Kelli Linville

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Washington state House Democrats chose their committee chairs at a meeting in Olympia today, assigning leadership for twenty-five different committees.

"We have a terrific team of chairs," said Majority Leader Lynn Kessler (D-Hoquiam).  "They are experienced and excited, and ready to take on the challenges of the upcoming session."

Notably, the race for the powerful appropriations committee chair, which was well documented this fall between rival Representatives Kelli Linville (D-Bellingham) and Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish), went to Linville. Dunshee, who had been vice chair, was given the helm of the capital budget committee.

The appropriations committee was then re-named and is now called "ways and means."

See the full list as presented by the House Democrats below.

State Rep. Kelli Linville (D-Bellingham) appears headed to the top opf the influential House appropriations committee for the 2009 session, leapfrogging Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish) who was the vice chair this past session under retiring Rep. Helen Sommers (D-Seattle).

Speculation that Linville would get the post has been rampant this fall, but the Seattle P-I now reports that Dunshee was recently informed by Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, considered the man in charge in Olympia, that he would not get the post.

The move was not confirmed by the P-I, but according to Dunshee, the decision is all Chopp's, and therefore as good as done.

One of the most competitive and heated races in the state is in Seattle's 36th Legislative District where two Democrats, Reuven Carlyle and John Burbank, are vying for the seat being vacated by long-serving Rep. Helen Sommers.

But the drama does not end when one of those two is elected this November. There is also the matter of who fills in for Sommers in the House Democratic leadership. Sommers, after all, was the chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

Joe Turner at the TNT gives some speculation on that. Read his take here, involving the fates of Reps. Kelli Linville (D-Bellingham), Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish) and Timm Ormsby (D-Spokane.)

BELLINGHAM - The Whatcom County Democrats have seen some good signs this fall, but are not quite ready to declare full on victory.

County party chair Natalie McClendon says that canvassing results from a number of swing districts in the county, where independents are expected to split down the middle, have come back indicating more than two-thirds support for presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

But those same numbers haven't been as strong for Gov. Chris Gregoire. McClendon says there are far more undecided voters in the gubernatorial rematch between Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi.