New Faces, New Energy and New Ideas

Senator Ken Jacobsen announced yesterday that after 28 years serving in Olympia for the 46th Legislative District, he will not run for reelection. The 46th District wishes to express our thanks for his nearly three decades of service to our district and the State of Washington.

District Chair Chad Lupkes said, "It is always exciting when changes happen, and the Democratic Party always welcomes new faces, new energy and new ideas. This year is not an exception to that pattern, it is following the same pattern that we see every year."

The Nominating Convention, which will be held on Thursday in conjunction with our annual Candidate Forum, is where the PCOs of our party select the official Democratic Nominee. Where we expected to have two incumbents in the House and one challenged incumbent in the Senate, the siutation on Tuesday morning is one incumbent in the House, one open House seat, and one open Senate seat. What will happen between now and Thursday evening will be fascinating to watch. Just as a reminder, anyone may be nominated from the floor for any of these positions. The question of the timing of the Nominating Convention has come up in conversation, and I need to cite the State Party rules on the Nominating Conventions:

V. B. 2. Legislative Nominees. The nominees for Washington State Senate and Washington State House of Representatives shall be chosen at a legislative district nominating convention consisting of elected and appointed precinct committee officers representing precincts in that legislative district. Such nominating conventions shall be called by the Chair of the Legislative District Democratic Party not later than 45 days and held not less than 14 days prior to the date filing for office commences. The results from each nominating convention shall be reported to the Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party within 24 hours after the convention has adjourned.

May 20th is the last possible date that we could hold the Nominating Convention in the 46th District. It's either that or we leave the decision up to the State Party Chair. We would rather our PCOs have a chance to cast their ballots.

The 46th District Democrats will provide election resources to endorsed candidates. Our Endorsement Meetings are in June for the Primary election, and August for the General election. The district organization does not judge who is allowed to run for any position. Anyone may file for any seat. It is the mission of the 46th District Democrats to elect and support candidates who pledge to enact the policy positions that are expressed in our District Platform. We also work to engage, educate and empower our members to hold elected officials accountable to that platform. We hold endorsement votes, advocate on behalf of our endorsed candidates and cast our ballots as citizens to do that work.