Money a key issue in local races

Candidates for state House focus on fundraising, economy

Paige Richmond

of the Gateway

The state representative race between Democrat Larry Seaquist and Republican Marlyn Jensen is gaining momentum, and key issues are bubbling to the surface.

One of those issues is money — how the candidates for Position 2 in the 26th Legislative District are raising funds for their campaigns, and how they plan to deal with the weakening economy, if elected.

Local donations

Both candidates agree fundraising is their main focus right now, and they’re looking to local donors to bring in that money.

Gig Harbor resident Eugene Barton gave $50 to Jensen’s campaign, but it’s something he feels will help the woman known around town as “Mrs. Republican” win the seat from Seaquist, the incumbent.

“I trust her,” said Barton, a 77-year-old retired community college professor. “I trust her to do and be what she says she will do and be. She’s been involved in political campaigns for other people for years. She’s in touch with the community.”

People like Barton, Jensen said, are what keep her campaign afloat. She estimates she has raised $37,000 so far, with donations coming from 250 different families with a mix of “Republicans, Democrats and Independents who know I’m a woman who will go to Olympia and solve problems.”

It’s less than Jensen would like to have raised by now, and it’s also much less than her opponent’s funds. Seaquist expects he has raised nearly $60,000.

But Jensen stresses she has advantages when it comes to fundraising that go beyond dollars and cents. She feels she appeals to different political parties and is pulling more money from the Gig Harbor community than Seaquist, who is “getting money from Washington (D.C.) donors.”

“I’m getting money from local citizens (and) donations from individual grassroots people,” Jensen said.

Seaquist said he receives money from across the country because he’s “worked in other places, and people around the country really support me.”

He said that more than 200 local donors have contributed to his campaign from different political parties.

Donors like John Cahill, a Gig Harbor resident, knows Seaquist is well-respected and well-supported in the area. Cahill, 67, gave $50 to Seaquist’s current run and has been volunteering with the campaign since the Seaquist’s first run in 2006.

“What makes me so enthusiastic about him is he’s proven to be a real leader on key issues,” Cahill said. “He’s smart as a whip.”

Lyle Miller, 71, has also donated to Seaquist’s campaign twice. He agrees that Seaquist is a strong community member.

“I really like Larry,” Miller said. “He’s a person, I think, who has good values and proper concerns.”

The economy

While ringing voters’ doorbells throughout the 26th Legislative District this week, Seaquist noticed a trend.

“No. 1 on the voters’ mind, in my experience in the last few weeks, is the economy,” he said.

Jensen has had a similar experience while attending meetings at local chambers of commerce and the Gig Harbor Rotary.

“People have no money anymore for discretionary spending,” she said. “People are just buying their groceries, their gasoline and paying their property taxes. It’s a tough time out there.”

While both candidates agree on the problem, they have different ideas about how to deal with it.

Jensen said lowering taxes is her solution. She feels that when it comes to financial issues, there would be “a very, very, very big difference” between herself and Seaquist. Jensen doubts Seaquist’s “fiscally conservative” label, citing Seaquist’s vote to approve the state inheritance tax as one example of his poor spending habits.

“My opponent proposed $36 million in taxes and fees — himself — in the Legislature,” she said.

Some of Seaquist’s supporters disagree with Jensen. Cahill thinks Seaquist has found the balance in fiscal responsibility.

“I think he’s reasonable in recognizing that we need tax money to do necessary projects,” Cahill said. “I don’t see him as a tax-and-spend sort of person.”

John Blair, a family friend of Jensen’s who contributed $300 to her campaign, feels the Republican candidate will do more to support small businesses, since she’s a business owner herself.

“I’m a big supporter of lower taxes,” said Blair, who owns Narrows Passage Window and Doors. “I feel like the government doesn’t make running a business easy in this state.”

Seaquist is also motivated to help Washington businesses, but he plans to generate more jobs in order to do so.

“We need to be investing in the economy so that people have good jobs,” he said. “Our high-tech, high-skilled workforce is one reason why the (state) economy has survived this downturn.”

Seaquist said he plans to invest in community colleges in order to encourage a more skilled workforce.

But this kind of an economy, Seaquist said, requires different solutions. He thinks the economy is changing, and those changes need to be understood and accounted for when making political decisions.

If he returns to Olympia next year, Seaquist said he plans to cut the state budget to save money, particularly in areas like the state ferry system, which he said would save $25 million a year.

Taking a new approach to government, Seaquist said, is what 26th Legislative District voters want.

“I think they’re looking for fundamental reform,” he said. “They’re ready for us to do some serious changes.”

Public Disclosure Commission

According the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, a non-partisan government agency that measures campaign contributions and expenditures, both incumbent Larry Seaquist and challenger Marlyn Jensen have raised less than they claim.

As of May 28, Jensen raised $29,592.33 and spent $20,756.21; Seaquist raised $41,197.94 and spent $29,813.82.

Those numbers won’t be updated to reflect the June’s fundraising until later this month.

Coming this month

Later this month, we’ll break down the race for the Pos. 1 State Reprentative seat in the 26th District between Kim Abel, D-Port Orchard, and Jan Angel, R-Port Orchard.

Abel and Angel are competing for the seat currently occupied by Pat Lantz, D-Gig Harbor, who is retiring after holding the office since 1997.

Reach Reporter and Columnist Paige Richmond at 253-853-9243 or by e-mail at paige.richmond@gateline.com.