Spokesman-Review Calls Election for Parker!
State Rep. Barlow Loses Seat
November 7, 2008
OLYMPIA – Two years after ousting an incumbent to claim a seat in the state House of Representatives, Rep. Don Barlow finds himself on the opposite end of the equation. After an expensive, close race, Barlow, D-Spokane, has lost to Republican challenger Kevin Parker.
A second race in the same western-Spokane district, meanwhile, remains too close to call.
State Rep. John Ahern, D-Spokane, trails Democratic challenger John Driscoll by 373 votes out of more than 60,000 cast. Driscoll has a 50.3 percent lead to Ahern’s 49.7 percent. The tight race could end in an automatic recount.
Thousands of ballots still remain to be counted. But Parker has a 52 percent to 48 percent lead over Barlow. And recent ballot counts have trended more toward Parker.
Reached at home this morning, Barlow conceded that he’s likely lost.
“I’m pretty much resigned to the fact that I’m not going to be reelected,” he said.
He said he expected the later ballots to trend Republican, but had hoped for a larger cushion of initial Democratic votes.
In 2006, Barlow narrowly edged out Republican incumbent John Serben by 260 votes. Barlow and state Sen. Chris Marr, also elected that year, were the first Democratic lawmakers elected for decades in the 6th Legislative District, a crescent-shaped area wrapping around Spokane from the west. Even amid 2006’s “tsunami” of votes for Democratic lawmakers in Washington, the Democratic coup in Spokane stunned Republican Party leaders.
Both parties were clearly hoping to gain ground in the district this time.
“I knew it was going to be a tough election,” Barlow said. “The second time around, I knew I was the target.”
Money poured into the battleground district, with candidates and their allies raising more than $800,000 this year.
Barlow said he’ll miss the activity and friends in the Legislature, but feels he got a lot done in just two years. He sponsored bills tightening training requirements for counselors, establishing an Eastern Washington veterans’ cemetery, and improving state funding for education. He said he plans to return to his longtime career as a teacher and counselor.
“When one door closes, another one opens,” he said.
Parker praised Barlow as an honorable man and said he was touched by personal stories of people he met during the campaign.
“It was a long journey but a very enjoyable one,” Parker said.
He added that he hopes to bring change to Olympia, push for tighter state budgeting, and join forces with other Eastern Washington lawmakers to represent the region. High on the agenda: moving forward with the North Spokane Corridor project.
“I want to earn the respect even of those who did not vote for me,” he said.
Richard Roesler and Jonathan Brunt
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=17628
Parker Wins!
Parker Knocks Off Barlow in 6th
November 6, 2008
6th Legislative District candidate Kevin Parker has won the Republicans their first switchover seat of 2008 in the state House.
Parker’s race against Rep. Don Barlow was called by the Spokesman-Review today with Parker ahead by almost 3,000 votes.
“We’re excited,” Parker told PolitickerWA.com about his victory. “We also have a deep awareness that the real work is just beginning.”
Parker attributed the victory to his volunteers and the work of his campaign manager, Spencer Hutchins.
“This campaign had an abundance of excited people who helped us knock on doors and make phone calls,” Parker said of a group that made more than 10,000 personal phone calls in the closing weeks of the campaign.
But the Spokane Republican deserves some credit himself. Parker became a legend among state Republicans for personally knocking on 21,751 doors this cycle.
Parker was also sure to give a respectful nod to the man he defeated.
“My opponent, Rep. Barlow is an honorable man,” Parker gracefully added. “It was an honor to run against an individual who has given so much too the community.”
The district’s other race for state Rep., featuring Rep. John Ahern (R-Spokane) and John Driscoll (D-Spokane), is still too close to call with Driscoll leading by fewer than 400 votes.
Bryan Bissell
http://www.politickerwa.com/bryanbissell/2594/parker-knocks-barlow-6th
Johnson: Elect Proven Role Model
Elect Proven Role Model
October 26, 2008
I would like you to consider voting for Kevin Parker, who is running for the Washington state House of Representatives for the 6th District of Spokane. Kevin has played a formative role in my life and the lives of many of my peers.
I met Kevin Parker as a junior-higher while he was a volunteer Young Life leader. As I have continued to know Kevin and his wife Kerry on into my adult life, he has continued to be a consistent, insightful and supportive friend and mentor. During my high school years he was called to Littleton, Colo., for a position in Young Life and was there when the shootings took place. From that day on he and his wife opened their home to many students who just needed a place to find peace and hope. Several of those students have now become some of my close friends.
As I have observed Kevin over the past fifteen years I have found him to be a man of great integrity, wisdom and passion. I am confident these qualities will abound as he serves the 6th District.
Krista L. Johnson
Spokane
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/opinion/letter.asp?ID=19239
Wilhite: Parker Best for Small Business
Parker Best for Small Business
November 1, 2008
With the downturn in the economy and the projected state budget deficit reaching a staggering $3.2 billion, this election is critical for the citizens of Washington state. On Sept. 23 at a League of Women Voters forum in Spokane, state Rep. Don Barlow made the following statement: “I think an income tax is an option right now. We need to take a close look at our system of budgeting. We are not coming up with enough dollars in order to provide quality programs for the people and I do think down the line an income tax is going to have to be looked at.”
This statement is shocking for several reasons, but a legislator who’d suggest what we need in these trying times is a new income tax should give voters of the 6th Legislative District strong pause.
Fortunately, there’s a candidate in the race who rejects this “government first, higher taxes” approach. That’s why NFIB’s SAFE Trust has endorsed Kevin Parker for state representative. Kevin is a small business owner who knows how to solve problems by protecting Main Street and returning some fiscal sanity to Olympia.
Please help small businesses and their employees in Spokane by voting for Kevin Parker.
Diana Wilhite
National Federation of Independent Business Leadership Council
