Tom Riggs Issues Call for Action – Please Respond!

The results of recent polling by the Tom Riggs for State Representative campaign told us three things:

1.   The Race is a dead heat!
2.  When presented with information about the candidates, voters swing towards Tom Riggs.
3.  If we get the word out about the Tom Riggs campaign, we can win on November 6th.

Contacting voters is the key to this entire election and we need volunteers like you at the following events next week:

•  Sunday, 10/14: Doorbell the Stanwood/Camano Area:  2 p.m.-5 p.m.
•  Monday, 10/15: Phone Bank at the Stanwood Campaign office 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
•  Thursday, 10/18: Phone Bank at the Stanwood Campaign office 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
•  Friday, 10/19: Sign Wave outside the FINAL Stanwood HS Football game 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Saturday, 10/20: Doorbell the Stanwood/Camano Area 2 p.m.-5 p.m.

Island County is on the brink of sending a Democrat to the Washington House of Representatives for the first time in a decade, but in order to do that we need your help.  Please contact the Tom Riggs campaign ASAP to let them know when you can pitch in.

ICD Members Allocate Campaign Contributions

The August 23 ICD general meeting was a milestone, in that for the first time, all ICD members were invited to vote on how to allocate $8000 in ICD funds set aside for campaign contributions.  Each Democrat attending the meeting, in person or by teleconference, was given a ballot with names of the Democratic candidates for Island County and 10th Legislative District offices listed.  Each person was asked to allocate the $8000 based on a handful of criteria established by the ICD Executive Board.

The results of the allocations are as follows:
Angie Homola                           $2680.80
Helen Price Johnson                $1200.00
Tom Riggs                                  $1656.80
Aaron Simpson                          $1342.40
Mary Margaret Haugen           $1120.00

Our thanks to those of you who participated in the allocation process.  As they say, the checks are in the mail.

Unofficial Semi-Final Election Results

The certification of the August 7 primary election has not taken place yet, but  with over 98% of the ballots counted, here are the results so far:

Island County Commissioner, District 1:
Helen Price Johnson:                 6033           54.86%
Jeff Lauderdale                            2826           25.70%

Island County Commissioner, District 2:
Angie Homola                              1674            31.24%
Jill Johnson                                  1845            34.43%

State Representative, 10th L.D., Position 1:
Aaron Simpson                           15013          40.85%
Norma Smith                              21,743         59.15%

State Representative, 10th L.D., Position 2:
Tom Riggs                                   17423          48.64%
Dave Hayes                                 18396          51.36%

State Senator, 10th L.D.:
Mary Margaret Haugen            17783          46.99%
Barbara Bailey                            20065         53.01%

U.S. House of Representatives:
Rick Larsen                                 75341          57.62%
Dan Matthews                            37359         28.57%

Price Johnson Blowout and Homola in Strong Position

The ballots have not all been counted yet, but it appears that Helen Price Johnson blew away her competition in the Island County Commissioner, District 1  primary election.  Early returns – probably about 70% of the total ballots voted – give Price Johnson almost 56% of the vote, with Tea Party/Republican candidate Jeff Lauderdale coming in a distant second at just under 25%.

The race in Oak Harbor’s District 1 Commissioner battle is a lot closer.  Commissioner Angie Homola is holding her own with 32.7% of the vote to Jill Johnson’s 33.95.   Although Districts 1 and 2 have approximately equal populations, over twice as many votes were cast in the District 1 primary as in the District 2 primary.

In the 10th Legislative District, Democratic Senator Mary Margaret Haugen is closely trailing Tea Party/Republican candidate Barbara Bailey, Democrat Tom Riggs has edged out Tea Party/Republican Dave Hayes, and Democrat Aaron Simpson made a strong showing againstRepublican incumbent Norma Smith.

