How redistricting reshaped the 17th LD Senate race

Plus big independent spending in the 10th LD, some new polling in the governor's race, and recommended reading on the state supremes.

At first glance, there’s no real race in the primary for the open state Senate seat in the 17th Legislative District, which starts in Vancouver and pushes east along the Columbia River. Longtime state Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, and Democrat Marla Keethler, the mayor of White Salmon, are the only candidates in the race, so both will get through next week’s first round. 

But here’s the thing: Outside groups have already spent nearly $250,000 for and against Harris, with the overwhelming majority coming from a PAC fueled by money raised by the Senate’s Democratic majority caucus. For all you comic-book nerds out there, the campaign features some graphics designed to evoke mid-20th-century classics like Dick Tracy.

Like most independent campaigns coming from the left, this one leans into reproductive rights. (Image courtesy of the Kennedy Fund)

We were curious why the Kennedy Fund, the Senate Democrats soft-money PAC, was in so big and so early on this race. Turns out it’s one of the interesting consequences of the long fight over the state’s legislative map, which culminated earlier this year in a new court-ordered map.