2010 Shaping Up To Be Good Year for Washington GOP

Only 2/3 of the vote in the Washington "top two" primary election held yesterday have been counted, so things could change. But here is my initial take on the results:

"Support Our Constitution" vs. "Eat the Rich"

Some 30 Republican sign-wavers, mostly from the Dick Muri for Congress campaign, faced off against some 20 Democrat protesters Saturday afternoon at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.  The Republicans, with the advantage in numbers, occupied three of the four corners at the intersection of 15th and Commerce.

The Democrats were on hand to protest the appearance of Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele at a "Republican Resurgence" rally being held at the convention center Saturday evening. The Republicans were there to show that Washington doesn't "belong to the Democrats" as claimed in a e-mail sent by the Chair of the Pierce County Democrats.

The Republican message was clear: "Support our Constitution."

As was the Democratic message:  "Feed the poor.  Eat the rich."

Steele Coming to Tacoma; Dems Promise Protest

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who has faced scathing criticism in recent days for his comments on the war in Afghanistan, is coming to the Tacoma Trade and Convention Center tomorrow evening for a "Republican Resurgence" rally.

And Tacoma Democrats are promising to protest.  In an e-mail, the party chair stated:

We believe choosing Tacoma for the site of this event was a major miscalculation on the part of the RNC as we as Democrats intend to show out in force. We're going to show the Chairman that Tacoma AND the State of Washington belongs to the Democrats!

No doubt, given Steele's recent notoriety, there will be a large media presence tomorrow.  The campaign of Republican Dick Muri, who is running for Congress in the 9th Congressional District, is organizing a large counter-protest. 

In addition, the three Republican U.S. Senate candidates, Dino Rossi, Clint Didier, and Paul Akers, will be addressing the crowd as well.  All in all, it promises to be a lively evening, and I will be on hand covering it live.

Democrats Push for End of Free Speech

To welcome Michelle Obama to Seattle yesterday, the Washington State Republican Party produced this video of Washingtonians stating how they were proud of their country (since Mamaobama stated earlier this year that she was proud of her country for the first time.)



Queen Christine called the video a part of "shameful attacks" by the Republican Party and demanded that Dino Rossi denounce them. The Obama campaign referred to the video as part of a campaign of "false and mean-spirited attacks."

Huh? How is expressing love of your country "shameful" or "mean-spirited?" These people are aware of Daily Kos, Democratic Underground, and Move on.org, right? Pretty tame by comparison to what goes on there day after day. Heck, down in Moonbat Central, San Franciscans are going to vote this fall whether to name a sewage plant after the President of the United States as a demonstration of their contempt for him (and the office.)

So Michelle Obama makes herself a public figure by campaigning for her husband, and nothing she says on his behalf can be refuted or criticized?

Yep, thus sayeth the Obamessiah. In an interview published in this month's Glamour magazine, the Obamalord proclaims that, even if the McCain campaign isn't doing it

...but I would say that the apparatus of conservative columnists, blogs and the like. Talk shows, talk radio....When you see in the span of two or three or four weeks essentially the same talking points being used on a whole variety of shows or a whole variety of columns, over and over again....Hillary Clinton was subject to this, others have been subject to this in the past...It is part of our political environment that I'd like to change.

Change the political environment? In what way? Revoking the First Amendment? Thought crimes? Informers? Kangaroo courts? Reeducation camps?

Many Obamaniacs believe that the Dalai Bama is a "enlightened being" not of this world. It's only natural then that heretics and non-believers be purged in an Inquisition.

A cult of personality, a la 1930's Germany. Scary times ahead for the Republic, folks.

"Schmick throws his hat in the ring; 9th District appointee seeks election to post"

House of Representatives Republican Leader Richard DeBolt of Chehalis said at the Washington State Republican Convention held in Spokane over the weekend,"Down ballot is what's killing us folks. We lose interest. We've got to go down the ballot. Dino needs a Legislature behind him."

Luckily, with Joe Schmick's announcement, all three of our 9th District Republican representatives and senator now have plans for reelection. If you support Dino, support Mark Schoesler, Joe Schmick and Steve Hailey as well. Joe is a personal friend and I will be doing all I can to help.

