Soundside

For the first time in 12 years, there is no incumbent running for Governor in the state.And since Gov. Jay Inslee decided he would not seek a fourth term in office, dozens of candidates have thrown their hat in the ring to replace him.This week I’m talking to the four men who lead the pack in fundraising and polling.  Next on the list, Democratic state Senator Mark Mullet. Mullet represents Washington's 5th legislative district in Olympia. He also owns an ice cream parlor and pizza shop in Issaquah. Guests: State Senator Mark Mullet (WA-05) Relevant Links Washington State Standard: Mullet looks to seize middle lane in 2024 governor’s race Washington State Standard: Heating up: Mullet goes after Ferguson for once backing drug decriminalization  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vice President Kamala Harris is quickly gaining momentum as a potential successor for President Joe Biden in November. But there’s still one major event that will define this year’s Democratic campaign: The Democratic National Convention.  The convention will take place from August 19-22 in Chicago. President Biden, who clinched his primary victories, would typically seize the opportunity to discuss policy and outline the party's platform for the final stretch of the election.  But with his departure from the race, the focus of the convention may be very different. To analyze the implications of Biden’s decision to not run for reelection and how the Democratic could move forward, Soundside was joined by James Long. Long is a professor of political science at the University of Washington, and a co-founder of the Political Economy Forum there. Guests: James Long, professor of political science at the University of Washington, and a co-founder of the Political Economy Forum. Related Links: Washington Post: How Democrats can pick a new candidate, step by step Yahoo News: DNC panel to meet in public to set ‘transparent, fair’ framework to pick presidential nominee See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The political landscape is shifting rapidly this week.  Just days after President Biden announced he would not seek re-election, the Democratic party is getting in line behind the Vice President. According to an Associated Press survey, Vice President Kamala Harris has earned enough delegate support to become the Democratic nominee for President. And now, as she takes center stage, the spotlight on Harris has intensified. And the floodgate of criticism from Republicans has opened.Some of these attacks have focused on what you’d expect – like her work on immigration, or the Biden Administration’s record on inflation. But some notable criticism has also focused on factors outside of the Vice President’s control: Harris’ race, and gender.  On Monday, Republican Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee called Harris “our DEI Vice President” in a post on X. DEI as in, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.” And the Washington State GOP posted yesterday on the same platform that Harris was “unqualified to lead,” adding, “Antimeritocratic DEI is not building back better, it's setting us further back.” With the first Black and Asian woman – and only the second woman ever– headed to be the nominee of a major political party, how will racist and sexist tropes play a role in this campaign season? And how are Black and Asian women gearing up to confront them?   Guest:  Washington State Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first time in 12 years, the Governor’s race in Washington is wide open, with no incumbent running. Three-term Governor Jay Inslee is stepping aside, and there are four clear frontrunners to replace him. This week we’ll hear from the men vying to replace Governor Inslee, and first up is Dave Reichert. Reichert formerly served as King County Sheriff and represented Washington’s 8th Congressional district for 14 years. Guests: Dave Reichert, former congressman representing Washington's 8th District Relevant Links: KUOW: Mainstream Republicans strike different tone than official state GOP at annual conference Seattle Times: Reichert emphasizes law-and-order agenda at Yakima GOP conference KUOW: It's official: Dave Reichert enters race for Washington governor  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Public opinion polling. It’s never been more consequential for the direction of our democracy – or more scrutinized. For weeks, journalists, pundits and politicians have debated the available data on the outcomes of a head-to-head rematch between President Joe Biden and former-President Donald Trump.  Those numbers had appeared increasingly troubling for Democrats. And the polling data, in the end, reportedly made the difference for Biden in deciding to step aside.  For more insight into the implications and challenges of polling, Soundside was joined by W. Joseph Campbell, professor emeritus of communications at American University and author of “Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections.” Guests: W. Joseph Campbell, professor emeritus of communications at American University and author of "Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections." Recommended Links: Homepage - Emerson Polling (emersoncollegepolling.com) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced he would not be running for re-election, and would instead endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. A lot of the news coverage in the last twenty four hours has focused on how party officials from both sides of the aisle are considering the President’s decision to step down from race.  