Interesting goin's ons on the 18th.

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Two candidates have announced their withdrawal from the 18th District race; one a total surprise, the other more or less expected. The question is this: what does it all mean?

Shannon Barnett has discovered that Jaime Herrera has no coat tails and carrying her water like the 13th Amendment hadn't been ratified gets you precisely no where. Hatred by itself cannot be a motivation to run for office.

Robert Dean has apparently discovered that Ann Rivers shares many of his views, concerns and experiences and has left the race, endorsing Ann Rivers on the way out.

That leaves Rivers, Bittner, Russell, and Vick.

Ann Rivers appears to have run a technically and strategically flawless campaign. She's put together an endorsement list that reads like a "Who's Who" of political and business leaders from the area. She has a history of fighting for conservative causes, and has elected conservative candidates in the past. Well connected, pragmatic, an experienced grasp of the issues with an openness and understanding of the issues unmatched in the 18th. Her fund-raising has been astounding: she has amassed $30,000 plus.

Anthony Bittner is an interesting case. He just turned 18, but he lacks most anything you would expect in the successful candidate: experience, education, understanding, situational awareness and money raising skills. He shows no endorsements.

Giving credit where it's due, however, Bittner has raised more money than two older candidates during the short time of his candidacy, including a failed former congressional candidate. Even though much of his money is from family members and none of it appears to be from within the district except for that, it's still spendable and it's $3850. But there has to be much more to a candidate than criticizing the Constitution.

Brandon Vick has difficulty raising money to date; though the updates are due tomorrow, Brandon shows that he's put together $2450 so far. Vick was the "beneficiary" of Barnett's departure; surely that stung Jon Russell the most. But Vick's positions are pie in the sky, lacking the pragmatic understanding of the reality of Olympia... a pandering set of concepts that will appeal to the far right.

He shows impractical idealism with impossible goals that no freshman can achieve or hope to achieve. Jumping up and down and yelling "we need to do A,B, and C" won't get it done. And new members of the House provide zero leadership... in anything. You've got to pay your dues to get there, and you've got o pay your dues once you show up. He shows no endorsements.

That leaves us with Russell.

Jon Russell Watch covers him, but the Cliff's Notes version is that Russell has done an abysmal job as a Washougal City councilman; he did an abysmal job in a congressional campaign, and he's doing an abysmal job running a campaign for state representative. His records indicate that he's put together $3127.

He's made misrepresentations about others, and he has refused to address the issues brought to his attention... because, well, they're problematic.

Bittner will naturally appeal to the very young voter as sort of a boutique candidate... but the young voter won't be turning out, particularly in a primary. Russell and Vick will be fighting over and split the same universe of voters. Rivers will get the majority of the women's vote, independents and all but the far right.

As the natural winnowing process continues, for a variety of personal and realistic reasons, one wonders: when will more drop out?

Realistically, do candidates who've raised less then $4000 of donor cash have any chance in this race?

Is their purpose to get elected... or to keep others from getting elected?

We see Dino Rossi supporters here locally throwing a fit over other candidates having the temerity to stay in in the event the Great Dino deigns to announce. One wonders: have these same people made any effort to reduce the number of candidates in the 18th?

Yup. One wonders.
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