What do Washington residents think of Democratic control? The polls don’t lie | Opinion

Americans are grumpy, worried and convinced the country is on the wrong track. Everyone who pays attention to polling knows that. But something significant is going on regarding public attitudes in Washington state, and it’s a trend that the ruling Democratic party should be mindful of.

The polling firm Morning Consult routinely measures the approval ratings of each of America’s Governors and U.S. Senators. Not surprisingly, given the state’s strong Democratic leaning, our senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, have strong numbers, with approval ratings of 52% and 51% — and disapproval ratings of 37% and 35%. Scoring plus 15% in the approval ratio is very solid.

Using the same methodology, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee is now the third most unpopular Governor in America.

Only 49% of Washingtonians approve of Inslee’s performance, while 46% disapprove, for an anemic plus 3% edge in the approval ratio.

Given a recent poll that showed Republican Dave Reichert slightly ahead of Democrat Bob Ferguson in the race to be Washington’s next governor, it’s clear that voters — even some Democrats — are not happy with the state of the state.

So, could Republicans actually elect a governor for the first time in 44 years next year? I doubt it. Democrats have two enormous clubs they can use to pound any Republican: Trump and abortion. The Ferguson campaign is well aware of this and is already tying Reichert to both. Still, the governor’s race could become interesting — and should be watched carefully next year.

More importantly, Inslee, Ferguson and the entire leadership of the Democratic Party in Washington needs to engage in some self-reflection.

They hold all the major state offices and big majorities in both houses of the legislature. Their party is popular at the federal level, while the opposition Republicans are led by Donald Trump, who has failed to crack 40% of the vote twice in this state.

Yet a lot of people are not happy with where the Democrats are leading this state.

Cost of living, gas and crime

Why the angst?

Politics is as much art as it is science, so it is impossible to be certain.

Still, there are a few key factors likely driving these state-specific poll numbers.

First, Washington is a very expensive place to live. The state is in the top 10 nationally when it comes to housing costs and general overhead costs. For those who are not Microsoft millionaires or Amazon tech wizards, finding a house or apartment you can afford and making ends meet is tough in our state.

Then there is the cost of gas. Only Hawaii and California have higher gas prices than we do. Washington drivers pay roughly $1 more per gallon than the national average. That is real money out of the pockets of average voters, and it is something people see every time they fill up — literally.

Republicans make the case that our gas prices have been driven up by decisions made by Democrats to raise the gas tax, institute a clean fuels standard and a cap trade system, which is essentially a tax on carbon emissions — all of which make gas more expensive. Democrats disagree, or they suggest that higher prices are necessary to combat climate change. But they can’t escape the fact that gas prices are sky-high on their watch, and voters have noticed.

I suspect the number one factor worrying voters is crime, however. It could even be scaring them.

I hear about crime and general disorder from friends, family and community leaders constantly. I talked recently to an owner of one of our big local car dealerships who said his main public policy concerns were no longer centered on taxes or regulations — now it’s all about crime. He said his business is being forced to spend enormous amounts of money due to vandalism and theft, and keeping their staff and customers safe.

There was even a shooting in the parking lot of the WinCo grocery store here in Sumner recently.

Things like that aren’t supposed to happen in places like quiet, little Sumner. It got people’s attention.

A legislative committee held a remarkable hearing in Olympia recently about post-pandemic crime. While most of the nation is seeing crime decrease from the peaks reached during the COVID crisis, in Washington things are getting worse. As the Seattle Times recently reported, since 2019, violent crime overall in our state has increased 26%, while homicides specifically are up by 89%.

In recent years, Democrats have talked about “defunding the police.” They have talked about legalizing drugs. They have put restrictions on how police do their jobs. And crime has gone up.

Little wonder voters might see those things as linked.

As long as Donald Trump is the face of the GOP I don’t think Democrats are in any real political danger here, but the party does have a responsibility to address the needs and desires of the people of this state.

Right now the data shows people are not happy.

I hope the leaders of our dominant political party are thinking about that as we head into the New Year.

This story was originally published December 12, 2023 at 5:00 AM.