In coronavirus fight, this Pierce County election shouldn’t be overlooked
At every level of this year’s election, federal, state and local, most Washingtonians will vote with one overriding question in mind, which few could have anticipated just four months ago:
How will Candidate X protect both the collective good and individual interests for the rest of this pandemic — and the possible next infection wave, God forbid?
The 2020 election will be a referendum on how elected leaders have managed the COVID-19 outbreak and shutdown. It’s become a core issue for Washington voters, whether they’re most concerned about public health, economic recovery or an uneasy mix of both.
The top-of-the-ballot race between President Trump and Joe Biden overshadows all else, naturally. The state election between Gov. Inslee and a Republican-to-be-named-later ranks a close second.
But locally, don’t discount the importance of the contest between Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier, R-Puyallup, and challenger Larry Seaquist, D-Gig Harbor.
Election filing ended last week with just these two candidates vying to lead Pierce County for the next four years. That means there’s no suspense in the August primary; Dammeier and Seaquist will advance straight to a November runoff.
It should prove to be a lively contest between two intelligent South Sound leaders, former state legislators and US Navy veterans.
As lively as can be expected, that is, in a surreal election year when door-to-door campaigns may be suspended and face-to-face debates moved online.
When it comes to visible leadership for the coronavirus era, a county executive falls somewhere below a president, a governor, maybe even the local health department director. But make no mistake, Dammeier has been given significant additional power, including broad discretion to spend $158 million in federal CARES Act funding.
Voters should be glad to get a decent matchup rather than passive acquiescence to an incumbent’s reelection. Eight years ago, Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy could have sleepwalked her way to a second term while facing a weak Republican challenger. That’s not uncommon in state contests, too. (See also: Inslee, Jay.)
Dammeier enjoys the usual benefits of incumbency and name familiarity. That advantage will be “supercharged” for incumbents this year, says Michael Artime, chair of the political science department at Pacific Lutheran University, “because not only are traditional campaign activities limited but also because the pandemic is crowding out other news stories.”
Additionally, “fundraising in the midst of an economic crisis will be incredibly hard,” Artime told us Monday.
Dammeier, 59, remains the formidable candidate he was in 2016, when he edged Democrat Rick Talbert for the open seat. A former state senator, representative and Puyallup School Board member, Dammeier has the moderate instincts needed for a countywide election; he’s Pierce County’s first Republican executive in 16 years and only the second ever to win the office.
Seaquist aims to restore Democratic hegemony through a strong resume and tireless work ethic. The 81-year-old former battleship commander served four terms representing the 26th Legislative District in the state House; since then, he’s been active coaching Democratic candidates, leading community policy discussions and teaching politics at The Evergreen State College Tacoma branch.
Trouble is, Seaquist hasn’t won an election since 2012. He was unseated in a nasty nail-biter against Michelle Caldier in 2014, ran a brief aborted campaign for state school superintendent in 2016, then waged an unsuccessful challenge against Rep. Jesse Young that same year.
Seaquist has not yet filed fundraising reports with the state, but tells us he expects to adapt well to COVID-19 limitations; he noted that he already uses technology to organize groups of citizens to develop problem-solving strategies. “I’ve found both funders and voters already skilled at the use of Zoom to augment phone calls and email,” he wrote in a weekend email.
As for Dammeier, he’s reported raising $300,000 so far, but tells us the coronavirus response is dominating his attention. “While we got off to a strong start with our kickoff last November and early fundraising, the urgency of the moment leaves me little time to campaign,” he said in an email.
Community parades, senior center visits and doorbelling likely won’t happen this year, Dammeier said. Even so, “voters deserve a vigorous campaign,” he added.
Cross your fingers that these two Navy vets figure out a way to give us one —and that it runs deeper than surface level.