Mike McGinn's Lead Grows, Recount Almost Certain

Posted Nov. 6 at 8:11 pm by Caleb Hannan

What we're headed for.

​UPDATE: McGinn has established a commanding lead. At least, relative to how close things have been so far. More details after the jump.

The small lead enjoyed by mayoral candidate Mike McGinn got slightly less small yesterday. McGinn picked up 53 more votes than did opponent Joe Mallahan, giving him 515 more votes at the moment. However, with 138,000 ballots left to score, a number nearly equal to the amount already counted, the election is far from decided.

An extra 27,000-plus ballots were received by King County elections yesterday. And another 4,700 have been challenged because the signatures on them don't match the signatures on file. All of which means that we're probably headed for a recount. Now it's just a matter of figuring out which kind.

Continue reading "Mike McGinn's Lead Grows, Recount Almost Certain"

Topics: Politics

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What Did Mike McGinn's "Legendary" Last-Minute Get-Out-the-Vote Effort Actually Accomplish?

Posted Nov. 5 at 5:57 am by Caleb Hannan

Copyright Jeff Romeo Photography

Did this guy just become mayor thanks to a little hustle?

​The cliche every vote counts is just that: a cliche. But in light of the ever-shrinking gap between mayoral candidates Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan (at last count, 462 votes in McGinn's favor) it seems this truism is truer than ever.

Yesterday, PubliCola referred to McGinn's last-minute get-out-the-vote effort as "legendary." Political nerds can be excused the hyperbole (as a species, they tend to lose all measure of gravity around this time of year). But it's worth asking: Just what did McGinn's "legendary" effort look like? And what did it accomplish?

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Topics: Politics

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Comment of the Day: Susan Hutchison and Swine Flu

Posted Nov. 4 at 5:09 pm by Caleb Hannan

Flickr

​Reader Dave responds to Election Night '09: Mayor's a Toss-Up; Dow Wins; I-71 Passing, 1033 Failing; Holmes, Bagshaw, O'Brien Lead. He thinks Republicans avoid their party affiliation the same way most people avoid getting violently ill.

"Said Hutchison, 'We're not going to have a concession speech tonight,' adding: 'I guess [the] voters got confused.'

Yeah, I'll say they were confused....confused about why an obvious dyed-in-the-wool right wing Republican would avoid having an (R) after her name as if it came with a nice case of swine flu."

Topics: Politics

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Election Night '09: Cutting Room Floor (Updated Results)

Posted Nov. 4 at 2:39 pm by Don Ward

​Most media organizations get it all wrong when they cover election night parties. Too much focus is given on acceptance speeches and when a defeated opponent is ready to concede. Newsmen struggle with television crews in an orgy of celebrity humping, trying to listen as a politician thanks supporters and family and all the people who worked so hard on their campaign.

Boring.

A good reporter will strike out off the well-beaten path of inverse pyramid AP style reporting and get some of the juicier bits of news. Here are a few overheard gems at the Susan Hutchison election party in Bellevue last night.

Continue reading "Election Night '09: Cutting Room Floor (Updated Results)"

Topics: Politics

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The Killing of Officer Brenton Triggers an Angry Exchange Between the State's Biggest Gun Advocate and His Foe

Posted Nov. 4 at 2:14 pm by Nina Shapiro

Gottlieb knows how to fire an insult

​Good thing we're only talking about guns here because things are getting really nasty between Alan Gottlieb, chair of the Bellevue-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and Ralph Fascitelli, president of Washington CeaseFire.

Continue reading "The Killing of Officer Brenton Triggers an Angry Exchange Between the State's Biggest Gun Advocate and His Foe"

Topics: Crime & Punishment and Politics

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Today's Election Update: Expect Mike McGinn and R-71 to Keep Their Lead

Posted Nov. 4 at 1:47 pm by Caleb Hannan

Flickr

Just let go, Susan. The voters have spoken.

​Our extended-release election results continue today, as 4:30 PM brings another round of ballot counting. For the two remaining contests yet undecided (sorry Susan Hutchison, even the Sonics have a better chance of coming back), that means a clearer picture of where they stand. So here's a clue as to what we'll find out in t-minus three hours.