From the May 24 edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Rep. Joe Schmick announced Friday he will seek election to his seat in Washington's House of Representatives.

Schmick, a Republican from Colfax, was appointed in November by local Republican precinct officers and county commissioners to complete the second year of a two-year term vacated by Rep. David Buri, who left his post to become director of government relations at Eastern Washington University.

Schmick said experience is one of the most critical factors in being successful in the Legislature and that is something he is beginning to gain.

"The learning curve is steep, I am not going to kid you," Schmick said. "I think to be effective you have to go through the process, pay attention and learn all you can."

Schmick said in the next session he plans to continue to concentrate on four guiding principles: job creation, affordable health care, education, and protecting individual property rights.

Schmick serves on the House Appropriations Committee, Higher Education Committee and Local Government Committee. He previously served six years on the state Barley Commission, eight years on the state board for the Washington State Farm Bureau, and as president of the Whitman County Farm Bureau. He also served on the Whitman County Wetlands Advisory Committee, as well as on national committees for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Schmick owns and operates a 900-acre wheat, barley and bean farm in Whitman County, as well as retail vending operations in Spokane and Whitman counties.

Exactly What State is Gregoire Running for Governor In?

License plate on Queen Christine's biodiesel campaign bus
According to the Seattle PI, Gregoire's campaign says the bus was rented from a Washington company. If that's so, I guess that makes them like thousands of other Washington residents who buy and license their vehicles in Oregon and Idaho to avoid Washington's onerous taxes and fees.

Below is a press release from the Washington State Republican Party:

Gregoire Driving An Oregon Bus on Re-Election Tour

Washington's Small Businesses Can Relate – They've Been Thrown Under The Gregoire Bus For The Past Three Years

Bellevue, WA - Gov. Christine Gregoire has been conducting her statewide re-election tour in a bus with Oregon license plates (there is an Oregon license plate on the front and back of the bus and a British Columbia tag on the front). A photo of the Oregon license plate on the rear of the Gregoire bus is available online here. Washington State Republican Party Chairman Luke Esser issued the following statement in response:

"Gov. Gregoire has been making it harder and harder for businesses to survive here in our state for three years, so it's no surprise that her campaign hired a bus with Oregon license plates to save money. The symbolism of Gov. Gregoire's bus tour couldn't be plainer. The business failure rate in the state of Washington is one of the worst in the country, and the Oregon license plates on Gov. Gregoire re-election bus express very well how hard it is for businesses to survive in our state. Time and time again small businesses have been thrown under the bus by Gov. Gregoire, and until Dino Rossi has been elected governor our business climate will only continue to get worse."

BREAKING NEWS: SCOTUS Upholds Washington's Top-Two Primary System

The U.S. Supreme Court by a 7-2 vote has upheld the Washington "top-two primary" system approved by voters with Initiative 872 in 2004, but never implemented because of legal challenges. The "top-two" primary system will now be used in our August 2008 primary.

The Washington Grange has fought long and hard for this, and the latest presidential primary showed many Washingtonians are angry with the current "pick-a-party" primary. But I feel this has opened Pandora's Box. In heavily Democratic areas on the west side of the state, Republicans will never get on the November ballot, only enhancing their one-party rule. And in Republican Eastern Washington, Democrats will masquerade as Republicans without obtaining the party's approval, thus confusing voters and sneaking into office. Conversely, Democrats in the very conservative 9th Legislative District that includes Whitman County may face a situation where their candidate may not appear on the ballot for statewide office if two Republicans gather the most primary votes. Over a third of the statewide and congressional candidates who appeared on the general election ballot in 2000 would have been eliminated in the primary if the "top two" primary system had been in place then. We could be faced with "good ol' boy" popularity elections contests or faceoffs between the two wealthiest candidates versus honest discussions of the issues.

