Union delegates make 2012 election endorsements

UPDATE (May 15) — Check out TVW coverage of the candidate speeches at the Washington State Labor Council COPE Convention on May 5:

---

UPDATE (May 5) — Delegates to the Washington State Labor Council COPE Convention on Saturday voted to make the following endorsements. (Download a one-page printable version.) Further endorsement action will be considered at the WSLC’s annual convention in August.

Early endorsements from February convention

U.S. Senate – Maria Cantwell
Governor – Jay Inslee
Attorney General – Bob Ferguson

Endorsements from May 5^th COPE Convention

CONGRESS:

1^st CD – Suzan DelBene

2^nd CD – Rick Larsen

3^rd CD – OPPOSE Jaime Herrera Beutler

4^th CD – Mary Baechler

5^th CD – Rich Cowan

6^th CD – Derek Kilmer

7^th CD – Jim McDermott

8^th CD – Karen Porterfield

9^th CD – Adam Smith

10^th CD – Denny Heck

 

BALLOT MEASURES:

Ref. 74  (Marriage Equality) – APPROVE

Initiative 502  (Legalize marijuana) – YES

Initiative 1185  (Eyman-2/3 vote for tax increases) – NO

Initiative 1191  (right-to-work) – NO

Initiative 1192  (Redefine “marriage”) – NO

 

JUDICIAL CANDIDATES:

Supreme Court, Pos. 2 – Susan Owens

Supreme Court, Pos. 8 – Steven Gonzalez

Supreme Court, Pos. 9 – Bruce Hilyer and John Ladenburg (dual)

 

STATEWIDE OFFICES:

Insurance Commissioner – Mike Kreidler

Lt. Governor – Brad Owen

Secretary of State – Kathleen Drew and Greg Nickels (dual)

Superintendent of Public Instruction – Randy Dorn

 

STATE LEGISLATURE:

LD 1 – House 1 – Derek Stanford

LD 1 – House 2 – Luis Moscoso

LD 1 – Senate – Rosemary McAuliffe

LD 2 – Senate – Bruce Lachney

LD 3 – House 1 – Marcus Riccelli

LD 3 – House 2 – Timm Ormsby

LD 3 – Senate – Andy Billig

LD 4 – House 2 – Amy Biviano

LD 5 – House 2 – David Spring

LD 6 – House 2 – Dennis Dellwo

LD 8 – House 1 – Jay Clough

LD 8 – House 2 – Robert Parks

LD 10 – House 2 – Thomas Riggs

LD 10 – Senate – (no action)

LD 11 – House 1 – Zach Hudgins

LD 11 – Senate – Bob Hasegawa

LD 16 – Senate – Scott Nettles

LD 17 – House 1 – Monica Stonier

LD 17 – House 2 – James Gizzi

LD 17 – Senate – Tim Probst

LD 18 – Senate – OPPOSE Joe Zarelli

LD 19 – House 2 – Brian Blake

LD 21 – House 2 – Marko Liias

LD 22 – House 1 – Chris Reykdal

LD 22 – House 2 – Sam Hunt

LD 22 – Senate – Karen Fraser

LD 23 – House 1 – Sherry Appleton

LD 23 – House 2 – Drew Hansen

LD 23 – Senate – Christine Rolfes

LD 24 – House 1 – Kevin Van de Wege

LD 24 – House 2 – Steve Tharinger

LD 25 – House 1 – Dawn Morrell

LD 25 – House 2 – Bill Hilton

LD 26 – House 1 – Karin Ashabraner

LD 26 – House 2 – Larry Seaquist

LD 27 – House 1 – Laurie Jinkins

LD 27 – House 2 – Jacob Fey

LD 27 – Senate – Jeannie Darnielle

LD 28 – House 1 – Eric Choiniere

LD 28 – House 2 – Tami Green

LD 29 – House 1 – Ben Lawver

LD 29 – House 2 – Steve Kirby

LD 30 – House 1 – Roger Flygare

LD 30 – House 2 – Rick Hoffman

LD 32 – House 1 – Cindy Ryu

LD 33 – House 1 – Tina Orwall

LD 33 – House 2 – Dave Upthegrove

LD 34 – House 1 – Eileen Cody

LD 34 – House 2 – Joe Fitzgibbon

LD 35 – House 1 – Kathy Haigh

LD 35 – House 2 – Jefferson Davis

LD 36 – House 2 – Noel Frame and Brett Phillips (dual)

LD 38 – House 1 – John McCoy

LD 38 – House 2 – Mike Sells

LD 39 – House 2 – Eleanor Walters

LD 40 – House 1 – Kristine Lytton

LD 40 – Senate – Kevin Ranker

LD 42 – House 1 – Natalie McClendon

LD 44 – House 1 – Hans Dunshee

LD 44 – House 2 – Mary McNaughton

LD 45 – House 1 – Roger Goodman

LD 46 – House 1 – Sylvester Cann and Gerry Pollet (dual)

LD 46 – House 2 – Dusty Hoerler

LD 46 – Senate – David Frockt

LD 47 – House 1 – Bud Sizemore

LD 48 – House 2 – Cyrus Habib

LD 49 – Senate – Annette Cleveland

 

---

SEATTLE (May 2) — The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO will hold its COPE (Committee on Political Education) Convention this Saturday, May 5, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Machinists 751 Hall, 9125 15th Pl. S. in Seattle. Delegates representing WSLC- affiliated unions from across the state will vote on endorsements for Congressional, judicial, state legislative and statewide candidates, plus any ballot measures.

Unlike corporations and business groups, organized labor has an open and democratic process by which candidates and ballot measures earn union support, and rank-and-file members are encouraged to participate. Candidates seeking endorsement participate in a rigorous process that includes questionnaires and interviews with local unions and regional Central Labor Councils. (To see examples of those candidate interviews, visit the WSLC’s YouTube page.) Those local union organizations then make recommendations for the state convention to consider and vote upon Saturday. Endorsements require a two-thirds majority vote.

Also unlike corporations and industry groups, which outspend unions more than 18-to-1 on politics, labor’s support doesn’t just come in the form of a check. It comes in the form of volunteers who do household walks, worksite leafleting and make personal (not automated) phone calls to other voters. Plus, it includes direct mail and other forms of political outreach intended to explain why endorsed candidates and ballot measures have earned labor’s support.

Emphasizing the importance of the 2012 elections, WSLC delegates voted to make early endorsements Feb. 9 at the WSLC Legislative Conference in some key races. The WSLC endorsed Jay Inslee for Governor, Bob Ferguson for State Attorney General, and Maria Cantwell for re-election as U.S. Senator.

At Saturday’s COPE Convention, Inslee will kick off the morning’s events followed by brief comments from candidates for Congress, Secretary of State, State Auditor, State Supreme Court, and some other statewide offices. The convention will then break for lunch, after which all press and guests will be excused so credentialed delegates can debate and vote on endorsements.

The results will be posted Saturday evening right here at The Stand.

In some races, delegates may decide to defer action until the WSLC Convention this August in Wenatchee.

The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO is the largest labor organization in the Evergreen State. A state federation of the AFL-CIO, the WSLC is a voluntary non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and strengthening the rights and conditions of working people and their families. There are currently over600 local unions affiliated with the WSLC, representing more than 400,000 rank-and-file union members working in our state.