Few takers for fall "Political Courage Test"

• Published October 15, 2008

So much for political courage, if that is what this test is all about.

Project Vote Smart just released its Political Courage Test results for the general election, and Washington state candidates are looking a bit weak in the knees — based on participation levels. Check it out here.

Those who have watched the candidates on the campaign trail or in debates might not be surprised, but Vote Smart says both Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire and G.O.P. Party candidate Dino Rossi both refused to provide information.

Other candidates on the Nov. 4 ballot also ignored the survey and its questions about a variety of issues — from spending, taxes, abortion to national defense. Two challengers for local seats in Congress filled out the nonpartisan group’s candidate questionnaire, and so did a smattering of state legislative candidates in South Sound.

Go to the site to see what Republican challenger Michael Delavar in the 3rd Congressional District and James Postma of the 9th district had to say. Democratic incumbents Brian Baird and Adam Smith did not respond. Baird is the Vancouver Democrat whose 3rd district includes Olympia and most of Southwest Washington; Smith is the Tacoma Democrat whose 9th district runs from Lacey to Federal Way.

In legislative races, 2nd district Democrat Michael Powell responded; so did 22nd district opponents Don Crawford, R-Olympia, and Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia; so did 35th district opponents Marco Brown, R-Belfair, and Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton. No others did locally.

That isn’t unusual, according to information we got from Adelaide Elm Kimball, a senior adviser to the Montana-based Vote Smart. We talked to her by phone in August when Vote Smart brought its campaign bus through Olympia.

Baird also told us at that time he had a reason for ignoring the surveys — he felt he got burned a decade ago when he gave a short answer to a question to fit Vote Smart’s format, and an opponent misused his answers. A lot of Baird’s comments at the time were cut from my story at that time for space. Here is some of the omitted material: