Control of the Senate depends on the race between Nathan Schlicher and Jan Angel
Control of the state Senate hangs in the balance, depending on the outcome of a special election in the 26th LD.
On one side is Democrat Nathan Schlicher, who was selected early this year to temporarily replace Derek Kilmer, after Kilmer left the state Senate half way through his four year term to serve in the US Congress.
On the other side is conservative Republican state House member Jan Angel, who serves as state chair for American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which is infamous for churning out model legislation that is pro-corporate and anti-government.
If Schlicher loses to Angel, control of the state senate will fall decisively in the hands of Republicans.
Schlicher has a stellar record of academic and professional achievement. Quoting the wikipedia article on him:
He graduated from Central Kitsap High School at age 14, then at 17 completed an undergraduate degree, double majoring in political science and chemistry at Pacific Lutheran University. He went on to finish law school and achieve a Juris Doctor Degree at age 19 from the University of Washington, and then earned his doctorate of medicine (MD) also from the University of Washington at age 23.
The 26th LD is in the Kitsap peninsula, from Bremerton, south to Gig Harbor. It’s a conservative district. So it’s unreasonable to expect Schlicher to run as a progressive. Schlicher supported Referendum 74, for gay marriage. He opposed raising tolls on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. He’s called for efficiencies in government: 20% cap on administration costs. He has said: “We also need to support small business that provide a large majority of jobs in our communities and make sure that they can compete by streamlining the regulatory process.”
Schlicher served as Legislative Affairs Chairman, Washington Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Reforms of emergency medical care championed by Schilcher saved the state $31,000,000 in Medicaid costs. While in that position, he noted that certain medical conditions, such as chest pains, weren’t treated as emergency conditions. Nathan sued the state and won.
Jan Angel is no angel
Dean Fournier, of the King County Democrats, says of Republican Rep. Jan Angel:
Rep Jan Angel sounds like the Republican from Hell. Â Could anyone be worse?
Google Nathan Schlicher and see what a remarkable appointive find he was: college grad at 17 (with a double major), law degree at 19, M.D. at 23, and thereafter pursuing both careers … Wow! One serious guy! And he can be helped without even leaving Seattle. What’s not to like about this opportunity?
According to Who’s progressive in the Washington State House? — based on combined data from five scorecards, she’s not a moderate Republican; she’s in the middle of the Republican pack on her liberal-conservative tendencies.
FUSE Washington says of Angel: ‘She backed legislation to ban all abortion, voted to protect corporate tax loopholes instead of funding our kids’ education, and is the state chair of ALEC. … Even after the state Supreme Court found that our schools were underfunded by more than a billion dollars, Angel repeatedly voted against closing tax loopholes and raising revenue. She even backed an amendment to the state constitution that would permanently enshrine Tim Eyman’s toxic policies and cripple basic services. ”
ALEC bills itself as “A nonpartisan membership association for conservative state lawmakers who shared a common belief in limited government, free markets, federalism, and individual liberty.” According to rightwingwatch.org, “ALEC’s agenda includes rolling back civil rights, challenging government restrictions on polluters, infringing on workers’ rights, limiting government regulations of commerce, privatizing public services, and representing the interests of the corporations that make up its supporters.”
FUSE is hosting phone banks at their Seattle office, through Aug 5. RSVP so we know how much pizza and pop we need for attendees! Sign up here.
For more info:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/05/29/2616085/sen-schlicher-calls-for-pragmatic.html