Going into this highly partisan battle – which will go a long way in determining the makeup of Washington’s next congressional delegation – we pleaded with the four redistricting commissioners to make Olympia the heart of the new 10th congressional district. That’s precisely what the commissioners did, and we owe them a big thank you for the favor.
The state was awarded a new district based on population growth as counted in the 2000 census. The four commissioners – two Democrats and two Republicans – have spent the better part of the year dividing the state into 10 congressional districts with almost equal population in each.
For the last 10 years, Thurston County residents have not been well served with a large portion of the county in the 3rd Congressional District and much of the Lacey and east county area in the 9th Congressional District.
Rep. Adam Smith, the eight-term congressman from the 9th District, is a north Tacoma resident. He has paid attention to Thurston County residents and their issues, and as a Democrat fits well with the progressive majority that dominates the political scene in the capital city area.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler, the congresswoman from the 3rd Congressional District. The Vancouver-area resident has all but ignored this end of her district since her election a year ago. She declined to open a permanent office at the northern end of the sprawling district, despite the concentration of constituents here.
Even Thurston County Republican Party Chairman John O’Callaghan admits that Herrera Beutler is not a frequent visitor. O’Callaghan said the congresswoman made a few visits early in her term and held a small-group meetings over coffee with Tenino-area residents. Republicans also held a barbecue fundraiser for Herrera Beutler last summer but O’Callaghan said, “I haven’t seen her since.”
The new 3rd District under the plan adopted by the commission has only a sliver of south Thurston County and only one incorporated town, Bucoda, included. The rest of the county is in the new 10th District.
The new 10th District has Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater as its core, and stretches to include Shelton in Mason County, Fife, Sumner, Puyallup, Lakewood and DuPont in Pierce County.
Former Democratic legislator, House chief clerk and gubernatorial aide Denny Heck from Olympia – who lost to Herrera Beutler a year ago – is already off and running for the 10th district seat. Whether he can launch a successful campaign – he also lost a statewide race for Superintendent of Public Instruction – remains to be seen. Republican Dick Muri of Steilacoom, who lost to Smith in the 9th last year and Republican Stan Flemming, a physician and former mayor of University Place, are already in the race, too.
We like the new 10th District – a lot – because it places most of Thurston County in a single district.
Based on prior election results, the 10th will tilt toward Democrats. In fact, the area in the proposed 10th voted an average 52.7 percent in favor of Democrats in three sample races – U.S. Senate in 2010 and treasurer and governor in 2008.
Looking beyond our provincial interests, the plan also creates the state’s first minority-majority district. Smith’s new 9th Congressional District boundaries would have a minority makeup of 50.33 percent.
The plan preserves the Democrats 5-4 majority in the congressional makeup, but the new lines for the 1st Congressional District run from east of Everett and north of Lake Washington to east Skagit and Whatcom counties. That should create a toss-up district giving Democrat and Republican candidates and equal shot at victory. Depending on the outcome, Washington could have an equal number of Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
The biggest challenge facing commissioners was stretching districts on the west slopes of the Cascade Mountains across the range to include portions of Eastern Washington. The breach of the Cascades was necessary to create 10 districts of near equal population.
Commissioners accomplished that task by moving Herrera Beutler’s 3rd District boundaries to include Klickitat county, and by stretching Congressman Dave Reichert’s 8th District borders all the way from Auburn to Wenatchee and Ellensburg east of the mountains.
All in all, the new congressional boundaries seem fair and balanced. And we especially like the effort to unite all but a fraction of Thurston County into one new congressional district and making Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater the population base of that new district. For South Sound residents that’s a good thing – a very good thing.