The Washington State GOP Responds to Rossi Attack Ads

WASHINGTON STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY
Luke Esser, Chairman
www.wsrp.org

For Immediate Release
March 17, 2008

State Democrats Launch Personal Attack Against Rossi
Gov. Gregoire & Democrat Leaders Should Publicly Reject The Attack

Tukwila, WA - The Washington State Democratic Party sunk to a new low last week when they began launching personal attacks against Dino Rossi. State Democratic Party spokesman Kelly Steele referred to Rossi as a “sleazy politician” in an article published in The Chronicle on Friday, March 14th.

Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama last week rejected the use of these personal attacks. He wrote last Friday in a column entitled On My Faith and My Church:  “I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue…”

“Perhaps the Washington State Democratic Party should follow the advice of the man who most likely will be at the top of their ticket and stop these personal and degrading attacks,” said Washington State Republican Party Chairman Luke Esser. “Is this how Christine Gregoire plans on running her campaign? If not, Gov. Gregoire and the leadership of the State Democratic Party should publicly reject these negative campaign tactics which were launched by an official party spokesperson.

“The Washington State Republican Party has and will continue to be very critical of Gov. Gregoire’s job performance. But there is a big difference between debating the issues and launching personal attacks. Comments like those by Mr. Steele on behalf of Gov. Gregoire and the State Democratic Party are unnecessary, uncivilized and should not be tolerated by either side.”

Paid for by the Washington State Republican Party. 16400 Southcenter Parkway, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98188. 

Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. www.wsrp.org

"What is sleazy at this point is the latest Democratic maneuver"

So says the Centralia Chronicle with regards to the latest Washington Democratic Party attack video on Dino Rossi. The Chronicle takes great exception to having its front page altered in the video, which also makes use of pirated local news footage. Read the whole thing.

*sarcasm on* God knows, the Washington Democrats have never politicized a tragedy in this state. *sarcasm off* Anyone remember 3 years ago when the Democrats and their allies were using both the 1989 San Francisco earthquake and Hurricane Katrina to scare the publicn into voting against I-912 which would have repealed the 9 1/2-cent gas tax? Then there was a fortuitous (for the Rats, anyway) landslide at Snoqualmie Pass that killed some motorists. Give me a break.

This latest Rat garbage makes it absolutely clear that they are a party without any ideas other than attacking anything the Republicans put forth; a bloated, blundering bureaucracy that has been in power far too long and will resort to anything to hold on to that power.

"Schmick's online learning bill passes hurdles; House Bill 3129 awaits governor's signature"

Congratulations to Joe. We all saw his potential as a legislator last November.

From yesterday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Ninth District Rep. Joe Schmick doesn't believe students, parents and counselors in rural Whitman County and throughout the state know as much as they could about distance learning.

He hopes a bill he sponsored will help them become better access online educational offerings.

The freshman Republican from Colfax is ending his first legislative session in Olympia with success - two of his bills passed through the House and Senate in the last week of the 60-day session. The bills are sitting on Gov. Chris Gregoire's desk, waiting to be signed into law.

One of the bills would require the state to disseminate online education information to students, which he said will help constituents in his rural district.

House Bill 3129 will require the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to include information about accessing online learning on its Web site. It also would require high schools to ensure that teachers and counselors have information about online learning and that districts provide this information to all high school students in grades 10-12 and their parents.

Schmick is on the House Higher Education Committee, which recently revised its 10-year strategic plan. He said the lack of emphasis on distance learning is "one of my pet peeves."

"As we went through this process, they don't talk about distance learning," he said. "A lot of people in rural districts have jobs and can't run off to a bricks-and-mortar school."

Some high schools already have gotten in on the act. Pullman High School offers online education to its students, and Colfax High School is looking to require students to take one online course as part of its diploma requirements, said Colfax Superintendent Michael Morgan.

"More and more businesses are requiring online education, so that's something we're thinking of as a district, to make sure students are familiar with online learning," he said.

Schmick said he did not draw inspiration for the bill from his constituents.

"It's more a matter of knowing the area where I'm from," he said. "If you live in Kahlotus, even to better yourself you have to drive to a school."

Online learning has been offered, he said, "but no one knew about it."

Schmick recalled a January visit by consultants to the Higher Education Committee, and said they provided information on workforce projections, literacy and test scores.

