A KING 5 poll of the King County Executive race shows that Susan Hutchison, the former news anchor, is still riding high on her massive name recognition advantage. It appears her notoriety and solid Republican base make Hutchison a near certainty to move past the top two primary on Aug. 18.

This puts Democrats in a difficult position. With the recent initiative to make the office of King County Executive non-partisan, the race will be harder to frame as Democrat versus Republican—playing right into the hands of the well-known Hutchison.

To hold on to this office, Democrats should be trying to unite behind a single candidate even now. The fight to cut into Hutchison’s name recognition dominance and boost from a solid conservative base cannot start early enough for Democrats. The newly non-partisan nature of the office necessitates haste.

While numbers were previously muddled, the new poll shows that Dow Constantine is now a front-runner among Democrats. He has already proven himself a capable leader in a long career of public service and this new poll confirms his viability. Only through unifying can the Democratic majority of King County prevent a candidate out of step with their ideals from usurping a vital office.”

Nick Rosellini

Bellevue