Republican challenger Mike Hope, in his third try at Representative for the 44th Legislative District, has emerged victorious in the initial count, and now in the mandatory hand recount.
Representative-elect Hope won the first vote over incumbent Democrat Liz Loomis (who had been appointed to fill Sheriff John Lovick's seat) by 118, with 104 write-ins, out of 68,860 votes counted. He has won the recount by 138, with 63 write-ins, out of 68,897 votes.
Cross-posted on <pudge/*>.
Posted by pudge at December 11, 2008 05:17 PM | Email ThisMaybe Liz Loomis can complain to her mom some more.
Posted by: cliff on December 11, 2008 09:12 PMBet some one is going to lose their job.
Quick, pull some ballots out of the back room. (to late)
Congrats Mr. Hope.
Posted by: Medic/Vet on December 12, 2008 06:05 AMOn election night, former State Rep. Tom Mielke (R-Battle Ground) was down 4282. By the time it was all over and the election certified on Nov 25, he had won by 209; giving the GOP control of the county commission in an Obama county for the first time in 32 years; (Mielke actually gained 2 as a result of the recount from certification, where he had won by 207)
This represents a 4500 vote swing, post election night.
The "Dewey defeats Truman" headline in the Oregonian is here: http://www.oregonlive.com/metronorth/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_north_news/1225864506163170.xml&coll=7
I was the local consultant on the campaign. The morning after the election, with Tom down so far, my other local clients, many of whom who had backed him, were highly upset at the apparent loss. My take: he MIGHT win.... it IS possible... but it ain't likely.
Then, that day as the late votes continued to be counted, Tom gained a thousand votes, a break of about 58% right.
"HHHmmmmm" says I... We have enough votes left that if this trend continues, he can still win this... Of my 4 positive levels of confidence, with the lowest being "possible," and the highest being "absolute," ("Probable" and "likely" being levels 2 and 3) I moved it up to "probable."
Then.... then... the next day (Thursday) the break was so hard right that Tom wound up ahead 76, a one day, post election swing of 3300+, the hardest break I had ever seen in any election... something on the order of 63% for Tom.
The rest, as they say, is history.
On one hand, there's something to be said for elections this close. But for those working the campaigns, with the ballot-curing process in place (giving credit where it's due, the Luke Esser and Jeremy at the WSRP stepped up big time by staffing and keeping the Rossi office open until certification so they could coordinate the ballot chase, even coming down from Seattle to help with the ballot chase; and to the local Clark County GOP, who supported that effort with money and volunteers, making thousands of phone calls as a part of the ballot chase) it seemed like it was dragging on... and on.... and on... a Chinese water torture of an unending campaign... and hopefully, my last.
But it got done. The county moved right after voting for Obama (52% in Clark County) just a bizarre, bizarre outcome to what amounted to a race that many viewed as hopeless given the democrat's huge advantage in fundraising, MSM support (The Columbian only endorsed democrats for any open seat at any level) and Cowlitz megacasino developer David Barnett's latest effort at corrupting government by slamming in $76,500 last second dollars to buy a commissioner.
Posted by: Hinton on December 12, 2008 09:02 AMI appreciated the personal responses that Liz always sent me when I wrote her. She would engage in actual discourse on the issues I wrote to her about, and would solicit ideas and such.
The problem with Liz is that I could always count on having to take time out of my day to explain why Washington State shouldn't restrict my firearms rights any further. Even the dumbest laws, when I wrote to her about them, would result in a 'well what do you suggest we do instead to curb this violence?'
She lived under the assumption that government's job is to pass new laws to solve every problem.
I look forward to working with Mike going forward.
Posted by: Andrew Brown on December 12, 2008 09:06 AMHinton: great work!
Andrew, yeah, typical Democrat. Reminds me of Hans Dunshee, the other 44th LD legislator.
When Robert Mak asked, regarding the state regulation of animal masseuses, "isn't this the way government grows and grows, by getting involved in these things?," Dunshee shrugged and said, "people come to ask us to do things, you know?," as if this in any way actually responded to the question. That was his response to pretty much every waste: "if people want it, and they come and ask for it ... ." The idea that he could, let alone should, say "No" was completely absent in his mind.
The Democratic Party should be renamed the Busybody Party.
Now, the Bush TARP money will come with few restrictions. The UAW comes out ahead yet again once they adopt the Yasser Arafat and Kim Jong Ill negotiating tactics.
Posted by: swatter on December 12, 2008 12:47 PMThe best write in the entire recount "Liz Loomis Hates Trees"
Posted by: Blair on December 12, 2008 12:58 PMSweet! I just sprayed my my keyboard with Coke. 0-:
Someone have a paper towel.
Posted by: Medic/Vet on December 12, 2008 01:21 PMHere is a breakdown of my estimate for the 6 canvass board votes.
1 for Liz Loomis Hates Trees
1 For Mike Hope
4 for Liz Loomis
Mike Hope wins by 135 in the end. 134 if Liz Loomis really does hate trees.
Posted by: Blair on December 12, 2008 02:04 PMHonesty, they name is not "Democrat representative in the Loomis-Hope recount."
In case there is anyone out there that doesn't know this yet let me say it out loud: Mike Hope is the most relentless candidate I've ever seen. High intensity all the time. It's a wonder he sleeps during a campaign.
May his tribe increase.
Posted by: Chad Minnick on December 12, 2008 02:55 PMI couldn't do it.
Posted by: pudge on December 12, 2008 03:40 PMHowever, how can you say it was fair, and then say Dean Logan took the fall? The fall for what, if it was fair?
And no, the judge did not say the election was fair. You are completely making that up.
It is impossible for the outcome of the 2004 Gov race to be legitimate. There were failures on every level in that one. On the Republican side the biggest failure was not preventing the certification of the King County results. Once the election was certified the only legal recourse required that it be shown who the illegal votes were cast for. With our system of ballot privacy that is of course impossible.
The Judge felt he had no choice but to rule the way he did but that wasn't a validation of the result it was simply a sign that our laws were out of date.
That election was like the OJ case. Everyone knew he committed the murders and all the evidence proved it but they screwed up the handling of the case so bad they couldn't convict him.
Posted by: Truth Detector on December 14, 2008 12:42 PM