Tag: Seattle Storm

The political winners of 2018 include a first-time candidate for Congress who is the first Democrat to win her district, a leading Republican who was not caught napping, a party chair who got out of her chair and traveled the state... and a sports team. McMorris Rodgers relinquished her House GOP leadership position after the election, when faced with a challenge from Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney. -- Ex-tech executive, ex-Seattle City Council member Tina Podlodowski took over as chair of Washington State Democrats, after a 2016 election where the Dems won in King County but lost in a lot of other places across the state. The party's wafer-thin 50-48 House majority is up to 57-41. The party gained a seat in Congress. The have made women's professional sports matter, witness the parade through downtown Seattle and the sight of Mayor Durkan and Police Chief Best cheering at courtside. All three measures were put on the ballot after the Legislature did not act. One more win: Despite getting backing from billionaires, the Alliance for Gun Safety entrusted the campaign to young people, a 22-year-old campaign manager and a steering committee on which sat a high school student. -- The oil and beverage industries deployed big money, and bought election victories. Ericksen was co-chair of the 2016 Trump campaign in Washington.