Washington state special election could decide party control

Voters in a swing district just outside Seattle and Tacoma will cast ballots on Nov. 5 in what has become the most expensive legislative race in Washington’s history. And the outcome of the special election could determine whether Republicans gain a lasting foothold in an otherwise very blue state.

The battle for the 26th legislative district, based in Gig Harbor and Bremerton, pits Democratic incumbent Nathan Schlicher against Republican state Rep. Jan Angel. Schlicher was appointed to fill the Senate seat after Derek Kilmer, the previous incumbent, won election to Congress. The winner will serve the final year of Kilmer’s four-year term.

The candidates are a study in contrast. Schlicher, 30, is an emergency room doctor from Gig Harbor and a political neophyte. He graduated from college at 17 and earned a law degree before going to medical school. Angel, a 66-year old Colorado native and trained falconer, has won three terms in the state House. Schlicher labels himself a moderate, while Angel serves as chair of Washington’s chapter of the American Legislative Exchange Council, the group that promotes conservative and business-friendly legislation across the country.

Angel’s career in politics gives her a leg up; Washington state House and Senate members run in identical districts, meaning Angel has run and won district-wide before. In an Aug. 6 primary, Angel bested Schlicher by nine points, 54.6 percent to 45.4 percent. The district, just across Puget Sound from Seattle in the north and Tacoma in the south, is almost evenly divided: President Obama won the seat by fewer than 900 votes, or just over 1 percentage point, in 2012, according to data compiled by the liberal Daily Kos Web site.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/10/23/washington-state-special-election-could-decide-party-control/