20th District

By Adam Wilson | The Olympian • Published August 20, 2008

It looks like a replay: Two Republicans failed to take the No. 2 spot against state Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester, giving Democrat Chuck Bojarski another shot.

"I much prefer running against a Democrat rather than a Republican," Swecker said. "It always gets complicated. Split loyalties."

Swecker defeated Bojarski the last time he ran for re-election, in 2004. This year brought multiple challengers after floods ravaged the district in December.

Neal Kirby, a longtime property-tax activist, announced he would run against Swecker first, saying the incumbent came across as more concerned about Interstate 5 than families who lost their homes.

But Kirby has backed Democratic candidates in the past and served one session as an appointed Democratic lawmaker before moving to Centralia.

That prompted Ted Shannon to get into the race, branding himself as a true Republican, but not as socially conservative as Swecker, a leading voice against gay rights in the Senate.

Bojarski continued along the same themes he used in his bid to unseat Swecker four years ago. He took few policy stances and raised little money, instead promising to listen to the constituents and vote from the heart.