WA political campaign consultant, ""data guy"", falafel purchaser. Saw "snakes on a plane" in theaters for some reason, so adjust your priors accordingly
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Articles by Ben Anderstone
Outside Seattle: Growing Skepticism over Social-Service Spending
- [Eds. Note: This piece was first published as a newsletter penned by Ben Anderstone, a political consultant at Progressive Strategies NW, and is reposted here at Post Alley, in lightly modified form, with Ben’s permission.] Seattle’s February social housing ballot measure passed the city with 57 percent of the vote. The April Crisis Center Levy, passed by King County voters, did way better, hitting 74 percent support in Seattle. Despite that, there are big signs of strained patience.
Winners and Losers in Seattle’s New City Council Districts
- Seattle has experienced a lot of growing pains in recent years – and so have its City Council districts. Between the 2010 and 2020 Censuses, Seattle added 130,000 residents, and the population of the average Seattle City Council district swelled by nearly 20,000. And with that growth comes change. Seattle’s City Council Redistricting Commission, tasked with re-balancing the districts to match their “ideal” populations, had their work cut out for them.
Trump calls them suspicious, but WA has counted late ballots for years
As recently as Wednesday, President Donald Trump called for the prohibition of late-arriving mail ballots, falsely implying that they’re inherently suspicious. This came just days after Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in the Wisconsin voter case, suggested that some states might even seek to declare final results on election night. But what would a world without late-arriving mail ballots look like? Fortunately, five states have a history of routinely conducting elections this way.
Opinion | 3 things WA can teach the U.S. about late ballots
As recently as Wednesday, President Donald Trump called for the prohibition of late-arriving mail ballots, falsely implying that they’re inherently suspicious. This came just days after Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in the Wisconsin voter case, suggested that some states might even seek to declare final results on election night. But what would a world without late-arriving mail ballots look like? Fortunately, five states have a history of routinely conducting elections this way.
How the Metro Transit vote ran into a deep ditch
It’s become the hot topic in any discussion of transit funding: Whither the King County suburbs? Last month, initial results of King County’s Proposition 1 vote indicated that the measure had received a beating outside of Seattle. In ensuing weeks, Seattle-based transit advocates announced “Plan C,” a Seattle-specific effort to boost property taxes to stave off Metro cuts.
Why Puget Sounders likely have more boats than air conditioners
I grew up in North Tacoma, in a neighborhood of pre-war Craftsman houses. No one, regardless of their economic station, had air conditioning. In the fifth grade a kid transferred to my school – Ryan, I think – who overturned this established order. His mom was an Army wife out of North Carolina. Even on a modest officers’ salary, she insisted on a newly installed central air system for their home. The weather got hot, and Ryan enjoyed a brief, intense period of after-school popularity.
Episode Six - An Interview with Ben Anderstone - The Obsessive Progressive
Hello and welcome! Episode Six; where The OPP interviews political consultant Ben Anderstone (of Progressive Strategies Northwest) about the 2018 election, whether the Democrats have many structural obstacles to win back the U.S. Senate in 2020, and what we can do to make our democracy more responsive to, and reflective of, We the People. Subscribe to the show on iTunes and Google Play.
They can pass a budget, but do WA lawmakers know their Beyoncé?
It has been one hell of a month, hasn’t it? Washington narrowly avoided a state shut down, and it’s not only the legislators who are fatigued this Fourth of July. We are, too. You know what also exhausts us? Our lack of civility, which most Americans say has only gotten worse since Trump was elected president. On any given day, try reading the comments posted to Crosscut (You’d want to drink, too). So we started wondering about our politicians. Could they be more alike than we think?
7 things to do in Seattle
Westerlies Fest Not content to merely wow audiences from Seattle to NYC with their lovely and lulling compositions, locally grown brass quartet The Westerlies are sharing their skills and the stage with a younger generation.
As Trump stymies immigration, Seattle hangs welcome signs
That message, in both English and Spanish, will scroll on TV monitors in gate and baggage claim areas, officials announced on Monday at a press conference. The PSAs are part of a broader effort to welcome refugees into the country, connect them with services, and, when possible, provide them with pathways to U.S. citizenship.
5 things to watch in the 8th District race
This is an edition of Crosscut’s new election newsletter. Sign up here! Love it or hate it, Washington state’s primary elections system does have one thing going for it: It can tell the future. In Washington state, we have a few uncommon election laws on the books. First, with no party registration and party preference appearing only nominally on our ballots, voters are completely free to choose their top options among all candidates in a primary.
