Out of the candidate races, the biggest surprises to me included the Buys victory over Linville and the Larson victory over Melious. I was surprised not based on the candidates abilities but rather their seniority in the first case and what I perceived as a superior campaign performance in the later.
Initiative surprises included the passage of I1107 as well as the rejection of I1098. These were initiatives that I expected to go the opposite way.
On election night I wanted to follow the election results with fellow political activists. Since I live in Bellingham and also had another earlier evening engagement the only election night party I could attend was the Whatcom Democrats event at the NY Pizza bar in downtown Bellingham. I could write a whole separate post on that experience, and maybe I will if I have time, but in general I had a good time and was welcomed. I didn't hide the fact that I was a Republican (elected PCO) as well as that I was "Bellinghammer" but still enjoyed my evening and had good discussions with several Democrats even as results came in and it was clear that the Democrats weren't going to have as good a night as they have had recently.
That's why I'm a little surprised by several Democrats reactions post election day. Hopefully we can disagree on policy and even roles of government but come together post election, respect the will of the voters and try to work together to get things done.
When you examine the results in this county and for the entire state against the voting recommendations provided by the county parties you see that voters evenly split their votes and sided with Republicans 9 times and Democrats 9 times.
Again, I implore candidates, electeds, and yes even the local political parties to work together and tackle the challenges facing this county, state, and country. If you can't work resolve your differences at least demonstrate respect for the other side. What helps me is to remember that "they" are your fellow neighbors, friends, grandparents and that ultimately we all want the same thing. A better community in which we can live, work, and raise our families.
| Will of voters versus Whatcom Party Recommendations | ||
| I1053 | Yes | R |
| I1082 | No | D |
| I1098 | No | R |
| I1100 | No | D |
| I1105 | No | D |
| I1107 | Yes | R |
| R52 | Rejected | R |
| 40th Seat 1 | Lytton | D |
| 40th Seat 2 | Morris | D |
| 42nd Seat 1 | Overstreet | R |
| 42nd Seat 2 | Buys | R |
| 42nd Senate | Ericksen | R |
| Supreme Court | Sanders | R |
| COB Prop 1 Sales Tax | Yes | D |
| BSD Levy | Yes | D |
| County Council | Larson | R |
| US Senate | Murray | D |
| US House | Larsen | D |
1 comment:
Absolutely agree Bellinghammer, it will cause us to consider things differently for the next couple of years. I, for one, was happy to have you at the celebration and was pleased to meet you. Don't judge us too much for being a little cranky after getting our butts handed to us, it takes a little bit to get our heads on right.
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