Lacey teacher should not have quit campaign

Like most of us, I was impressed and grateful for Mr. Brady Olson's actions at his school. I was interested to see his entry into the political arena especially since he teaches government and civics. My first reaction on his candidacy withdrawal was one of sympathy for him and some outrage at the local Democratic Party establishment.

On reflection, though, I am principally disappointed in him and concerned. His buckling under to the machinations of the party rulers is not consistent with his role as a teacher of those subjects. He is sending a poor message to his students about commitment to a cause and about the way the Washington elections are run. With the Top Two system, no candidate need gain permission from a party to run, and all candidates have the same access to the ballot.

No party can prevent a candidate from "preferring" that party on the ballot. As someone who has run in a self-funded, self-directed, statewide campaign under an old style system, I feel that Mr. Olson had more than enough contributions and support to run an effective campaign in the 22nd district. He had a great chance of moving from the primary to the general election and a decent chance of winning.

Hopefully, we will see the day when political parties are out of politics.

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 8:49 AM with the headline "Lacey teacher should not have quit campaign."