Brady Walkinshaw held his election night party at the Comet (Image: CHS)
Brady Walkinshaw got a small but critical boost to his primary ballot count Wednesday as he strives to keep his bid for Congress alive.
On the second day of ballot counting, which tends to skew more liberal, the Capitol Hill resident surpassed Joe McDermott by just under 600 votes after trailing him by less than one point on Tuesday.
“We’ve been the underdog in our race all along. As our race stands, it’s just too close to call,” Walkinshaw said in an email to supporters where he also asked for volunteers to oversee ballot counting. Continue reading →
The stage is apparently set for the first truly interesting race in decades to represent our Capitol Hill in Congress.
After serving Capitol Hill for 14 terms, Rep. Jim McDermott is reportedly planning to retire.
UPDATE (11:30 AM): McDermott officially announced he would not seek reelection at the end of the year during a media conference in Seattle Monday afternoon. “This was not an easy decision to make. I don’t like to quit,” he said, adding later, “there comes a time when you say to yourself ‘enough.'”
The veteran congressman said he had been thinking about retiring for a long time and decided to make the announcement now to give voters enough time to get to know candidates for the 7th District seat. McDermott wouldn’t name a preferred successor but let out a hearty laugh when asked about his thoughts on a socialist getting elected. “I’d like to see a progressive,” he said.
Rumors of McDermott’s D.C. exit after 27 years began trickling in over the weekend when he notified media outlets that he was planning to make an “important” announcement Monday. Several reports cited anonymous sources saying it was about the 79-year-old’s retirement.
McDermott is perhaps best known nationally for anti-war statements he made while in Iraq in 2002 just prior to the U.S.-led invasion. On Monday he said he was proud that he stood against the war. “Somebody has to say that stuff and this district gave me the power to do it,” he said.
After a career in politics that spanned four decades, McDermott said it was difficult to distill his work into his proudest accomplishments. He cited his decades-long work on national healthcare reform, local funding for the arts, and earmarking funds for Sound Transit’sUniversity Link light rail that will serve Capitol Hill this year as standout achievements. After leaving Congress, McDermott said he wants to teach and sail.
McDermott ended his official statement by quoting The Lord of the Rings:
It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.
As the representative from the bluest of blue 7th District, the Democratic Congressman developed reputation for being among the more liberal representatives on the other Capitol Hill.
The 7th District covers the majority of Seattle and Capitol Hill, but leaves out a substantial section of the city south of E Madison. McDermott is a senior member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for writing tax policy. Continue reading →
