WSLC-backed Pridemore quits congressional race

Washington State Labor Council-endorsed congressional candidate Craig Pridemore has withdrawn from the primary election in Washington’s 3rd District, where incumbent Democrat Brian Baird is not seeking re-election.

Last month, Pridemore, a state senator representing Vancouver’s 49th District, won the endorsement of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, following a contentious Committee on Political Education (COPE) convention.

Fellow Democrat Denny Heck, a businessman and chief of staff to former Gov. Booth Gardner, also was seeking the endorsement. Heck has support of the Machinists Union and several building trades locals, plus the unaffiliated Service Employees International Union and Washington Education Association.

Following much debate, Pridemore won the AFL-CIO endorsement on a roll-call vote of 96,086 to 41,576.

Less than a month after the endorsement Pridemore announced he was ending his campaign and supporting Heck. Pridemore said Washington’s special legislative session earlier this year set his campaign too far behind in fundraising to be competitive.

“I regret the need to exit this race, but it is clear to me that the long session placed our campaign at a clear disadvantage,” he said in a press release.

Pridemore said Heck “is now in the best position — and is the best candidate — to win the seat. I encourage my supporters to help him and Sen. Patty Murray in their elections this November.”

Under Washington’s “top two” primary, the two candidates with the most votes — whether Democrat or Republican — qualify for the November general election. One other Democrat is in the race, along with four Republicans.

WSLC delegates will have the opportunity to reconsider the race at its Constitutional Convention Aug. 9-12 in Tacoma.

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