Finkbeiner out

Senate GOP leader Bill Finkbeiner [R-Kirkland] announced today he is stepping down from his leadership post, but is intending on seeking reelection to his GOP-leaning district next year. Finkbeiner is a moderate by Senate Republican standards, but considering that their last true moderate was defeated last year (Don Carlson), I have little hope for anything but a rightward drift in the next GOP leader. Conventional wisdom would dictate the next leader would probably be either current GOP Whip Mike Hewitt [R-Walla Walla] or GOP Floor Leader Luke Esser [R-Bellevue], but I can think of a handful of others that might be interested, including Brad Benson [R-Spokane] and Cheryl Pflug [R-Maple Valley].