When the muse is mental illness, the moves are brisk, dreamy
In rehearsal, De Jesús is quiet, smiling, intently focused on the dancers. After one animated sequence, he tells them he wants clarity over “excess energy.” The idea is to invite the audience into what the performers are doing rather than thrust the dance out at viewers. “The concept that we’re exploring is about imbalance,” he says after rehearsal, “so it’s a general concept that we can all experience. We all experience it socially.
Faith groups hope to make carbon fee a moral and spiritual choice
“God's creation and Earth's ecosystems are crying out for long-term solutions for a changing climate,” the announcement said. “Initiative 1631 is an excellent first step towards creating a healthy and homegrown energy future.” Seattle First Baptist isn’t alone. In fact, the church is part of a large ecosystem of faith communities pushing for this carbon fee policy and several other pieces of green legislation.
Seattle City Attorney's promise to prosecute put to the test
Here in Seattle, activists chanted and picketed in front of the Westin Seattle, located downtown, at one point snarling traffic on 5th Avenue, between Stewart and Virginia streets. The tactic of blocking traffic has become commonplace in Seattle activism, but unlike protesters in previous actions, the hotel workers who took to the streets Monday night did so with the expectation that they would likely be prosecuted for their actions.
Reading the Washington results: a smart person's guide
It’s an Election Night ritual. Washington State political wonks – perennial and fair-weather – gather ‘round the electronic hearths of their laptops and smartphones. They refresh frantically as soon as the clock strikes 8 p.m. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of votes are tabulated by counties across the state.Inevitably, just past 8:10 p.m., the first results show up. And they are awful. Or great! It all depends on which of Washington’s 39 counties reports first.
Stop that plane: The frantic race to halt a deportation
When Courtney Gregoire read about the chaos unfolding in New York’s John F. Kennedy airport Saturday morning, she began to wonder how President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries would play out in Seattle. Gregoire, an attorney and the daughter of former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, is a commissioner of the Port of Seattle, which oversees the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The GOP is having to play defense - even in Washington's deep-red districts
District 3 While McMorris Rogers’ prominent position in the Republican caucus earned her race national attention, it would be fair to say that the incumbent congresswoman in Washington’s 3rd District — Jaime Herrera Beutler — was hoping to keep out of the national fray. Herrera Beutler, first elected in the GOP-leaning 2010 midterms, has adopted a public posture that reflects southwestern Washington’s historically swingy status.
Smoky skies don’t deter Seattle sightseers
The guides who inform and entertain crowds during their 43 second trip to the top had revised their usual spiel too — on one trip there was talk of air quality index numbers, the hazards of outdoor exposure and suggestions for indoor entertainment in the city. One guide reminded visitors that the winter rains have made Seattleites good at finding indoor distractions. Another wore a black mask, as many have around the city, to filter out the smoke.
Lost: Seattle's laid-back charm
Many folks came to Seattle in the late 20th and early 21st centuries looking for comfort, to kick back, to be a little more like their true selves here rather than someone stuck in a rat race. People wanted less glitz and more real; a town laid back enough, you could find yourself. Seattle made it easy. We were relatively accepting, tolerant. Our politics were open, our social hierarchies flat. We were a middle-class city, for better or worse.
Overperforming state Republicans due for a dousing
Still, though, Washington State Republicans are a resilient sort. Even as a thudding 36 percent of Washington voters marked Donald Trump on their ballots in 2016, the GOP managed to hold an effective 49 percent of Washington state legislative seats. The 2017 special elections in Washington’s 31st and 45th Districts did ultimately succeed in shifting the balance of power in Olympia, but they did not suggest a huge wave, either. Sen.
Who voted for whom? A dive into Seattle’s election data
Even without the extended wait for clear results in the mayor’s race, this primary election was a grueling one. With 36 candidates spread among only three municipal races, voters were faced with an incredible number of choices — many genuinely viable. But the complexity also makes the race an incredible opportunity to learn more about the nuances of our city and its voter base. Now, there’s reason to resist over-analyzing in election analysis.
The Nazis' last days in the Northwest
This is the fifth in a special series about the forgotten history of Nazis in the Northwest. The series starts here.Fritz Wiedemann is “probably the most dangerous Nazi in the country."-- Look Magazine, December 1940In early December, 1940, an athletically built man in a boldly patterned brown tweed jacket and a beret bolted out the door of a restaurant on Marion Street in Seattle and strode up toward Fourth Avenue, pursued by a Seattle Times photographer.
After Democratic upsets, is Washington's 8th District next?
OPINION Last week, Democrat Conor Lamb edged out Republican Rick Saccone in a special election in Pennsylvania congressional district. Lamb, a “blue dog Democrat” who openly touted his pro-gun credentials and personal faith, won a narrow victory of around 627 votes over Saccone. The margin may have been tight, but it was still damning. The Pittsburgh-area district shouldn’t have been competitive. Donald Trump won the district by nearly 20 percentage points in 2016.
