Is Ferguson Really the Democrats' Anointed Candidate to Succeed Maleng?
[Update: 6/7/07: A Seattle Times story has just appeared reporting Bob Ferguson's decision to not run.]
A recent Seattle Post Intelligencer article characterized Bob Ferguson as the Democratic party's 'anointed candidate' to run for the King County Prosecuting Attorney position that opened up following Norm Maleng's recent death. But I heard a different assessment tonight when I spoke with Jeff Smith, former executive director of the Washington State Democratic Party.
Smith said that he and Karen Marchioro, Democratic National Committee member and past Chair of the state party, have been actively searching for Democratic candidates for the position. We've been calling prominent King County attorneys and activists in minority communities to find potential candidates, he said. And several have indicated serious interest. According to Smith, there is a widespread feeling in the county Democratic Party that Ferguson is not electable. He and Marchioro have called "many" Democratic party leaders from throughout King County during the past week, especially in Seattle, he said, and there is strong feeling that Ferguson has "insuperable" problems as a candidate for this position. What do you mean by "many" leaders, I asked. Oh, maybe a dozen, Smith clarified.
Smith indicated that he shares the opinion that Ferguson has electability problems. Two issues, widely reported in recent days, stand out on first glance. It's not a "deal breaker", Smith said, that Ferguson has let his membership in the Washington State Bar Association become inactive. He can reinstate by paying fees and making up continuing education credits. "But maybe that doesn't make him look exceptionally current as a practicing attorney," I offered. Right, Smith said. Probably even more serious, he said, is the fact that Ferguson did not file a public disclosure report for a fundraiser he held last September. 'Would you let that go if a Republican were running for this position?' Smith didn't offer up names of potential candidates. But, we'll know very soon, as the filing period opens Monday, June 4, and closes this Friday, June 8. Maleng died at the start of a new term, which expires in 2010. His former chief of staff, Dan Satterberg is now serving as the immediate interim Prosecuting Attorney until the County Council chooses one of three candidates supplied by the Republican Party to serve until the successor is elected in November. Bob Ferguson and Mark Sidran have both indicated that they may run on the Democratic ticket. Several other potential candidates, including Seattle attorney Jenny Durkan, have been mentioned as possibilities. None of these candidates have officially declared. The timeline on this is so tight, Smith noted, that neither Democrats nor Republicans have had time to plan. And potential candidates have had almost no time to think about what it might take to put together a campaign. Bob Ferguson was the candidate who unseated Democratic Councilwoman Cynthia Sullivan in 2003 and then ousted Carolyn Edmonds from the County Council in 2005. He challenged Edmonds after his position was eliminated by an intiative that he supported which downsized the county council. The comments section of this Evergreen Politics post, Congratulations Bob Ferguson, contain an interesting discussion about whether Ferguson, in light of his support for this initiative, can be considered a progressive.
Is Ferguson Really the Democrats' Anointed Candidate to Succeed Maleng? | 29 comments (29 topical)
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