But those aren’t the people who will ultimately be deciding the outcome of this race in November. The question is: will an influx in Democratic Party fundraising, institutional support – as well as a new narrative – be enough to engage the average American voter? Or does the seeming momentum of the Republican Party sweep former President Tump back into office? Guest:     Eric Liu: CEO and co-founder of Citizen University, a cross-partisan non-profit dedicated to reviving civic engagement. He’s also a former foreign policy speech writer and deputy domestic policy advisor under the Clinton Administration. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vice President Kamala Harris is headed to visit campaign staff in Wilmington, Delaware this afternoon. This of course, comes as she works to consolidate Democratic support for her abbreviated campaign for the party’s presidential nomination.  It once seemed beyond the realm of possibility that President Biden would leave the campaign stage. For weeks he insisted he was up to the task of defeating Donald Trump. At one point Biden even said the “Lord Almighty” would have to tell him to quit.   Meanwhile, more and more Democratic members of congress felt he needed a “come to Jesus” moment to realize he should quit the race.  It looked like a stalemate.  But then, a remarkable thing happened over the past week or so. As the President was fighting COVID, he reportedly listened to arguments he didn’t want to hear.  Some close aides and longtime allies like Nancy Pelosi brought him data: evidence that showed he was likely headed for defeat. And Biden changed his mind. He was, as they say, "100 percent in, until he was 100 percent out."  He joins a small handful of sitting Presidents who have made such a decision.  And it’s worth saying: it is incredibly rare to willingly give up what is (arguably) the most powerful job in the world.  Now we’re all navigating this uncharted territory together. Soundside host Libby Denkmann sat down with the Chairs of both the WA State Democrats and WA State Republicans to see how they are navigating this momentous time. GUESTS:  Shasti Conrad: chair of the Washington State Democratic Party State Rep Jim Walsh: chair of the Washington State Republican Party RELATED LINKS: https://x.com/washdems/status/1815416981086257185 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/harris-campaign-allies-calling-delegates-lock-support-before-convention-sources-2024-07-21/ https://twitter.com/WAGOP/status/1815397774969778307  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last night in Milwaukee, Ohio senator J.D. Vance accepted the Republican nomination for Vice President of the United States and took his place as former President Donald Trump’s running mate.  Vance’s first convention speech possibly - maybe - upstaged the cameo earlier in the night from Babydog, a rotund bulldog owned by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice. This was always going to be a big week for Republican politics – but I think it’s safe to say that there’s been even more eyes and attention on this convention, as it’s marking the first major event for former President Donald Trump since the attempt on his life last Saturday. Here to break down the Republican National Convention so far is Jim Brunner,  politics reporter for The Seattle Times.  GUEST: Jim Brunner, Seattle Times politics reporter RELATED LINKS: Top WA Republicans absent from Trump-centered RNC in Milwaukee - The Seattle Times WA union leader welcomes Teamsters president's Amazon-bashing RNC speech - The Seattle Times Tree hats worn by WA Republican delegates get the ax at RNC - The Seattle Times See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Washington’s 3rd Congressional District covers the southwest corner of the state, from Long Beach to Mount Adams, and from Yelm down to Vancouver.  It’s also the home of one of the most fiercely contested congressional seats in the entire country. In 2022, Republican challenger Joe Kent defeated incumbent Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler in the Primary, but lost to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in the General election by roughly 2600 votes. This time around, Gluesenkamp Perez is the incumbent. The way this primary race is shaping up, she will likely be facing either Kent or his Republican Party competition, Camas city council member Leslie Lewallen, in November. This week, we’ve invited the leading candidates in the race on the show for interviews, to get a sense of their policy positions and vision for the future. GUEST: Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat in her first term representing the 3rd district of Washington State. RELATED LINKS: The Identity Crisis of Marie Gluesenkamp Perez - Politico The Blue-Collar Democrat Who Wants to Fix the Party’s Other Big Problem - New York Times  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To round out today's show, we're going to meet someone who spends nearly all of his time proudly showing off our little corner of the Pacific Northwest. As the lead naturalist for the Seward Park Audubon Center, Ed Domiguez teaches park visitors about local birds, and animals, along with plants and everything in between. Soundside producer Jason Burrows joined Ed on one of his early bird treks back in 2022, and brings us this story of enjoying nature. Ed is still leading guided tours today -- you can learn more about upcoming tours and other programs by going to sewardpark.audubon.org. Guests:  Ed Dominguez, Seward Park Audubon Environmental Learning Center  Related Links: KUOW - Sharing 'a life-sustaining energy,' exploring Seward Park with naturalist Ed Dominguez Seward Park Audubon Center See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.