He said one of the consultants told Washington legislators that people entering the work force in the next 25 years will be less educated than those who are retiring. Meanwhile, job growth will be concentrated in occupations that require higher education.

"As this current generation retires, we're not replacing these workers with people," Schmick said.

These factors led Schmick to propose his bill. He also sponsored House Bill 3200 to make it easier for counties to establish local cemetery districts. He sponsored the latter bill was upon requests from people in Asotin County. Both bills passed Saturday but have not yet been signed into law.

Rep. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said Schmick has performed admirably considering this is his first session after being appointed to replace former Rep. David Buri in November.

"It's quite an accomplishment to have two bills passed in his first session, which began just weeks after his appointment, Schoesler said. "I think it's remarkable that a freshman in the minority can get two bills passed."

Schmick said he's had a steep learning curve,

"The biggest thing that surprised me was the pace; we were here two weeks before the first cutoff," he said. "There was such an array of issues - annexation, public utilities to land use. A variety of items come before you."

The Whitman County Republican Convention: My Take

UPDATED 3/10 to include podcast link - tf

Yesterday, Ron Paul spokesman Jesse Benton stated that Paul knew his presidential race was over, but believed, "We still think we can influence the debate and build an organization moving forward that brings the GOP back to its roots."

Paul said "We must remember, elections are short-term efforts. Revolutions are long-term projects."

Today, that "revolution" came to the Whitman County Republican convention in Colfax.

The Public Service Building auditorium was packed with 78 delegates seated. That's almost as many as were elected in the caucuses last month. Certainly all of the 20 Paul delegates were there, as well as all the alternates.

Things got off to a lively start when some objected to one of the Paul supporters podcasting the convention. Click here for podcast. A vote was taken and the natural freedom-loving spirit of Whitman County residents kicked in. The camera stayed on.

Next came the election of state convention delegates. Geoffrey Sechter, a WSU student and Paul supporter, started a rebellion movement of sorts last week, attempting to get a bloc of state convention delegates elected who did not back John McCain. I supported that effort, in principle. As you know, I have not bought my tickets for the "Straight Talk Express" yet. I believe tremendous pressure needs to be put on McCain to bring him more in line with the conservative base of the party. But I ultimately feel this is futile. My focus this year is going to be on our state and local races, and not the presidential race. Sechter put together a list of 11 candidates, all of them Ron Paul supporters. A flyer at the convention stated they were for:

- putting America first
- supporting Washington state Republicans
- NO amnesty for illegal immigrants
- lowering taxes AND spending
- protecting 2nd amendment rights
- supporting a conservative, constitutionalist Supreme Court
- protecting the value of the dollar

All very admirable values; all ideas that will take the Republican Party back to its traditional Reagan base. Sechter obviously followed my advice about Paul supporters getting involved in state and local races as well.

Only one of their candidates, however, was elected as a delegate. Four others made it as alternates, including our own Ray Lindquist.

The problem for the Ron Paul supporters is that their more fringe beliefs always come back to bite them in the butt. There were numerous amendments to the platform presented today for legalization of medical marijuana, abolishing all foreign aid, declaring the line item veto unconstitutional, thinly veiled attempts to condemn George Bush for pursuing a "war of aggression" and making the President "prove" the need for an Executive Order, and lastly, the whole enchilada of having the U.S. not pursue "military adventures, interventionism, preemptive war, and nation building." All of these amendments failed miserably. The Iraq War is still supported by a majority of GOP members, and I'm sure that proportion is even higher in ultra-red Whitman County. Everyone would comment on how nice it was to see the young faces in the crowd and the enthusiasm (it was), but those nuttier positions really turned people off.

When Paul supporters talk about taking the party back to its roots, they often compare Paul to Ronald Reagan. But that overlooks one very salient fact (forgivable, perhaps, considering many of them were not yet born or were infants when the Gipper was president): Reagan pursued an extremely aggressive, activist, interventionist foreign policy, greatly increasing military expenditures on distinctly non-defensive weapons like the MX missile, cruise missiles, B-1 bombers, modernized WWII battleships, aircraft carriers and quadrupuling the size of the Special Forces. From supporting the Contras, invading Grenada, landing the Marines in Beirut, attacking Syrian targets in Lebanon, bombing Libya, snatching the Achille Lauro hijackers, and escorting oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, it would be hard to find a modern president who believed more in "military adventures." There are other significant differences as well. Reagan strongly supported the line-item veto and was responsible for launching the War on Drugs.

