Electoral Politics in Washington State

Washington attained statehood on November 11, 1889, making it the 42nd state in the Union. The state is intersected by the Cascade Mountain range, dividing the it geographically into the semi-arid Eastern Plateau centered around Spokane, and the fertile lowlands of the Western state, centered around Puget Sound and the city of Seattle. According to the 1990 census, Washington is the 18th most populous state, with just under 5 million residents (1). Current estimates put Washington's population at about 5.5 million. Washington is one of the least ethnically diverse states. 84.4% of the population is white, 5.3% Asian, 5.2% Latino, 3.3% black, and 1.8% Native American (2).

Washington has 9 Congressional Districts and 11 electoral votes. The state has a history of radical trade unionism which has made it a traditionally left-leaning state politically. However, recent growth of high-paying industries led by aerospace manufacturer Boeing and software giant Microsoft has led to a growing fiscal conservatism. Additionally, the rural Eastern portions of the state support a notion of traditional, conservative values in opposition to the more freewheeling and licentious attitudes of the urban coastal areas (3). However, the Democrats still dominate the statewide races. Of 10 statewide offices, Republicans hold only two (Secretary of State and one U.S. Senate seat). None of these seats is up for contention in 1998 (4).

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on women. One ad shows a playing field filled with young girls playing soccer. Slowly, the girls fade out of the picture and a voice-over asks: "Where are we heading if I-200 passes? Think back a couple of decades. You didn't see girls in soccer uniforms on school playfields. Because there were no girls' sports. Let's keep the vision alive. Vote no on Initiative 200" (19). This ad cleverly taps into two of the most potent electoral phenomena in recent years: first, the appeal to women voters in general and the much-ballyhooed "soccer moms" in particular, and second, the emotive appeal to do something "for the children" that has been so successful for President Clinton. The proponents of 200 are fighting back by pointing out that girls' sports are guaranteed by Title IX of the Federal Code and cannot be superseded by any state law or initiative. However, the appeal to reason has failed continually against the emotional arguments over the past few years, and it is showing no resonance in Washington either (20). As the campaign winds down, I-200 appears headed to a narrow defeat, if the female voters who oppose it by a nearly 4 to 1 margin turn out to vote (20). Senate Race Washington Senator Patty Murray came to nat
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Linda Smith, Seattle Times, Initiatives Initiative, Democratic Party, Stop Infanticide, Smith Murray, Congressional Districts, Ron Taber, Washington Elections, President Clinton's, available on-line, seattle times, 1998 available on-line, 1998 available, available on-line http//wwwseattletimescom, on-line http//wwwseattletimescom, elections available on-line, elections available, washington elections, on-line http//wwwelectnetorg/search1qryfunction=search&state=wa&num=47, 1998 washington elections, 1998 washington, available on-line http//wwwelectnetorg/search1qryfunction=search&state=wa&num=47, linda smith, times october,
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Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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