U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen easily made it into the general election, with almost 60% of the voter over Tea Party/Republican Dan Matthews.  For more information, go to local media articles and Washington’s official election results:

Price Johnson Dominates District 1 Race      South Whidbey Record
Price Johnson, Homola to Go On                   Everett Herald
10th L.D. Results                                                 Wash. Sec. of State
U.S. Senate and House                                     Wash. Sec. of State

Democrats Endorse Aaron Simpson and 5 State-wide Candidates

Aaron Simpson of Langley, candidate for State Representative from the 10th L.D., Position 1, against Republican Norma Smith, won the unanimous endorsement of Island County Democrats at the June 21 special meeting of ICD.  Simpson spoke to the crowd, and, in response to a question, nimbly gave five issues on which he would vote differently from Norma Smith – including more support for education, marriage equality, closing tax loopholes for businesses which aren’t creating jobs, and generally scaling regulations and taxes to the size of the business.

ICD also endorsed four state-wide incumbent candidates:  Brad Owen for Lieutenant Governor, Jim McIntire for State Treasurer, Peter Goldmark for Commissioner of Public Lands, Mike Kreidler for Insurance Commissioner.  Kathleen Drew won the endorsement for Secretary of State, and the group voted to defer an endorsement for State Auditor for further vetting.

ICD has previously endorsed Jay Inslee for Governor, Maria Cantwell for U.S. Senate, Bob Ferguson for Washington Attorney General, Tom Riggs for State Representative, Helen Price Johnson and Angie Homola for Island County Commission, Mary Margaret Haugen for the Washington State Senate, Rick Larsen for U.S. Congress and Barack Obama for President.

Ice Cream Social Draws Candidates, Blue Skies and Supporters

Blue skies and a warm breeze met the six Democratic candidates and their supporters at Island County Democrats’ Ice Cream Social in Oak Harbor last weekend.  U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen was joined by Island County Commissioners Angie Homola and Helen Price Johnson, State Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, and candidates for State Representative from the 10th L.D., Tom Riggs and Aaron Simpson.  In addition, a good turnout of Democrats enjoyed ice cream and live jazz with the candidates at Windjammer Park on the Oak Harbor waterfront.

The candidates each discussed their goals, which included concrete proposals for creating more jobs, protecting the islands’ fragile natural resources, maintaining the transportation links necessary to support the islands’ economies, maintaining a safety net for our neediest citizens, increasing transparency in government, and increasing spending for education.

Congressman Larsen received the loudest applause when he said that he was supporting a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United.  He referred to the lopsided spending by anonymous Republican donors in the recent Wisconsin recall election as an example of how huge sums of money can warp the public discussion.  ”These are not your fathers’ Republicans”, Larsen told the crowd.  To them, “compromise means Republicans propose something, and Democrats agree to it.”   He said that the new crop of Republicans in the House are so stridently averse to any form of bi-partisanship that it is difficult to get any legislation passed.

After the speeches, more jazz, more ice cream, the blue skies and more talk with all of the candidates kept the crowd at the park long after the planned close of the event.

Barbara Bailey to Run for State Senate

State Representative Barbara Bailey today announced her campaign for the State Senate in the 10th Legislative District.  She is running for the seat currently held by Democratic State Senator Mary Margaret Haugen.  Democrat Tom Riggs of Camano Island is running for the House seat currently held by Bailey.

Rep. Bailey said her campaign would focus on job creation, controlling government spending and improving our public schools. She will make job creation her number one priority in the State Senate.  Read Whidbey News Times article.

Tom Riggs to Run for State Representative – 10th L.D.

At a standing-room-only meeting of Camano Democrats last night, Tom Riggs of Camano Island announced that he is again a candidate for State Representative from the 10th Legislative District, which includes Island County.

Tom’s goals for his first term in the Washington Legislature are:
•  Washington Jobs
•  A Sustainable Economy
•  A Voice for Working People

Tom is taking the grassroots path of becoming a candidate:  he is working to collect signatures of over 500 Island County voters to submit to the Secretary of State’s office, in lieu of a filing fee.  If you would like to collect 10 signatures for Tom, please click here for a link on Tom’s website to a printable version of his petition.  Make sure only registered voters sign the petition, and when you are finished, please mail it to Tom’s campaign office.

Tom needs a strong showing of support from all parts of Island County, and definitely needs money to run a campaign against the very-well funded Barbara Bailey. Tom will certainly appreciate it if you volunteer to help on his campaign or donate $$$$ to the campaign.