What's in a name? Top two ballots allow for party wiggle room

Shakespeare's Juliet once pondered, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet." But in politics, does the same rule apply?

Washington's new "top two" primary is giving candidates a chance to find out whether or not the Republican Party, by any other name, would smell as sweet.

The top two ballots de-emphasize the role of political parties by merely requiring that "Each candidate for partisan office may state a political party that he or she prefers." That, and candidates may not assert themselves as an official nominee of any party, and the only boundaries otherwise being that the party not be obscene, and be limited to 16 characters.

By and large the party preferences statements have been very predictable. Most candidates say that they "prefer Democratic Party" or "prefer Republican party", along with a few Greens and Constitution Partiers. The most common variation on the filing list is between Republican and GOP, two terms that are synonymous for the same thing.

Rep. Jim McCune (R-Graham), Sen. Linda Evans Parlette (R-Wenatchee), and the Minority Leader Rep. Richard DeBolt (R-Chehalis) all said that they preferred the GOP Party. So did DeBolt's 20th District seatmate Rep. Gary Alexander (R-Olympia), though Sen. Dan Swecker (R-Rochester) listed himself as Republican.

The only statewide candidate to prefer the GOP instead of the Republican moniker is gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi. His campaign spokesperson, Jill Strait, said the decision had to do with familiarity and branding.

"On our last campaign, and currently on all our signs and campaign literature it says GOP. We've spent millions on creating that brand and we've found that voters know what it means," she said.

Rep. Norma Smith (R-Clinton) prefers GOP, too, and for similar reasons as Rossi. She recalled that it was what her old boss Rep. Jack Metcalf liked to use, and that she liked what it stood for.

"It is consistent with what I have done in the past," Smith said of her GOP ballot designation. "It is recognized officially as a designation of the party, the Grand Old Party. I like the significance of it."

In another variation, challenger Thomas Thomas (R-Port Angeles) in the 24th, merely put "R", as did Rep. Dan Kristiansen (R-Snohomish) in the 39th LD, and 7th District candidate Shelly Short (R-Addy). Shelton's Herb Baze, running in the 35th District, suggested a little more than Smith and Rossi for his choice of "R" over Republican.

"The HROC asked us to go with either R or GOP on the west side of the mountains, but they said on the east side of the mountains they said they could go with either R, GOP or Republican, but they didn't say why," Baze said of the House Republican Organizational Committee, the campaign arm of the Washington State House Republican caucus.

But it also came down to symmetry between the ballot and the road signs.

"I've just got an R on all my printed material," Baze said.

Rep. DeBolt, who heads the HROC, did not return a phone call seeking comment on the strategy.

Some candidates have changed their status from GOP to Republican since signing up, and others have been the given the opportunity to do so, but have declined. One of those is 35th District candidate Randy Neatherlin (R-Belfair), who lists the most unique party preference, the "No Gas Taxes (R)" party.

"Taxes are my top campaign priority," Neatherlin said. "Taxes have gotten so high. Everything is just getting to the extreme."

He felt that voters, too many of whom are feeling the pinch in the gas tank and are losing their homes due in his opinion to high taxes, would appreciate seeing Neatherlin's principles on the ballot.

"When I was sitting writing it down I thought to myself, ‘might as well make a statement along with it,'" Neatherlin commented.

He was also surprised to find that he was in such a vast minority by getting creative with his ballot preference.

"It actually shows the country's problem with waste," he said. "How can I be the only one thinking outside the box? It just goes to show why we are in the situation we're in. Government should always take full advantage of what they are given."

The Democratic candidates had fewer varieties of preference, mainly due to the lack of a secondary party nickname like the GOP. Rep. Brendan Williams (D-Olympia) is one exception. He said that he preferred the "Progressive Democratic Party." In another instance, though he chose Democratic as his preferred party, Congress-turned state House candidate in the 15th District, John Gotts (D-White Salmon) used the opportunity to call himself John (Jobs) Gotts.

"That's my nickname because that is what I do. I create jobs. I've been an entrepreneur all my life," Gotts proclaimed.

Gotts is a successful internet entrepreneur who is looking to create more industry south central Washington. He says he has brought in venture capital money to start industries in the area that turn gas cars to electric, create wind energy and turn algae into bio fuel. He also wants to create a dairy cooperative based on the one in Tillamook, Oregon in Yakima.

"I believe we can solve most of the problems in our communities," he said about creating more jobs. "All of these things come from industry of scale in our community. You can't just say we need things, give us money, You have to create money."

Perhaps implying that on the top two ballot is the first step.

Finally, there was but one Democrat who wrote that she preferred the "D" Party, Yakima's Vicky Ybarra who is running in the 14th LD. The political newcomer thought it may have had more to do with her entry to politics than anything else.

"I don't think there is a lot of significance to that [decision]," she said. "It is the way I've seen campaign signs around town, and people designate the single letter, either D or R."