Washington could spend more money on its public schools and colleges by limiting the growth in other state expenses and changing the way some property taxes are collected, a gubernatorial candidate said Tuesday. Republican hopeful Rob McKenna released new details of his plans to increase…
The presidential campaign has been in the news for months and political commercials are starting to crowd other products off the airwaves, but Washington's voters seem less enthusiastic than normal about next month's state primary. Ballots that were mailed to overseas and military voters in…
With the Aug. 7 primary approaching, some harried voters are looking for all help possible to help them decide among the long list of candidates, many of them unknown, for offices, many of them unfamiliar. Spokesman.com has the Election Center which gives you information about…
A sign that Washington’s campaign season remains in the doldrums, despite the fact that ballots are in voters’ hands – or at least languishing under a pile of junk mail on some counter – arrived last week with the announcement two gubernatorial debates had been…
The Vancouver gubernatorial debate on Aug 29 will be at the Washington State University-Vancouver campus, and has a long list of sponsors including the local ports, the public schools, development councils, newspapers, civic and business groups. So many that it might be quicker to say…
OLYMPIA -- Supporters of a ballot measure to ratify same-sex marriage in Washington state received $2.5 million from the founder of Amazon.com, the campaign announced today. Washington United for Marriage, which is pushing Referendum 74 on the Nov. 6 ballot, announced the contribution from Jeff…
Washington voters probably didn’t intend it, but they gave at least a temporary economic boost to Idaho liquor stores when taking their state out the booze business last year by passing Initiative 1183. In June, the first month that I-1183 closed Washington’s state-owned liquor stores…
Take all 535 members of Congress, and select out 30 for special recognition via a "Best of Congress" award. In that group of 30, place Washington Sen. Patty Murray and Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Dave Reichert and Adam Smith, and Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo. That…
OLYMPIA -- An initiative which will be the fourth attempt to get voter approval for charter schools will be on the November ballot. Initiative 1240 has enough valid signatures to qualify for the Nov. 6 election, the Secretary of State's office said this afternoon. Although…
OLYMPIA – The Democratic candidate for state attorney general is being accused of violating TVW broadcast rules by using the government cable channel’s footage in his latest commercial. The commercial for Bob Ferguson, which only appears on the Internet, features a brief video clip of…
The Spokane Home Builders Association released its list of candidate endorsements this week, and they're going mostly Republican. Mike Baumgartner and Cathy McMorris Rodgers for Congress Republicans for most statewide executive office, except for Democrat Jim McIntire for state treasurer, who has no Republican opponent.…
BuzzFeed describes this commercial, from the Texas Senate race, as the Nastiest Ad of the Campaign Cycle. Understood in that is most likely "to date" because there is quite a bit of time left in this cycle to get nastier. Even so, using that superlative…
This is a very unusual political video. It's pro-Romney, although not from the Romney campaign. In fact, the Obama campaign might send it out on their Twitter feed for a few grins. But the guy really likes Romney, and really doesn't like Obama. That, and…
People who have a question of a comment or a question on the City of Spokane budget could get a chance to phone it in Tuesday night. That's when the city is holding a Telephone Town Hall on the budget from 6 to 7 p.m.…
Some readers of Sunday's story about Matt Shea's continuance of a charge of having a loaded handgun in his pickup without a valid concealed weapon permit, which stemmed from a "road rage" incident, have wondered why the story appeared now rather than in November when…
It’s not clear yet whether this year’s campaign staffs are hell bent on testing Marshall McLuhan’s theorem that “the medium is the message” or are so enamored with high tech that they think it’s the be-all and end-all of politics. Last week, a member of…
In today's print edition of The Spokesman-Review, an answer in the candidate questionnaire for the 6th District House seat being vacated by John Ahern was inadvertently cut. Here is the question and the complete answer from candidate Ben Oakley: 4. Do you support the voter-approved…
OLYMPIA -- An initiative reiterating that tax increase must pass the Legislature with a two-thirds majority will be on the Nov. 6 ballot. The Washington Secretary of State certified Initiative 1185 for the ballot this morning, giving voters a sixth shot at passing some sort…
We have posted the answers to a Spokesman-Review candidate questionnaire from each of the four candidates for the Congressional seat representing Eastern Washington. You can read the candidates' opinions on 15 topics, including taxes, same-sex marriage, immigration, marijuana, abortion and the North Spokane freeway at…
President Barack Obama is scheduled to stop in Seattle next week, the third time in seven months he will visit the state's largest city to raise money. His re-election campaign hasn't released many details of the trip yet. It’s a stop with two campaign fundraisers…
A long way from the presidential campaign trail. Last night on the Tonight show: Leno: I never thought I'd say this. Newt meet Snooki. Snooki, Newt. Snooki: Whatup? Some things have to be true, because if you made them up, no one would believe them.
Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart said Thursday that he didn't give City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin permission to use a picture of him on a campaign mailer for state Senate. McLaughlin, a Repbulican, is running for state Senate seat that represents central Spokane against Democratic…
OLYMPIA -- President Obama will hit the Washington state campaign ATM again next week. He's scheduled to attend two fundraisers in Seattle. A press release this morning from the Obama campaign said Washington is on a list of stops the president will make to raise…
OLYMPIA -- A policy adviser for Rob McKenna's gubernatorial campaign resigned today after apologizing for making derogatory remarks about Asians and the elderly on the Internet. Kathlyn Ehls submitted her resignation, which campaign manager Randy Pepples said in a press release he accepted after she…
Today is the day for county elections offices in Washington to begin mailing out ballots for the Aug. 7 state primary. Spokane County will start its mail "drop" of about 265,000 ballots, finishing it on Thursday. All registered voters should receive their ballots by early…