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Topics: Politics

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Did T-Mobile Outage Hurt Joe Mallahan?

Posted Nov. 4 at 11:57 am by Caleb Hannan

Flickr

Here's one Mallahan promotional tool that never loses service.

​Some thought it was just a bad omen. But TechFlash's John Cook says that maybe, just maybe, T-Mobile's massive election-day outage was enough to swing the mayoral race in Mike McGinn's favor.

Here's the gist of Cook's admittedly "far-fetched" theory: Most Seattle voters had probably already mailed in their ballots by the time T-Mobile's service went screwy around 2:30 PM. But it's a close race. So if enough people got pissed and took that anger out on the cell phone giant's former VP of Fun 'n' Stuff, maybe it'd be enough to determine the election.

Mayhaps Cook is correct. In the meantime, he and TechFlash are also trying to figure out if the rash of slipped chains that beguiled Schwinn riders yesterday did anything to diminish McGinn's mayoral hopes. Stay tuned.

Topics: Politics

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Election Night '09, the Round-Up: What You Missed by Going to Bed at a Reasonable Hour

Posted Nov. 4 at 9:20 am by Caleb Hannan

Flickr

Your new overlord and his right-hand man.

​- Dow Constantine had the King County Executive's race wrapped up by prime-time.

- But that doesn't mean opponent Susan Hutchison has to do anything hasty, like concede.

- Joe Mallahan kind of, sorta, almost surely wants to be your next mayor. Which is good for him, since he's gotten a lot of votes.

- Just not as many as Mike McGinn.

- Larry Stickney doesn't care what anyone says: R-71, the "biggest fraud perpetuated on the state of Washington yet," is about marriage.

- Which would suit the rowdy revelers at Approve 71's Pravda party just fine.

- Tom's Carr has a fender-bender; Pete Holmes' bar-owner friends are too stunned to booze; No on 1033 tastes victory; Tim Eyman shows that even losers know how to throw down; Lloyd Hara becomes King County's tax man with a stunning minority; and most importantly, the iPhone and all-mail balloting are directly responsible for you not getting laid.

Thanks for staying up with us every one.

Topics: Politics

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Election Night '09: Ken Hutcherson, Larry Stickney, and a Former Hippie Tell Me Why R-71 Should Go Down in Flames

Posted Nov. 4 at 1:37 am by Chris Kornelis

Larry Stickney addresses the press.

​Party: Reject R-71
Location: Holiday Inn, Everett
Mood: Cautious. R-71 was winning by a pair of points
Drink of Choice? That's a good question.

Larry Stickney walked out of the Reject R-71 effort's party — off limits to members of the media — and told reporters lingering in the hallway of Everett's Holiday Inn that the notion that R-71 was about partnership rights and not marriage was "the biggest fraud perpetuated on the state of Washington yet. We believe this is gay marriage. Because it ultimately will be. We've been saying it's marriage all along."

Sure, supporters of the Stickney-orchestrated opposition to Washington State's domestic partnership law claimed their concerns lie in the law's potential as a stepping stone to gay marriage. But it was obvious last night that the heart of the opposition is about protecting themselves and their children from "homosexual behavior" in the classroom, at home, and everywhere in between. It's got nothing to do with marriage.

Continue reading "Election Night '09: Ken Hutcherson, Larry Stickney, and a Former Hippie Tell Me Why R-71 Should Go Down in Flames"

Topics: Politics

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Election Night '09: Approve R-71 is Mostly Sure, Almost Positive That Washington Approves of Them

Posted Nov. 4 at 1:25 am by Caleb Hannan

Approve 71 campaign manager Josh Friedes takes the mic.

​Party: Approve R-71
Location: Pravda in Capitol Hill
Mood: Cautious optimism giving way to outright celebration
Drink of Choice: Gin and tonic. "Anything low-cal," says the bartender with a knowing nod.

Pity the poor fool who has to spend election night in the uncomfortably banal confines of a hotel conference room. Approve 71's party had everything theirs didn't.

14-foot ceilings. Hardwood. Pretty people. Four-dollar beers. And best of all, a righteous cause.

