By RACHEL LA CORTE
The Associated Press
OLYMPIA — Voters overwhelmingly rebuked taxes passed by Washington state’s large Democratic majorities in the Legislature.
But while they may have been unhappy with the job Democrats did earlier this year, they appear to be letting them retain control of state government.
Republicans made gains in both the state House and Senate in this week’s election, won an open U.S. House seat and were optimistic of their chances in a too-close-to-call race in another.
While they’re not expected to take the majority in the Legislature as they did in 1994, Republicans have cut into Democrats’ comfortable margins and ran competitive races in other districts.
And voters sent a clear anti-tax statement, rolling back increased snack taxes, rejecting a $2 billion income tax on the rich and making it harder for the Legislature to raise taxes in the future.
“They’re going to return Democratic majorities to the Legislature, but they clipped their wings with respect to the budget process,” Democratic strategist Christian Sinderman said.
State Republican Party Chairman Luke Esser said the passage of Initiative 1053 — which requires a higher bar for legislative votes to raise taxes — plus the addition of more Republican lawmakers “is like a belt and suspenders.”
“Voters said ’I’m taxed enough already,”’ Esser said. “Hopefully that will chasten many of the Democrats who do remain.”
All 98 state House seats and 25 of 49 Senate seats were on the ballot this fall. Many positions were considered safe for either party, leaving intense battles over a relatively small slice to decide which side controls the Legislature.
The GOP steadily lost ground during the last decade, finally giving up its one-seat control of the state Senate in 2004.
Before Tuesday’s election, Democrats controlled the House with a 61-37 margin and the Senate with a 31-18 majority.
As of this weekend, Republicans had moved their margin up to more than 40 seats in the House with a handful of races still too close to call. In the Senate, Republicans appeared to have gained at least four additional seats, with additional close races showing Democrats holding on to three seats needed for the GOP to take the majority.
Washington Democrats’ key victory last week was in the competitive U.S. Senate race with the re-election of Sen. Patty Murray over Republican Dino Rossi.
Her victory preserves a small cushion for Democrats in the Senate. Republicans made inroads there Tuesday, handing Democrats a slimmed-down majority, and took control of the House.
Republican Jaime Herrera’s victory Tuesday night in the open 3rd District in southwestern Washington was part of the Republican wave in the U.S. House.
Herrera became the first Republican to represent the district in a dozen years and her win narrowed the state’s Democratic majority in the House delegation to 5-4.
Republicans also were closely watching the state’s northern 2nd Congressional Democratic incumbent, where Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen held a slim lead over Republican challenger John Koster.
Larsen won his last re-election bid in 2008 with 62 percent of the vote.
If Koster ultimately overtakes Larsen, it would be the first time Washington’s House delegation had a Republican majority since the late 1990s.
Republican consultant Chris Vance points to gains in the Legislature, the Herrera win and the closeness of the Larsen race as proof that Washington state benefited from a nationwide trend in favor of Republicans.
“Did a wave hit here, yes. Was it a massive tidal wave like hit the U.S. House, obviously not,” Vance said. “I think now we’re returning back to what we used to be, which is a very, very competitive state that can go either way.”
State Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, also saw a clear message.
Murray, who is co-chairman of the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, said the election shows Republicans are too conservative for many suburban voters, particularly on social issues.
But he also faults Democrats for not making the case for changes in the state’s tax structure.
“One of the lessons here, post-Obama’s election, is this is still the age of Reagan,” Murray said, noting that Republicans have been able to make the argument for smaller government and low taxes “on their terms.”
“We have not been able to articulate a vision that voters understand,” he said.
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AP writer Curt Woodward contributed to this report.
