Local voters are getting ready for the Nov. 4th election like never before, with the number of voters and donations to various political campaigns reaching all-time highs.
A review of Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) records and FEC filings on Oct. 24 show Kirkland residents and committees contributing at least $1 million over the course of the 2008 election campaign, surpassing a previous record of approximately $975,000 raised in 2004. In addition, the Washington Secretary of State’s office confirmed that both the state and Kirkland had registered voters at levels not previously seen. There are 3,622,283 registered voters in the state and 43,236 registered voters with a Kirkland address and the numbers will continue to rise as election workers continue to process registrations.
“If you consider tens of thousands of new registrations to be significant, then yes, the number will be changing over the next week or two,” said Paul Miller, a manager of elections in the Secretary of State offices.
Due to the state’s primary election rules, the political affiliation of voters is not tracked and both of the state’s major parties declined to provide numbers of Kirkland voters affiliated with either party. Tracking donations to political campaigns and committees, however, is done by the PDC — an independent body of commissioners appointed every five years by the state’s governor. PDC spokeswoman Lori Anderson said their chief concern is to see how money affects government and they stay especially busy during the election season.
“Our purpose is to bring more transparency to the public,” she said.
That transparency provides an ability to examine the level of support and enthusiasm for the various candidates and initiatives from Kirkland’s two primary Zip codes, 98033 and 98034. Averaged together, Kirkland voters are contributing nine times the nationwide average and ranks in the top-ten cities for giving in several statewide races. Overall, more than 7,000 donations were made with a Kirkland address. With another two weeks of campaign contributions yet to be reported, the total amount will likely exceed $2 million, surpassing the previous record of $1.9 million in 2004. Thousands more have likely been raised, but the FEC does not track donations under $200 and the PDC does not require disclosure of amounts of $25 or less.
The high level of interest in the 2008 presidential race and a decision since then to not accept public financing restrictions has helped make presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, Kirkland’s top recipient of campaign donations so far, with $182,369. That’s fifth-highest for towns and cities across the state. The republican candidate, Sen. John McCain, is far behind with $42,578 raised from local residents. On the other hand, his supporters aren’t too disappointed with raising approximately $900,000 raised in neighboring Hunts Point at a Sept. 24 fundraiser.
But the single race that has drawn the most local cash is Washington’s record-setting gubernatorial race. Republican Dino Rossi has raised at least $174,584 from over 1,000 donors here, while Gov. Christine Gregoire is close behind with $120,058. As of Oct. 24, the pair have raised over $20 million statewide, easily surpassing the $14 million mark set in 2004. This year’s numbers are closer than in 2004, when Rossi topped Gregoire in Kirkland by a nearly 3 to 1 margin. Despite Gregoire’s slow start in raising money here, due partly to restrictions on campaigning while working as governor, campaign spokesman Aaron Toso said she still enjoys strong support from Kirkland residents and businesses.
“This is crunch time,” he said. “There are issues that the governor has focused on that people care about. Issues like education, children’s health care and a clean environment.”
The top donors within Kirkland are Hunts Point power-couple Craig and Susan McCaw, by virtue of the fact they’re using an office address of their Carillon Point investment businesses. The former cell phone company executive and his wife, a former ambassador to Austria, contributed at least $142,000 to both candidates and parties on the national level stage. They also contributed at the state level, giving Rossi $6,400 and State Attorney General Rob McKenna $3,200. It’s unclear if that number includes the $100,000 to $200,000 attributed to Mrs. McCaw’s fundraising for the McCain-Palin campaign.
The pattern of political contributions also appears to reflect the political inclinations of each area. In Kirkland’s 98033 Zip code, the majority of large donations are for Democratic candidates. But cross 116th Street into the 98034 Zip code and the opposite is true. Bridging this seeming political divide, Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, and former Rep. Toby Nixon are waging one of the most expensive legislative races in the state for the State House’s 45th District. Goodman has raised $231,094 to Nixon’s $173,323.
Information on donations funding Washington state races and committees can be found at the PDC’s Web site, www.pdc.wa.gov.
