Early Republican endorsements irk newcomer in race

by Pat Muir
Yakiam Herald-Republic
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Scott Hess
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State House candidate and political newcomer Scott Hess has a beef with fellow Republicans who endorsed a competitor before the filing period even began.

Hess believes Yakima City Councilman Norm Johnson has been ordained as "the chosen one" by the local GOP establishment.

Johnson had picked up endorsements from a virtual who's who of local Republicans, including current and former state lawmakers, before announcing himself as a candidate in late May. Hess, who only got into the race last Friday, wishes they would have waited so other candidates could make their cases.

"It's not only unfair to me, it's unfair to the rest of the community, the other Republicans," Hess, 35, said Thursday during a news conference about his candidacy.

Hess and Johnson are among a pack of candidates seeking the 14th District state House seat soon to be vacated by retiring Rep. Mary Skinner, R-Yakima. Other Repub-lican candidates include former Union Gap Mayor Aubrey Reeves, former Union Gap schools chief Bob McLaughlin, and two Yakima attorneys, J.J. Sandlin and Al Schweppe. Yakima school board president Vickie Ybarra is running as a Democrat. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, in the Aug. 19 primary will advance to the Nov. 4 general election.

It shouldn't be surprising that local Republicans have lined up behind a candidate they know, Yakima County Republican Chair-man Jim Keightley said, stressing that the party itself does not endorse candidates in a primary.

"To be honest, this Mr. Hess, we don't know him," Keightley said. "He's never made himself available to us and has never been an active member of the Republican Party."

Hess, a field repre-sentative for the National Federation of Inde-pendent Business, said he plans to run a grass-roots, door-to-door campaign and hopes to raise $2,000 to $3,000 for advertising and expenses in the primary election.

That fundraising goal is well below what is generally considered necessary for a state House campaign in Yakima. In the 2006 race for the 14th District state House seat, Charles Ross and Ron Bonlender, for example, combined to spend more than $150,000.

Hess repeatedly mentioned Ross and state Sen. Curtis King, both recently elected Republicans, as part of the new guard he'd like to join. Ross and King, however, have endorsed Johnson.

 

* Pat Muir can be reached at 577-7693 or pmuir@yakimaherald.com.