Senate to run by coalition?
OLYMPIA -- Senate Republicans say they will announce a "coalition" this morning that will run the chamber in the 2013 session.
They've scheduled a 10:30 a.m. press conference with a bipartisan group of senators to announce how the coalition will work.
Technically, Republicans are the minority in the Senate, but practicallly, they may have the upper hand.
A recent recount in a Vancouver area legislative district confirmed that Democrats have 26 seats and Republicans 23. Democrats had already announced their leadership structure, with Ed Murray of Seattle the majority leader, and their chairmanships.
But that majority is on paper. Two of the Democrats, Tim Sheldon of Potlach and Rodney Tom of Bellevue, have said they would vote with Republicans on opening day to form a bipartisan coalition that would determine leadership posts and committee chairmanships.