For these reasons, I had to part company with Mr. Sechter and his "revolution." I did not vote for any Ron Paul supporter.

Here are the delegates elected today:

Joel Benjamin
Don Cox
Francis Benjamin
Vangee Harrison
Joe Schmick
Ann Heath
Nancy Gregory
Aaron Crandall*
Cheryl Brock
Jared Webley

Alternates:

Ray Lindquist*
Alex Marcelo
Steve Passmore
Roger Carter
John Goyke
Geoffrey Sechter*
David Stueckle
Jonathan Fletcher
Willard Davis*
Jim Kuzsnir*

*One of Sechter's rebels.

I did not wish to be considered a candidate for delegate because I am going back to Virginia that weekend to move my daughter out to Pullman to attend WSU (Yes, I'm excited! Dad-daughter cross-country roadtrip.) Plus, even if I was in town, I couldn't go and vote in good conscience for McCain.

If the Ron Paul supporters truly wish to take us back to our Reagan roots, they are going to have to engage in coalition building, just the way Reagan did. They are going to have to ditch the out-of-the-mainsteam fringe positions and the pseudo-Republicans and focus on the more popular and paltable messages of limited government and fiscal responsibility.

In other business, party planks were amended to reflect true conservative positions on parental notificaton of abortion, stem cell research, allowing concealed carry at public universities (Geoffrey's,) eliminating the death tax (mine,) and getting rid of the "prevailing wage" on state contracts (Ray's.)

We also heard speechs from Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland and Attorney General Rob McKenna who are both seeking reelection this fall, and representatives for Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dino Rossi. Of course, the words "Dino Rossi" were constantly on everyone's lips.

Whitman County Commissioner Michael Largent served as the convention chair and he did a great job. Michael's approachibility, quick wit and folksy sense of humor make him an outstanding politician. I see great things ahead for him,

I mostly enjoy these events for the chance to see my friends like Michael Echanove, Greg Partch, Jerry Finch, Ann Heath, et. al.

A special congratulations goes to my four-year old daughter Megan, who patiently endured the eight-hour marathon of "talking about America," as she put it. Dr. Forbes is in Shanghai, China for a Spring Break faculty/student trip to help Chinese orphans with speech and hearing problems.

Mike Huckabee Washington Caucuses Follow-up

I just finished a blogger conference call with GOP presidential candidate Governor Mike Huckabee. Since there has been no media coverage of it in the last few weeks, I asked the Governor if he had any follow-up for Washington voters of the caucuses fiasco a few weeks ago and his subsequent investigation.

Governor Huckabee told me that his lawyers looked into the matter and found nothing actionable enough to justify a lengthy and expensive legal challenge, especially when it was doubtful it would have changed the results. Huckabee made it very clear that he was not alleging any wrongdoing on anyone's part.

However, he mentioned that there were irregularities in the counting (Snohomish, Benton, Grant, and Jefferson Counties all sent in caucus attendee presidential preferences versus the number of delegates elected) and that should be concerning, both to his campaign and members of the WSRP.

Mike was also very disappointed in the decision by the Washington State Republican Party to announce a winner in the caucuses that night with the race so close and counting stopped at 87%. In politics, the narrative and the momentum it creates is everything, and Huckabee had already won 2 other states that Saturday (Kansas and Louisiana.) Announcing a win for McCain in Washington before many felt the results were certain disrupted that. The Governor urged us Republicans in the Evergreen State to hold our leadership accountable, and that is certainly what I intend to do.

Governor Huckabee concluded by thanking us for our hard work and support even though the state campaign had very limited resources. He is still in the race and is headed to Texas today to campaign with Chuck Norris and former Dallas Cowboy Cliff Harris.

