WA lawmaker switches to Democrats

[RiverStone]

Source: Seattle P.I.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OLYMPIA -- State Rep. Fred Jarrett, a moderate Mercer Island Republican who has sometimes felt at odds with his more conservative colleagues, is switching parties. He plans to run for the state Senate as a Democrat next year.

Jarrett has been the last remaining Republican lawmaker in the once heavily Republican eastside suburbs in the Bellevue area. He says the GOP is increasingly dominated by the right wing and that the issues he cares about, such as roads and schools, will be decided in the Democratic caucuses of Olympia.

Jarrett says he'll run as a Democrat for the 41st District Senate seat next year. The incumbent, Brian Weinstein, has announced he won't seek re-election, and Senate Democrats were quietly recruiting Jarrett to switch parties and run.



Read more: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_lawmaker_switches.html

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Another cross-over from the dark side...

Welcome!!! :kick: :patriot: :kick:

[shraby]

1. Or will he be a Lieberman Democrat?

Are the Repubs having some of theirs switch sides because they know the Repubs will lose those seats anyway and this way they can keep the Dems from passing necessary legislation?

[Zorra]

8. The answer to your question is a resounding "yes". n/t

[fascisthunter]

2. Great... more Republicans in Democratic Clothing

changing parties means shit. I hope I'm wrong but I doubt it.

[harmonicon]

3. I'm afraid not.... not a switch from the dark side

It just makes a much larger grey area. Sure, the republicans have become completely bat-shit crazy, but the old-style ones shouldn't be turning to the Democrats, and we shouldn't be taking them. They should focus on turning their own party around, as we should ours. Or let all of these "moderates" make their own party, and let us be the party of unions/labor, farming, education and healthcare. If it means losing elections to people who otherwise would call themselves Democrats just to win elections, what is the loss?

[superconnected]

4. Like having Maria Cantwell isn't enough.

[superconnected]

5. Well, Wecome to the Dems side Fred. I hope you like it and you stay here.

[KingOfLostSouls]

6. don't be so hasty

theres a lot of fiscally conservative, socially liberal republicans on the seattle outskirts. a lot libertarians who would vote either way also.

I live in eastern washington, which is its own "red state," right in the heart of doc hasting's territory. any defection on the west side from moderate repubs is a welcome because they're definitely not the same thing as bush republicans. theres a genuine disgust from the outskirt repubs who are really only republicans on taxes. otherwise, a lot of them are self made, fairly progressive minded, and like he said, they care a lot about schools and roads. they're not the same fundies.

any chance of republicans like this switching parties and wanting to work with democrats on real issues isn't a bad thing, it represents a fundamental divide in the republican party that continue to go further and further to the right, and it represents a lot of people who might not have voted democrat 2 years ago waking up and realizing they're on our side.

that unity is a good thing.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Hope it works out better for you all than this switch idea did for us in Kansas

We had a moderate Republican switch to the Democratic party and beat the incumbent state attorney general last November. Then this week we found out he has been having an affair with a woman he used to work with and she is accusing him of some political shenanigans that could result in him being removed from office, if they are true.

I wish we could give him back to the Republicans.

Here is a thread in the Kansas forum with links to most of the gory details.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=153x8599