What it's like teaching hip-hop in a private school vs. a prison
My first record purchase in the fall of 1979 was the 12-inch single “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang. I knew nothing about this song except that the Sugarhill logo on the record jacket reminded me of candy (I was nine-years-old at the time). And, the person at the counter seemed to approve of my choice. Although the bassline sounded familiar, when the vocals began I was thoroughly confused. Why were these people not singing? Who makes a record and just talks over the beat?
Election data: Yes, Seattle played it safe
In the midst of a national storm driven by a chaotic presidency, declining institutional trust and increasing anxiety in blue America, Seattle’s voters did a funny thing. They stuck with the status quo. The outcome of last week’s election contrast with Seattle’s growing national reputation: From gay marriage to marijuana, from electing socialist firebrand Kshama Sawant to a first-in-the-nation public campaign-financing plan, Seattleites are seen as more than progressive.
Can a Democrat replace Reichert? It's a numbers game
It was the echo heard across the Cascades. The recent retirement announcement by seven-term U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert opens Washington’s first truly competitive congressional race since 2010. The 67-year-old Reichert was hardly the most obvious contender to step aside nationwide, especially after a 20-point win in 2016. But with Republican retirements mounting nationwide, Reichert becomes the latest in a series of races putting the GOP on the defensive.
The Trump effect: How it's playing out in our local elections
It took Donald Trump to politically unify King County, but it didn’t last. Following last year’s presidential election, speculation ran rampant about whether President Trump —who received a thudding 21 percent of King County ballots — would change local elections. Perhaps, some reasoned, Trump would galvanize local Democrats into supporting progressive firebrands.
Who voted for who? A dive into Seattle's election data
Seattle's primary voting put Jenny Durkan in the top spot for the two-person race for mayor in the November general election. Credit: Joseph Liu/KCTS9 Even without the extended wait for clear results in the mayor’s race, this primary election was a grueling one. With 36 candidates spread among only three municipal races, voters were faced with an incredible number of choices — many genuinely viable.
Latecomers turn mayor's race into a mosh pit
The Seattle mayor’s race went suddenly from tepid to tumultuous last month, and the next two weeks will likely shake it up further. The official filing period for candidates opens next Monday and runs all that week. This was going to be a boring year in Seattle politics. With only three citywide races on the ballot, most politicos expected Tim Burgess’s open city council seat to attract the most competition. Incumbent Councilmember Lorena Gonzàlez was expected to prevail virtually uncontested.
Puget Sound really is a political bubble, and it’s getting worse
Gerrymandering. Literally and figuratively, there’s perhaps no uglier word in politics. As a Democratic-leaning political consultant who studies voting patterns, I hear a lot about gerrymandering. From losses in state legislatures, to “skewed” congressional results, to even the Electoral College itself, the “g-word” has become a curse in lefty parlance. To be clear, gerrymandering, the manipulation of political boundaries for partisan gain, is unpopular across party lines.
Trump couldn’t woo Washington’s white working class | Crosscut
Last week, Donald Trump pulled out an unlikely win. Although Trump will likely lose the popular vote by a record margin for a winning candidate, this mixed result shouldn’t diminish from the significance of his victory. This year’s election saw the most electoral realignment of any since 2000. Love or hate the election outcome, it tells us some fascinating things about both America and Washington state today.
Reading the Washington results: a smart person's guide | Crosscut
It’s an Election Night ritual. Washington State political wonks – perennial and fair-weather – gather ‘round the electronic hearths of their laptops and smartphones. They refresh frantically as soon as the clock strikes 8 p.m. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of votes are tabulated by counties across the state. Inevitably, just past 8:10 p.m., the first results show up. And they are awful. Or great! It all depends on which of Washington’s 39 counties reports first.
It’s official: Trump is dragging down state Republicans | Crosscut
Labor Day is upon us, and in the world of politics, that brings a time of reckoning. Historically, this is when campaigns coalesce into a final form. Polls begin to settle. Voters tune in, and previously fluid opinions tend to become more set. In other words, it’s the time of year where even the most optimistic of campaigns must confront reality. This year, the reckoning is likely to be harder for some than in past years.
Trump may be doing permanent damage to Washington GOP
Was last Tuesday one of the worst moments for local Republicans in recent history? When it comes to their party’s long-term chances in Washington state, it may well have been. Despite denouncements from numerous local Republicans, Donald Trump was dominant in last Tuesday’s presidential primary. He received over three-quarters of the statewide vote, even breaking 70 percent in establishment-friendly King County.
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