And The Stench Grows Even Worse

Apparently three other Washington counties sent attendee preferences versus delegates elected to state party headquarters in addition to Snohomish: Benton, Grant, and Jefferson.

The party has announced new numbers, incorporating some corrections.

With 96% of precincts reporting:

Huckabee 23.3 %
McCain 25.6 %
Paul 21.4 %
Romney 15.3 %
Other 1.1 %
Uncommitted 13.3%

But really, who can believe those numbers now?

Eric Earling at Sound Politics writes:

Needless to say, this is not a good situation at all. I have had conversations with enough relevant individuals at the county and state level to determine there was clearly a communication breakdown at some point between the county and state parties. Who is ultimately responsible for that lack of alignment is for others to determine and rectify.

The responsibility in any situation such as this lies at the top. I think pressure for Luke Esser to step aside is going to grow. With what figures to be a hotly contested gubernatorial race this fall, Dino Rossi does not need a vote count scandal hanging over the party, not after what happened in 2004. Clearly the WSRP leadership was not prepared to handle this presidential caucus at all. There must be accountability for this mess. Esser's open letter trying to put lipstick on the pig is too little, too late.

And it doesn't help that former state Republican chair and McCain supporter Chris Vance is running his big mouth in the Seattle Times, disparaging the Huckabee campaign in an attempt at spin control for Esser:

The Huckabee campaign either doesn't understand that, which I doubt, or they're just trying to use this to build up sympathy for poor Mike Huckabee who's being persecuted by the Republican establishment in Washington state.

OBVIOUSLY, Huckabee has a legitmate beef, given all these reporting errors. Way to mobilize the base, Chris. The caucus delegates comprise the heart of the party, and 74% of them didn't vote for your guy. What a great way to ensure defeat in the fall statewide elections and plunge the Washington State Republican Party even further into mediocrity.

The Stench Is Rising

NorthWest Cable News is reporting:

Throughout the vote reporting process, State Party Chairman Luke Esser has said the party is reporting the presidential preferences of the delegates who were elected at the caucuses. But today we learned that Snohomish County, the third-largest county in the state, reported the preferences of all caucus attendees instead of the elected delegates.

One Snohomish County caucus chairman told KING 5 that the delegate preferences are "dramatically different" than the attendee counts.

That's great. It doesn't help that both the WSRP chairman and communications director are both avowed McCain supporters. It may be time to clean house after this massive loss of face. Luke Esser's position is quickly becoming untenable.

And it does matter. In politics, perception is everything. Since last Saturday's primaries, Huck is up 21 points in Virginia.

National Flogging of WSRP Continues

Huckabee: Washington State vote like the Soviet Union

Talking Points Memo: Esser makes Boss Hogg look like a good government man

CBS News: State GOP hangs up on Huckabee's daughter-in-law; Esser admits he doesn't know which precincts the remaining votes are coming from

Captain's Quarters: Can't Anyone In Washington Handle An Election?

For a state that wants to be more relevant in the presidential primary process, this is a PR disaster.

Washington Republican Caucus Update

With 93.3% of precincts reporting:

Huckabee 23.8 %
McCain 25.4 %
Paul 20.7 %
Romney 16.7 %
Other 1.0 %
Uncommitted 12.3 %

McCain's lead of 1.6% just looks too close to call still.

The Seattle Times is reporting that the resumption of the count was brought on by pressure from the Huckabee campaign.

I still believe that the McCain lead will hold, as the state party is privy to more data (remaining precincts and county trends) than has been publicly released. But in retrospect, in a race this tight, it was a mistake to call the winner without releasing some of that supporting data. Unfortunate (because of the 2004 gubernatorial fiasco) , but not a big deal. We didn't select national delegates yesterday, just delegates to the county conventions (who theoretically could change their minds.) The national convention delegates won't be elected until the state convention May 31. Based on yesterday's result, McCain and Huckabee will have around 4 or 5 each, with Paul and Romney also getting a few.

If most Washington Republicans don't understand our complicated, lengthy, multi-step delegate selection process, people from around the county certainly don't. Misunderstandings by passionate political activists plus the first presidential primary for WSRP chairman Luke Esser and his staff equaled a not quite ready for prime time performance. But hopefully this incident will motivate the Huckabee base in Washington to come out and vote in the February 19 primary by showing Mike can win here.

