SEAMEC primary ratings sheet [PDF]

While they probably uploaded it a few days ago, I just came across the Seattle Metropolitan Elections Committee's download for their candidate ratings, just in time for Tuesday's primary. In reading through it, it seems as though they had an awful hard time scheduling interviews with many of the candidates, as in most cases they were unable to give a fairness score to at least one candidate in a race.

Now, I admit I have some beef with SEAMEC's rating system, where there often appears to be inconsistency when compared to candidate positions and statements. Case in point, their endorsement of Chris Gregoire in the 2004 governor's race over Ruth Bennett. Come now, Gregoire flat-out refused to give her position on marriage equality and even after promising to shed some light on it following the recent Supreme Court decision nobody really knows if she supports marriage or just legal unions. Bennett, first off, is a lesbian and made her entire campaign about gay rights, and has been a tireless advocate for GLBT issues. Complete idiocy, if you ask me. Now, in their Senate ratings for this year Maria Cantwell scored highest, four of five possible points, in spite of selling-out on the marriage equality question. In contrast, pro-marriage candidates like Hong Tran, Bruce Guthrie, and Aaron Dixon received lower scores and GOP candidate Mike McGavick, whose marriage/union position is similar to Cantwell's, scored a pitiful one of five (granted, McGavick's pro-union position is half-assed at best, but the difference between a one and four should be a hell of a lot bigger than their statements suggest). In short, I take SEAMEC's ratings with a pound of salt. If they're good for anything, it's judging the positions of Republican candidates to see if they're reasonable enough to vote for over a crappy Democratic candidate. They can't all be Fred Jarretts, after all.

Here's the long and short of the sheet. SEAMEC endorses:

-Rep. Jay Inslee [D] for Congress
-Councilmember Sally Clark for Seattle City Council
-Rep. Joe McDermott [D] for 34th House
-Rep. Fred Jarrett [R] for 41st House
-Rep. Ed Murray [D] for 43rd Senate
-Lynne Dodson [D] and Jamie Pedersen [D] for 43rd House
-Rep. Rodney Tom [D] for 48th Senate
-Justice Susan Owens for Supreme Court
-Justice Tom Chambers for Supreme Court
-Mary Ann Ottinger for Northeast District Court

In addition, non-endorsed fairness ratings for contested primaries:

-Maria Cantwell beats Hong Tran 4-3, Warren Hanson beats other GOP candidates 2-1 in US Senate race
-Claudia Kauffman and Ed Crawford tie at 3 in 47th Senate race
-Deb Eddy beats Santiago Ramos 3-2 in 48th House race