Washington’s top two primary has left the two major political parties wondering how they fit into the political process now that they have no formal role in nominating candidates.
But now, in the crowded race for an open 18th Legislative District seat, the Republican Party has found a new role: Increasing the mathematical chances that one of its six GOP candidates will advance to the November election.
It’s a story of intrigue that involves a secret ballot and a sealed envelope that could end up in the paper-shredder, its contents never to be disclosed.
When state Rep. Jaime Herrera, R-Camas, announced in December that she would run for Congress, her announcement inspired a rush of enthusiastic would-be successors.
“It’s an attractive seat. It’s in a Republican district, and open seats in Republican districts don’t come along too often,” said Clark County Republican Chairman Ryan Hart. The 18th covers Salmon Creek, Ridgefield, Battle Ground, Camas, Washougal, north Clark County and south Cowlitz County.
In all, six Republicans — Shannon Barnett, Anthony Bittner, Robert Dean, Ann Rivers, Jon Russell and Brandon Vick — formally launched campaigns and began raising money. Also in the race are Democrat Dennis Kampe and Richard Carson, an independent.
Then, someone sat down and did the math.
Based on voting records, about 60 percent of the vote in the 18th goes to Republican candidates, 40 percent to Democrats.
Each of the eight candidates will be vying to finish among the top two in the Aug. 17 primary. With just one Democrat in the mix, Republicans could be reasonably confident that one of theirs would make the cut.
But suppose Democrats fielded a second candidate, and the two split the 40 percent of the vote that typically goes to Democrats? With six candidates competing for the other 60 percent, it wasn’t hard to imagine a scenario in which Dems could nab both primary slots.
What to do?
At their meeting Tuesday, county party leaders approved a plan.
On May 22, precinct committee officers will interview all six Republican candidates. “Each candidate will have five minutes to give a speech, there will be a Q & A, and then the PCOs will vote,” Hart said.
The names of the three candidates who get the most votes will be placed in a sealed envelope, where they will remain until the June 11 filing deadline for state and local candidates.
“If a second Democrat files, that is where we run the risk with a top two primary system, and we will reveal our results,” Hart said. “If a second Democrat doesn’t file, we will destroy the ballots and results, and all six candidates will run. Our hope is not to interfere.”
Of course, the party has no legal power to force anyone to drop out of the race, as Hart conceded.
Cowlitz County, where about 15 percent of the voters in the 18th live, already has endorsed Barnett, a county planning commissioner, and will not take part in the Clark County secret ballot, Hart said.
Tom Hann, co-founder of the populist organization We the People Vancouver, would like to see the Republican Party use an open and transparent process for vetting and recommending candidates.
We the People has been conducting its own public vetting process for several weeks. The goal, Hann said, is to be transparent and inclusive and give every candidate a chance to demonstrate his or her qualifications.
In contrast, the GOP plans to make its own recommendations without a public vetting, Hann said, adding, “We will offer them our process.”
Hart said the party’s preference would be to let the process work without interference, but the risk is too great not to have a contingency plan.
“It would be really bad if the Republicans had a really good year around the state but managed to lose a seat in one of the most conservative districts because of the top two primary,” he said. “As the Republican Party, we have a responsibility to protect that Republican seat.”
Kathie Durbin: 360-735-4523 or kathie.durbin@columbian.com.