Mike Huckabee Questions Washington State GOP Caucus Count

I thought it was a bit unusual for FOX to call the race with 13% of the vote to be counted and such a small margin separating McCain and Huckabee. Then the Washington State Republican Party officially called it at 11:38 PM.

There is a huge outcry from the Hucakbee campaign over this. David Postman at the Seattle Times has the details here and here. FOX News has more.

I will say two things about this. First, as far as I know, the state party has not suspended counting. The press release last night stated that a full report would be available tomorrow. In caucuses past, the party didn't even have numbers available the day of the caucus. Secondly, all caucus reports were due to the state party HQ by 4:30 PM. I'm assuming they have all the numbers in hand and were able to make the call for McCain but don't want to release final numbers until they were verified.

In any case, I'd like to see the state party release the final numbers ASAP and avoid any further embarassment. The fact that former WSRP state chair, Chris Vance is an outspoken McCain supporter and critic of Huckabee doesn't help matters.

I want to get the count right, and as I have state previously, it would be great to show that Mike can win outside of the South, but we're only probably only talking one or two delegates at most that are at stake here. And delegates elected yesterday are offically unpledged heading into the county convention according to party rules.

Explanation as to why Mike Huckabee may be doing so well in Washington

Statement by Washington for Huckabee* Chairman Joe Fuiten:

"The strong showing for Mike Huckabee today puts Huckabee on the path to take a significant number of Washington's delegates to the national convention.

"Many are surprised at what Mike Huckabee did tonight. There is a simple explanation. The rank and file of the Republican party appreciate where he stands on the issues. They also appreciate the kind of character that he exhibits. He has not gone negative. He has kept a positive vision.

"I did a straw poll a few days ago to get a sense for where Evangelical type voters are. They voted 53% for Huckabee, and that was before Romney dropped out. The strength of Huckabee in Washington shows me that Evangelicals are back.

"With Huckabee winning in in a mid-western state like Kansas, a southern state like Louisiana, and doing what he did in a western state like Washington, it demonstrates that he is a strong national candidate.

"Here is the poll I did over several days last week. I think it explains the success of Mike Huckabee tonight."

Click here to view Presidential Straw Poll

** Washington for Huckabee is not officially endorsed by Huckabee for President, Inc.

FOX News Has Just Called Washington for McCain

Not really a stunning victory for anyone delegate-wise, with an essentially four-way split of 18 of our 40 national convention delegates. Still, it would have been nice to show that Huck can win outside the South. But hopefully this will give him momentum for the primary on February 19 where the other half (20) of the delegates will be decided.

Some thoughts:

Washington is clearly in play for Huckabee. But more attention has to be paid to Washington by the Huckabee campaign. As Rev. Jospeh Fuiten, the leader of the Huckabee grassroots movement in Washington stated to David Postman:

Fuiten said he will make a pitch to the campaign that Huckabee visit Washington before the Feb. 19 primary. Huckabee’s wife, Janet, visited this week, doing more than 15 media appearances, Fuiten said.

“I started calling on the morning after he did so well on Super Tuesday and said, ‘Give us some help out here.’ They put no money into Washington. Zero; no staff, no advertising.”

Huckabee hasn't been in Washington since November. McCain was in Seattle yesterday and cleaned up in King County. Ron Paul was in Spokane a couple of weeks back and won 46% of the delegates in Spokane County. At this point, Huckabee needs every vote he can get.

I'm at a bit of a loss to explain the 17% of the vote garnered by Mitt Romney. He only received 6% in Louisiana and 3% in Kansas today. I suspect the Romney supporters were casting a protest vote, but it is unfortunate we will have delegates assigned to a candidate who is out of the race. My grandmother used to have a saying about "cutting your nose off to spite your face."

Washington Republican Caucus Update

With 87.2% of precincts reporting:

John McCain 25.74%
Mike Huckabee 23.94%
Ron Paul 20.77%
Mitt Romney 16.72%
Uncommitted 12.7%