, Republicans are so weak that Democrats can essentially do whatever they wish, without worrying about backlash.
The latest tracking poll of Trump’s job approval in Washington state, released Monday, shows him 41 points underwater, with just 27% approving and 68% disapproving. No party can make headway against headwinds that strong.
As a result, at the federal level, all eight Democratic members of Congress seemed to be well-positioned heading into November — even Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, considered one of the nation's more endangered Democratic incumbents.
Gluesenkamp Perez and three other Democrats are combining for 56% of vote. Meanwhile the GOP challenger, state Sen. John Braun, combined with two other minor Republicans for just 42% — which is a very low vote share for a district that Trump won in 2024.
All of these vote shares can and will change as more votes are counted in the week ahead. But it’s been the same story for the entire Trump era: Recoiling from him is turning a blue state only bluer.
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