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After many months of careful consideration and many conversations with my family and supporters I have decided to run for the 41st District Senate seat as a Democrat in the 2008 election.
This is not a decision I make lightly.
Forty years ago, I volunteered on my first Republican campaign. Later, I worked on Dan Evan’s first gubernatorial campaign and came of age during his time as governor. In the decades since, I’ve served as a Republican precinct committee officer, legislative district chair and legislator.
It has been a difficult journey from the party I volunteered for in the 1960s, to the Republican Party of today. I have, I think, remained true to Republican values of investment in education and transportation, civil rights, environmental protection, and well managed and effective government. And, I’ve felt an obligation to work within the party to maintain or restore those traditions.
Yet over the years, while those values have remained important to the 41st District and to me, the Republican Party has evolved in different directions.
I have always held the belief that a legislative body functions best with a diversity of political and opinion – and that open and honest debate is essential to the development of good legislation. The two-party system has been central to this.
Yet, it has become clear to me over the years that my philosophy of government and my approach to problem-solving is increasingly at odds with my colleagues in the Republican caucus.
I retain a great respect for my Republican legislative colleagues. They represent their districts well. But, individually and regionally we see the legislative process in different ways.
My goal as a member of the state legislature has always been to accomplish results for my district and state. I try to approach issues with an open mind and seek solutions that are in the best interests of my constituents – not what is best for any political party or re-election campaign. This has meant working to craft legislation that can win support from both sides of the aisle rather than trying to create campaign issues for the next election.
I am proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish by working across the aisle in Olympia.
We face very difficult problems in this state – problems that cry-out for thoughtful, bi-partisan solutions: Creating Twenty-First Century education and transportation systems, protecting our environment and assuring that state government accomplishes its mission effectively and efficiently.
I have concluded I can work best for the interests of the 41st District as a Senate Democrat. I think I can accomplish more for transportation, education and other important issues confronting our state.
Many have told me that this is a politically risky move – that I should be content to stay in my current position where my re-election is more certain. But I don’t want to be a state legislator simply for the sake of being in office – I want to make a difference.
I have also been told that this move will cause some to say that I am abandoning the Republican Party. Yet I am the same person today that I was when first elected to public office in 1979.
There is no perfect political party, neither Republican nor Democratic. But those who wish to serve the public must choose regardless.
I have concluded that my vision for the state and our government has a better fit with the Democratic Party. I could have waited until after the upcoming legislative session to announce this decision but that would have not been the fair thing to do. I wanted my constituents and house colleagues to know of my decision.
It has been my honor over the last seven years to represent the 41st District in the state House of Representatives. I hope to continue representing the 41st District in the future.
I look forward to working together to build better places to live.
Take care,
PS As always, remember you can reach me at fred@vote4fred.com. I very much appreciate your e-mails and calls. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my E-Letter at www.vote4fred.com or foward them to friends and colleagues.
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Local politics are great…
You can vote for the person and not the party.
That said, given his stated values, I wish he stayed in the Republican party, as we need more people like him.
Re: Local politics are great…
Yeah, I am *really* looking forward to seeing the King County Charter amendment hit the ballots in the next year or so. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, there’s a proposal to make King County Councilmembers non-partisan:
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=nonpartisan07m&date=20071207&query=king+county+council+nonpartisan
Just think — we could be focusing on the people and not what party they associate themselves with in our local regional elections too. Seeing as how I don’t associate myself with any party (way too limiting — I find myself in the middle on too many issues), this type of movement is extremely appealing to me.
Personally, I think that all elections need to be nonpartisan so we can start to focus on the issues.
Colin Walker
obviously switching to the party with a better reputation
GOP
I have to grudgingly agree in part…
In the recent term, my Republican party has been pissing me off. In the long term, I’m still proud to be a Republican. The Republican party, the party of Lincoln, ended slavery, and that something that we Republicans need to come back to. The idea of personal freedom.
Ya, the Democrats have such a great record for being fiscally responsible in this state. Just take a look at traffic gridlock, gas tax that went towards nothing, 520, viaduct, ferry system, wellfare, and many many more failures. Everything is labeled an emergency to get another tax passed. How about the increase in property taxes over the past 10 yrs? We can’t spend our way to prosperity. Government needs to be downsized.
HUH?
What a troll. The Republicans have spent us into bankruptcy, sold our country to China and doled out trillions in CORPORATE welfare (that’s one “L”, by the way) to their rich donors. Fred Jarrett is a great guy, whichever party he’s in; hopefully he can bring some much-needed honor to the Democrats. No one party is responsible for traffic messes, taxes, or welfare, no matter what Rush tells you.
Re: HUH?
Yeah! You tell ’em!
I wish it was us Democrats that would have sold out to our socialist friends in China though, but we can’t be perfect!
(Kidding… all political parties suck! Blind cheerleading, especially on a local level, is just silly)
Re: HUH?
Troll? Dems are the reckless spenders, and the republicans have spent too much also. If it moves, tax it. If it stops, subsidize it. That’s the dems way of thinking. Oh, and by the way, when you talk about rich, the dems in congress proved to have more individual wealth than their republican counterparts. What is wrong with corporations? Your idea of corporate welfare is taxing them out of business. Take a look at gas prices. The government takes no risk at all in producing or refining fuel, but makes more than the corporations that do, yet people blame it on the Exxons and other companies in the business for making a profit. Let’s look at rich donors. Take a look at Moveon.org, George Soros, hollywood and others then tell me about rich donors. Look a little deeper than what the daytime liberal media tells you. You are too easy to defeat. Face to face you would be to personal insults in less than 90 seconds, and walking away with your tail between your legs.
Re: HUH?
Since coherent thought doesn’t seem to be your forte, I’ll keep the “personal insults” simple (as my tail and I walk away in fear of your incisive debating skills.)The GOP has become a haven for cowardly, chickenhawk, anti-American, Constitution-shredding war criminals. They are willing to sacrifice thousands of our soldiers, dead or maimed for life, and trillions of dollars (some of which could have fixed those pesky traffic jams) pursuing their Dominionist delusions. Still, when this country implodes from its stupidity, you will be blaming those spineless Congressional Democrats who allowed it to happen. Thanks a billion. Or two.
Now, back to local politics, and principled (local) Republicans and ex-Republicans…
D4D
Re: HUH?
Uh….
You just did an ad homunim attack. Just like he predicted….
>The GOP has become a haven for cowardly, chickenhawk, anti-American,
> Constitution-shredding war criminals. They are willing to sacrifice thousands
> of our soldiers, dead or maimed for life, and trillions of dollars
Sound’s like you could have been talking about the Democrats during the Kennedy and Johnson era and their Vietnam boondoggle that Nixon got us out of.
Both parties are home to a bunch of finks and the sooner we move away from blind party allegiance the better we’ll all be.
Re: HUH?
I have no blind party allegiance. 90% of them aren’t worth pissing on if they were on fire. Feingold is a hero, with the genuine courage to call these traitors what they are, and he’s a Republican. Ad hominem.
Re: HUH?
Russ Feingold is a democrat
Re: HUH?
Yeah, I meant to say Hagel, but by the time I caught it, you beat me to the punch. I think they’re both great, so it’s not about the party allegiance. They are the kind of politicians who will save this country if they get enough support. Renton is doing great now, but I worry about our future. What’s going on in D.C. will affect us all.