Browsed by
Tag: Congress

Rep. Norm Dicks with Sen. Warren Magnuson in the 1970s
Longtime legislator Dicks profiled in new 1968 exhibit

Longtime legislator Dicks profiled in new 1968 exhibit

A profile of former congressman Norm Dicks is the latest chapter in Legacy Washington’s new project, “1968: The Year that Rocked Washington.” The profile — part of an exhibit that will open Sept. 13 at the State Capitol — is now online at the project homepage. Dicks came of age at the University of Washington. And when he departed with a law degree in 1968, he landed a job as an aide to Warren G. Magnuson, the powerful U.S. Senator. “Maggie,”…

Read More Read More

Candidate filing week
Time to sign up to run on the 2018 ballot

Time to sign up to run on the 2018 ballot

Although fervent politicking began weeks ago in races across the state, the official start of election season arrives Monday, with the beginning of Candidate Filing Week 2018. From May 14-18, candidates for federal, state, and local offices from county commissioner to U.S. Senator must register with county elections offices or the Office of Secretary of State to get their names onto ballots for this year’s elections cycle. The 596 races on this year’s Washington ballots include legislative races in every…

Read More Read More

Al Swift and Ralph Munro: How motor voter went national

Al Swift and Ralph Munro: How motor voter went national

Tacoma native and former U.S. Rep. Al Swift, who died April 20 at 82, was a national leader in expanding voter participation across the political spectrum. The motor-voter bill President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1993 was authored by Swift, as was the version that had been vetoed by President George Bush in 1992. In a career that also included the legislative victories of restored Amtrak service between Seattle and British Columbia and mandatory handicapped access to polling places,…

Read More Read More

From the Archives: 1854 effort to help the `other’ George W. Bush

From the Archives: 1854 effort to help the `other’ George W. Bush

  (Image courtesy of Washington State Archives) For most people, the name George W. Bush automatically makes one think of our 43rd president and son of America’s 41st president. But for Washington Territory history buffs, this name conjures up a different man from a much earlier era. In 1845, George W. Bush, his wife, Isabella, and their five sons settled near Tumwater on what became known as Bush Prairie. Their party, which included Bush’s good friend Michael Simmons, were the…

Read More Read More

And they’re off and running!

And they’re off and running!

Washington’s campaign season is officially under way. Filing Week opened with a bang Monday with hundreds of candidates statewide filing for office.  There are 344 state offices open this year, along with potentially thousands of party precinct committee officer slots. Besides the presidential election and a U.S. Senate race, the state has an unusually rich assortment of open offices this year that are sure to attract heavy attention this week, says Secretary of State Sam Reed.  Reed himself is an…

Read More Read More

Budget crisis update: Congress OKs aid bill

Budget crisis update: Congress OKs aid bill

The U.S. House, recalled to the Capitol from the campaign trail for a special sitting Tuesday, approved and sent to President Obama a $26 billion budget bailout for the states.  For Washington, it will mean the difference between having a small reserve and dipping into the red, requiring a special session or gubernatorial edict to cut state spending. The vote was party line in the Washington delegation: 6 Democrats aye and 3 Republicans nay.  A relieved Governor Gregoire was delighted…

Read More Read More

UPDATE: We’re a perfect 10

UPDATE: We’re a perfect 10

Washington apparently is in line for a new 10th congressional district, according to analysts at Election Data Services. The analysis, reflecting fresh population estimates from the Census Bureau on Wednesday, says if the numbers hold up in the 2010 Census, as expected, Washington will take the 435th of 435 House seats as a net gain. The report says six other states, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina and Utah, also would pick up a seat and Texas would gain three. …

Read More Read More