Larry Cooney

The past few days have seen a slew of challengers step up for state House and Senate seats here In Washington.

Here is a quick rundown of what is the what.

Springtime in an election year means no rest for the weary over at the PDC. Besides the usual fundraising minutiae, there is also the fact that nary a day goes by without new candidates filing for office. Here is a rundown of the action so far this week.

Chris Mulick reports that Democrat Mark Jay Flanders will challenge Rep. Doug Erickson in Whatcom County's 42nd, and John Nyberg, also a Democrat, will join the race for retiring Rep. Bill Fromhold's seat in Vancouver's 49th. He also notes that Republican Michael A. Novack is seeking to be the M.A.N. for Rep. Timm Ormsby's (D-Spokane) job in the 3rd District.

Over in Kitsap County, the Caucus blog says Republican Larry Cooney will challenge Rep. Sherry Appleton in the 23rd.

Finally, the Yakima Herald reports that professional kayaker Tao Berman (D-White Salmon) will challenge Rep. Dan Newhouse, the Sunnyside Republican, in the 15th District.

"I understand that very conservative Republicans probably are not going to vote for me," Berman told the Herald regarding his entry into the solidly Republican district. "However, I believe there are a lot of Republicans who really share my values,"