Pridemore nabs AFL-CIO endorsement for Congress

State Sen. Craig Pridemore of Vancouver, a candidate for the open seat in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, was endorsed in a roll-call vote by the Washington State Labor Council at its May 15 Committee on Political Education (COPE) convention in Seattle.

Pridemore, (49th District), is running against Denny Heck, a former state House Majority Leader and chief of staff to Gov. Booth Gardner, in the Democratic primary.

Democratic incumbent Brian Baird is not seeking re-election.

Pridemore came to the statewide COPE meeting with the backing of the Clark, Skamania, West Klickitat Counties Labor Council. Heck was endorsed by the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Counties Labor Council and the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Counties Labor Council.

At the convention, a voice vote in favor of Pridemore was challenged on the floor, which resulted in a roll-call vote. A two-thirds majority is required for endorsement. Pridemore captured 96,086 votes to Heck’s 41,576, said Shannon Walker, president of the Vancouver-based Clark, Skamania, West Klickitat Counties Labor Council.

A motion from the floor for a dual endorsement was defeated.

Cheryl Crist is the third Democrat in the race, along with four Republicans

Under Washington’s “top two” primary, the two candidates with the most votes — whether Democrat or Republican — qualify for the general election.

In Southwest Washington races, WSLC endorsed the re-election of Rep. Jim Moeller in the 49th District, Position 2; Washington Education Association member Monica Stonier running in the 17th District, Position 2; and Dennis Kampe in the18th District, Position 1.

Efforts by the Clark, Skamania, West Klickitat Counties Labor Council to endorse the re-election of State Rep. Tim Probst in the 17th District and State Rep. Jim Jacks in the 49th District, were unsuccessful.

Walker said some public employee union delegates blocked the COPE endorsements because of votes those lawmakers (and many other Democrats) took on state budget cuts that resulted in layoffs and furloughs.

Probst, Jacks and others will have a second shot at obtaining a primary election endorsement when delegates reconvene at the WSLC’s Constitutional Convention in August. The primary is a vote by mail election, with ballots due Tuesday, Aug. 17.

For more on WSLC’s primary endorsements, go online to www.wslc.org.

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