I just voted in the Washington State 2024 Primary election. Mail ballot, of course (which I love, and which some people don’t, for reasons I do not understand). For the first time ever, I approached the ballot as an independent, not as a Democrat. I did vote for some Democrats because some of them are great. But I also voted for some independents, and even a few Republicans if they haven’t denied the 2024 election results (yes, there are some). 

But, perhaps the most interesting race on my ballot this year is the one for our 8th Congressional District. The incumbent, Democrat Kim Shrier, is pretty great at traveling a sprawling multi-county district that goes from the foothills on the west side of the Cascades, over Snoqualmie and Stevens Passes to the completely different terrain east of the Cascades. Big money, high tech Issaquah, suburban, rural, agricultural east Snohomish, King, and Pierce Counties, then rural eastern Washington agricultural land in Chelan and Kittitas counties. Shrier supports things I don’t. But I think she really makes an effort to listen to concerns of rural voters. She’s got my vote. 

So why is this race even interesting? Republicans would love to flip this district which was Republican for a while. But their candidate this year is unlikely to upend Shrier on her own. However, Shrier has two Democratic opponents, somewhat unusual for a well-respected incumbent. One is a supporter of ranked choice voting, something I support, but I’m not a single-issue voter on that issue. The other, Imraan Saddiqi has the endorsement of a rabbi, David Basior, leader of a Kadima Reconstructionist Jewish community, and a Jewish Chaplain, Abby Brockton, along with other individuals who are either Muslim or Uber-progressive. If you’ve read any of my various posts about Israel, you’ll know that I find it easy to locate Jewish people who express a thousand different opinions about any issue, including Jews who don’t support the existence of a Jewish state. But I find it difficult to find Muslims who will openly condemn Hamas, or openly support a two-state solution that would include a Jewish state. The national CAIR website states: “CAIR condemns all acts of violence against civilians by any individual, group or state.” So why can’t they publicly condemn the atrocities of October 7? 

Saddiqi and his supporters want a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. They will likely get their wish in the near future unless the entire Middle East blows up first. But I want to see clear condemnation of Hamas’ actions on October 7 and support for a two-state solution. I want Saddiqi and CAIR to distance themselves from Iran’s determination to eliminate the state of Israel. Is that too much to ask? 

It will be interesting to see if Saddiqi can garner one of the top-two spots in the primary, thus putting him on the November ballot. That’s unlikely in the 8th District, but who knows? In any event, if you wish you could vote to stop killing children, here’s your chance. Move to Washington’s 8th Congressional District right now!