Follow us past the idling King 5 satellite truck on Union, won't you. Keep going past the aqua-and-white balloons tied to the sconces outside and the banner running the length of the stairs, grab a wristband and let's tackle this thing with some time-stamped snapshots.

Continue reading "Election Night '09: Approve R-71 is Mostly Sure, Almost Positive That Washington Approves of Them"

Topics: Politics

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Election Night '09: Dow Constantine Wins Prom Queen, Er, King County Executive

Posted Nov. 4 at 1:15 am by Laura Onstot

Enjoy the love now, Dow, it's only going to get harder from here.

​Party: Dow Constantine
Location: The Crystal Ballroom at the Edgewater Hotel (ironically, the place where Susan Hutchison reveled in her own primary election victory in August.)
Mood: So excited that even though the election returns were already announced, every time the King County Executive's race scrolls through on the news ticker, people cheer once again. Mixed reactions of "woo!" and "shit!" to the much closer mayoral race, which this crowd clearly doesn't agree on.
Drink of Choice: Glasses of red and white vino abound; a big change from Constantine's primary night party at Kell's.

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Topics: Campaign 2009 and Politics

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Election Night '09: Pete Holmes Revels in Stunner Lead

Posted Nov. 3 at 11:10 pm by Nina Shapiro

Did I just win?

​
Party: Pete Holmes, Nick Licata and David Bloom
Location: Seattle Glassblowing Studio
Mood: Dazed happiness
Drink of Choice: Air

A scream signaled the result that stunned the room. Pete Holmes' communication director Kathy Mulady let out the piercing cry when she learned the news that not only was would-be City Attorney Holmes ahead of two-term incumbent Tom Carr, but he had an almost certainly decisive lead, with more than 61 percent of the vote.

An avalanche of hugs and high-fives followed. Holmes, in the middle of the crush, seemed looser than he had all campaign season, during which time the genteel but steely former bankruptcy attorney sparred fiercely with his opponent in a race that seemed personal. "Sixty-one percent, that's going to be insurmountable," he said happily.

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Topics: Politics

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Election Night '09: I-1033 Is Down, Eyman Is Up

Posted Nov. 4 at 2:22 am by Don Ward

​Party: Yes on I:1033

Location: Staircase at the Bellevue Hyatt

Mood: Giddy and pugnacious

Drink of Choice: Whatever leftovers and half-empty glasses could be found at Susan Hutchison's party.

Amongst Olympia politicians and Seattle liberals, Tim Eyman might be the most hated man in Washington state. Blaming his taxpayer friendly initiatives aimed at controlling the growth of out-of-control government spending is the standard crutch used by failed city, county and state governments unable to control their financing without increasing the size of their budgets 12 percent per annum. Even some Republicans have a hard time supporting the guy, fearful that he gives the party a bad name with his publicity stunts and electioneering antics.

But for all of that, Eyman sure knows how to have a good time at a party.

Continue reading "Election Night '09: I-1033 Is Down, Eyman Is Up"

Topics: Politics

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Election Night '09: Hutchison Puts the Best Face on Things

Posted Nov. 4 at 2:24 am by Don Ward

​Party: Susan Hutchison
Location: Bellevue Hyatt
Mood: Déjà vu all over again.
Drink of Choice: Tap water. At home. No one really bothered to stick around long enough to drop significant coinage at the bar.

It was all a matter of putting the best spin on bad news. For former KIRO news anchor Susan Hutchison, the skills she honed on television no doubt came in handy as she had to recount the news of her likely electoral defeat to supporters gathered last evening.

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Topics: Politics

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Comment of the Day: The Dow Constantine Non-Scandal Invites Sarcasm

Posted Nov. 3 at 5:03 pm by Caleb Hannan

How dare this single man act like an, ummm...single man!

​Readers hmmmm and ROTCODDAM respond to Closing the Book on the Dow Constantine Non-Scandal Scandal. Their sarcasm says it all.

"OMG: flirting between two obviously consenting adults. Scandal, right there."

"Breaking news!

A single guy went to a bar with a co-worker and politely paid for a few rounds of drinks! Then he had the unmitigated gall to compliment her looks! In a bar! How inappropriate can you get!"

Topics: Politics

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