The entire State Government Executive Branch comes up for election this year. Here's what we got:
Lt. Governor: This role oversees the State Senate, breaks ties, and fills in for the Governor when he's out of town. While not overly powerful, it is probably one of the more colorful offices in the state, and its primary requirements are to not blow things up and not embarrass the voters. And we have had a spate of excellent Lt. Governors, even though the bar may seem low. The current one, Denny Heck, had an original campaign slogan ("Give Olympia Heck!") and has failed to blow things up or get himself immersed in scandal. This is job interview - he's fine. His likely competition is Dan Matthews, who is a bag of Trumpian dog-whistles. So yeah, Denny Heck.
Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing the elections, and I am very much in favor of Steve Hobbs, for no other reason that he plays table-top RPGs. He's been very supportive of D&D and the tabletop industry which is kinda a big deal out here, to the point of accompanying a trade delegation to Japan with some colleagues of mine. But that same favoritism also makes me look harder at what he's done in his time in office, and, yeah, he's actually a worthy successor to Kim Wyman in protecting our elections. Good job, Steve.
Attorney General: Nick Brown has copped endorsements from both the Times and the Stranger, and has the qualifications as a US District Attorney as well as a deep knowledge of navigating state law. Manka Dingra comes out of the criminal prosecutions, which is also excellent, and I would look forward to having the make the decision between the two in November. For the moment, go with Nick Brown.
State Treasurer: Handles the money. Two candidates, so you'll be seeing them again. I lean towards Mike Pellicciotti. He's the incumbent, and has kept his domain scandal-free while pushing for more transparency. Not bade.
State Auditor: Keeps an eye on the folks handling the money. Again, two candidates, so you'll get Deja Vu when we hit November. I prefer the incumbent, Pat (Patrice) McCarthy. Actually, both these positions of Auditor and Treasurer are so boring (and so fore-gone) that none of the major news sources have weighed in on them. Really?
Commissioner of Public Lands: This position oversees our state forests, and concerns a lot about lumbering and wildfires. A lot of candidates here, but two stand out. Department of Natural Resources Director Patrick DePoe gets the Times' nod, while former (local) legislator Dave Upthegrove has ability dealing the legislature (plus, cool name for taking care of trees). I'd like see both of them on the ballot, but for the moment, I think Patrick DePoe will do an excellent job.
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Chris Reydal is the incumbent. Has been doing a good job. Yeah, let's keep him.
Insurance Commissioner: Does what it says on the tin - oversees our sprawling insurance industry. Mike Kriedler has held the position for years, but is stepping down after it was revealed he wasn't particularly good to his employees. That's the thing about elections - you screw up, you lose your job. Refreshing, isn't it? Patty Kuderer comes out of the legislature, is pro-renter, pro-single-player healthcare, pro-consumer. Her chief opposition is a self-declared progressive but fundraises and votes Republican. OK, then.
And that fills out the State Executive Positions. Yeah, I'm blowing through them at a good clip. More later.
