04/11/2008: "Ranker Will Run For State Senate"

Kevin Ranker has said he will not run again for the County Council, but has now officially announce he is running for Spanel’s State Senate seat.

Multiple sources had told The Island Guardian that after Spanel informed the Whatcom County Democrats on the 15th of March she will not be running for reelection in November, Ranker told key Democrats he would kick-off a campaign for her seat within the next week or so, and that is exactly what happened on Friday.

If history is any guide to the future, Ranker will have a tough upstream swim in a race with candidates who live on the mainland. No one in recent memory has won that race.

If Ranker expected to receive an early blessing from the state Democratic party for the seat, he may have been disappointed to learn that Spanel, Representative Dave Quall, Representative Jeff Morris, and the 40th Legislative District Democrat Chair Tom Pasma, have jointly sent out a press release inviting anyone interested in running for Senator Spanel's State Senate seat as a Democrat, to a series of meetings to meet interested citizens of the 40th Legislative District.

The meetings will be open to the public, and are scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 7 pm at the Burlington Library , (corner of Holly and Washington); one on Wednesday, April 16, 7 pm: Anacortes PACE Union Hall, (5th Street and Q), and the last one on Thursday, April 17, 7 pm: Bellingham Brigid Collins House (corner of Holly & Garden).

Spanel has served four years in the House, and 16 in the Senate. As the caucus chair she was the number two ranking member among the Senate Democrats. Spanel's decision means both Democrats, Republicans -and perhaps others- will be stepping forward to run for her 40th Legislative District seat in the state Senate.

The 40th District covers parts of Whatcom and Skagit County, and San Juan County.