The competition in the 43rd District race passed with the primary, and victory in November is in the bag for Democratic nominee Jamie Pedersen.
For the independent or conservative living in Seattle, however, it can be tough to choose whether to go with a Democrat, vote for the doomed Republican, leave it blank or cast a "throw-away" vote.
Before you fill out your ballot, it's important for you to know a little bit more about the candidates than you would know from the voter's guide.
Hugh Foskett
Running as a Republican for the first position in the 43rd District is Hugh Foskett. Foskett is a sophomore at the University of Washington, majoring in mathematics, which he hopes to pursue as a teacher.
Foskett has plenty of other priorities in his life, and he admits that the chances of a Republican winning in our district are very slim.
"It'd be really nice to win, but it's a really liberal district. I think it'd just be nice to get 13 percent of the vote," Foskett said. "It's mostly about running for the people that want someone different to represent them."
Foskett sees the campaign as a positive learning experience. "I've met a lot of great people. I might run for something down the road," he said.
Will Sohn
Running for the 43rd District's second seat is Will "Chopper" Sohn, a Republican. Sohn is running against incumbent Rep. Frank Chopp. Like Foskett, Sohn is also a student at the University of Washington, majoring in political science.
Sohn's biggest issue is education. "I graduated from Seattle Public Schools just last year. I'm 18, and I think we need a lot of improvement."
Sohn objects with the WASL requirement for all students in the state. "There are thousands that haven't passed it," he said. "Are we supposed to not give them their diplomas? I think Frank Chopp and I just have different ideas of what's best for kids."
Linde Knighton
There is also the option of casting a third-party vote.
Linde Knighton is also running for the 43rd District's first position. Knighton, a former home health aide and Certified Nursing Assistant, decided to run for many reasons - the largest being a concern for the poor.
"We have a lot of people speaking for the poor that aren't poor," she said. "I feel if you're speaking for a group, you should be part of it."
Knighton is a third-party candidate, running under the Progressive Party banner. The Progressive Party is a throwback to the old days of third-party politics. It was created in 1912, after Theodore Roosevelt became dissatisfied with his successor Taft's performance as president. Roosevelt decided to run again under the Progressive banner and, as a result, split the vote and gave victory to Woodrow Wilson.
Knighton's platform is based around making health care available for lower-income citizens. "It's good for people to remember that if we have an unhealthy population, we have a host of economic problems," she said. "If we have unhealthy kids, we have an unhealthy future."
Knighton is frustrated with what she sees as a worsening environment for third parties: "When I first ran as a third-party candidate, it required 25 perfect signatures. Suddenly, it became 100, and they wanted me to gather them at one event."
A lot of energy has been put into Knighton's campaign - from canvassing to radio ads. "I would have liked to send a mailer to every household, but I couldn't afford it," she said.
Knighton concedes her chances of winning are very slim: "The point of me running isn't to win, but to show how dissatisfied people are with what's going on."
With Democrat Jamie Pedersen taking the lead, it's almost guaranteed that he will win in November.
However, if you disagree with the Democratic agenda, there's no reason for you to go along with it. Vote your conscience.
Madison Valley resident Michael Powell can be reached at mptimes@ nwlink.com. He also has a web log at deschamps.townhall.com.
[[In-content Ad]]
