An Eastside Seattle suburbs state legislative race we’ve seen as a bellwether—former GOP state party chair Diane Tebelius vs. Democratic budget guru, finance chair Rep. Ross Hunter (D-48)—doesn’t seem to be getting much attention.
Indeed, in the GOP hunt to take back the Eastside, it’s candidates like Steve Litzow and Andy Hill—who bested Democratic incumbent state senators Randy Gordon (D-41) and Eric Oemig (D-45) respectively in the primary—that are getting the spotlight. (Hunter topped Tebelius in the primary 55 to 45).
But a national conservative news site Town Hall focuses on the Hunter/Tebelius race this week.
In Washington’s “Top Two” primary system – where the top two finishers, regardless of party affiliation, advance to November – Tebelius garnered 46 [sic] percent of the vote against an eight-year incumbent despite being in the race fewer than 90 days. “We knew we had to play catch-up and set an aggressive goal to reach out to voters door-to-door,” said Tebelius. “In only two months, I visited over 8,500 homes with the message of reform and greater government accountability with our tax money. Voters are responding with great enthusiasm.”
However, one thing they miss (and could be why the race doesn’t have much buzz locally): Hunter, who has raised $124,000 to Tebelius’ $78,000, currently has $66,000 on hand to her $42,000.
