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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

PubliColaTV: Democrat Insurgent Challenges Democrat Incumbent in Snohomish County

2010 Election, Politics   July 21, 2010 at 4:57 pm Bryce McKay

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7DP73EY_N4[/youtube]

Just a few weeks after the Washington State Labor Council endorsed him, Democrat Nick Harper, who’s running against incumbent Democratic state Senator Jean Berkey (D-38, Everett), announced he got the endorsement of the Washington Conservation Voters

Indeed, the lefty-stars are lining up for Harper, the Snohomish County Conservation Director for the Cascade Land Conservancy.

Harper graduated from the University of Washington and then went to law school at Seattle U. He had a brief stint as a lobbyist for the Snohomish County-Camano Island Association of Realtors before moving to the Cascade Land Conservancy .

As I reported before, his friends at the WSLC have money—nearly $1 million which they’ve pledged to spend against Democrats they’re unhappy with—Democrats like Berkey.

Jean Berkey was appointed to the State Senate in 2004, and has since won reelection. Lately, leftist groups have taken issues with Berkey’s record—labor especially. On the WSLC’s legislative scorecard, for instance, Berkey received a 67% rating on her record for the 2010 session (despite her lifetime record of 87%).

Harper is clearly trying to get some of that cash. In our video he makes an impassioned defense of public employees (this year’s GOP scapegoat). And as PDC reports the WSLC  just got another $100,000 from the Washington Federation of State Employees (on top of $500k that the WFSE had given previously). And if he does cash in on the WSLC DIME (Don’t Invest in More Excuses) PAC money, it’ll help close the fundraising gap (currently $27,750 to his opponent’s $70,400).

In the latest edition of ColaTV, Harper also talks about housing policy, State Democratic Leadership (or lack thereof), and his grassroots campaign, and of course, the unions.

Senator Berkey did not return calls for comment.




  • Fact Checker

    Nick Harper works at Cascade Land Conservancy, not for the Conservation District.

  • Bryce McKay

    Hey, thanks for the note. I got his title right, and I knew that it was actually for Cascade Land Conservancy—just a weird carry-over from the previous paragraph.

  • seabos84

    wow … dude … study politics a bit … it is on T.V., all the time.

    your policy sound bites need a lot of work.

    I know that in the pinhead world of debate, you take the other side's words AND then tear those words apart –

    in the world of politics, by using right wing lies, you've validated their complete bullshit lies by repeating them, and now it is HARDER to show the lies to be lies AND show something better than freaking lies.

    Watch John Kerry from 2004 if you need to see someone who is stunningly incompetent at defeating right wing lies.

    rmm.

  • Sballgame

    Was that supposed to be constructive criticism? Mix in a coherent sentence now and again. Sheesh.

  • seabos84

    don't tell anyone at the K-School, please please pretty please? I want to be on the teevee with all the other important pontificators and if I don't sound smart like gore or kerry or dukakis or clinton the sell out … LOMG!
    I won't be able to hang with Greg!

  • http://43rddemocrats.org Michael M.

    Nick seems like a smart enough guy, and would probably make a good legislator. But…

    The first question about what he would do re: the budget, his answer consisted of programs and services (vaguely) that shouldn't be cut, with no specifics on what those are, and I believe he was indicating that once these are, people will be upset. Awesome. Considering he later talks about the dearth of leadership in the Senate, specifically from Snohomish County, specifically from the 38th, I didn't hear a single idea that he had for how to shore up the budget and protect these programs that he cares so much for.

    On the issue of State workers – I agree that people who dog on them for being overpaid are full of shit, but let's be honest – government workers in general tend to have pretty sweet retirement plans. As for what he seems to indicate are the “benefits”, it is clear he means the health insurance benefit – if a family of four is spending 30% of their income, with health insurance, on care (especially with a state plan), they're either in the wrong plan for them, or they're some really sick folks. Every health insurance plan I have ever seen has an out of pocket maximum for the year (co-pays not included, if memory serves), so he's indicating that this family of four either a) has very little income or b) reaches that maximum, and goes on to have so many more visits that they burn through a boat load more cash.

    It does open the question, however, of what, on average, is spent by state workers on their health care, especially for similar demographics as his example.

    Either way, Mr. Harper has a battle on his hands. Jean is likeable, and has long ties in the 38th (including her work for Pat Scott). At the same time, she better be getting into gear, and not trying to laze away, hoping to win this one easy.

  • Miss Ruby

    Can someone tell me what Berkey has done that is so terrible that we need to spend good money pitting Dems against each other? She has the sole endorsement of the Democratic organization, and an 87% voting record doesn't seem that bad to me. Don't we have bigger fish to fry?

  • http://43rddemocrats.org Michael M.

    I adore Jean. I supported her for State Senate when the seat vacated (and was a PCO in the district at the time). She has been fab on social issues (choice, equal rights), but has been less than on other important issues (education, transportation).

    Some on the left really don't like her because of this. Labor doesn't like anyone right now (and if they don't get a few wins, they're just effing themselves in the a).

    Overall, she does a decent job of representing her District, however. It's not like Sen. Haugen, who straight up says all but “I'll shit on Seattle for Camano Island any day”, but that's sort of her area. While she recognizes we all have to work together as a State, she will put the more immediate needs of her District over other Districts, even when, sometimes, there's a long term benefit for her District if she supports stuff that may not seem good now (ie: 520 bridge transportation bits).

  • Guest

    She chairs the Senate's Financial Institutions Committee and has gotten mighty cozy with the banking and insurance industries. Many attribute the failure to enact the tax on banks this past session on Sen. Berkey. More importantly, she won't meet with constituents from her district when she learns they are from a labor organization.

  • Sballgame

    I think the point is that we can do better than Berkey. A senator from this district should be on the front lines for labor, for progressive reform of the state tax code, and the defense of social services – we should have a senator that is as strong on these issues as Sells and McCoy. That said, I agree with what Michael has written above. I think some of this has to do with a young, inexperienced candidate – one that will make mistakes, but will be better on the issues in office.