N in Seattle already mentioned it, but, this is a surprise.
From his botched announcement last November to this abrupt end, Burgess’s campaign never caught the tailwind many expected. He was considered a leading challenger last year—a sort of mayor in waiting, after Mayor McGinn’s two years of floundering—but McGinn seems to have found sea legs at City Hall, and a pack of heavyweight contenders crowded into the race in January and February. In particular, state senator Ed Murray and to a lesser extent Council Member Bruce Harrell have emerged in the race as safe bets for institutional backers that represent downtown business, and, unlike Burgess, can’t be portrayed as conservative outliers (Burgess infamously sponsored a controversial aggressive panhandling bill that failed in 2010).
Burgess has also been unraveling this week.
After the news that the 36th District—Burgess’s home district—would split its endorsement between him and Murray, yesterday came the news from PubliCola that Burgess fired his spokesman. And then the 46th District Democrats, who represent the relatively wealthy, white district of northeast Seattle that seems like Burgess’s base, didn’t endorse him at all. Also the city council’s biggest advocate to bring back the Sonics, Burgess took a blow when the NBA nixed the deal Wednesday.
At the beginning, I’d thought he’d make it through the primary, so that’s obviously yet another Carl Ballard prediction wrong. It also means I won’t have a chance to do a metacommentary on this old Seattle Times op-ed he wrote before he was elected to City Council. And his dropping out this late means we won’t have to deal with some Republicans.
FASCINATING
This looks like a race now made for Ed Murry. Harrel and McGinn will chop each other’s interests groups up and one may survive. Burgess’ support is likely to go to Murry or Steinbrueck. If Peter is smart he will campaign against the sweet heart deals between Vulcan and the city. His paternal heritage would put him on a unique place to do that while also appealing to the under represented and underserved denizens of Seattle’s ugly, over priced, aluminum sided downtown condoville.
My bet is that Murry will be number one in the primary. Steinbrueck is the only one who could beat him in the secondary BUT Peter needs to get his act together to come in number two,
@1
Steinbrueck needs to stop with his habit of starting every stump speech with a tale of how his father saved Pike Place Market.
I could take him more seriously if he did that.
Harrell is a complete dolt, if you ask me. Watch the interview that the 36th district Dems did – they’re very organized – he’s all sloganeering and puffery.
This makes it a bit more interesting – seems to come down to McGinn v. Murray, really.
I think you left the “i” off of Harrel’s being a doit. I have met the man briefly and he was a shallow self promoter. The man seems to think that being a hybrid of Aftican and Japanese ancestors is an important qualification.
McGinn strikes me as a nice guy and, after some practical experience, Mr. MicGinn has become a c0mpetent bureaucrat. He would be a good “hire” as a deputy mayor to run the city. However, McGinn has proven to be feckless .. he shows no leadership. His campaign runs on filing potholes and appeasing Vulcan.
Ed Murry is a very impressive guy … a candidate with the potential to become a great mayor IF he takes meaningful stands. I expect, given Ed’s intelligence and history of leadership, that he will choose real issues and make those beacons of his mayor job if he is elected.
Steinbrueck has no choice but to define himself by his father’s heritage. That is a great thing IF Steinbrueck has the leadership skills to fill those shoes. The new Seattle is an architectural mess.His father’s vission of Seattle, not just the market, as a city for diver people is failing, the Market has become a zoo where tourists come to see the old Seattle and its denizens but end up taking pictures of each other.
The problem is that Peter Steinbrueck has not yet articulated his heritage in any specific way. I think Peter could win by campaigning for a liveable city .. make downtown and SLU Peter Steibrueck issues the way Victor Steinbrueck made the Pike place Market his issue.
@3
I think I agree entirely with that.
(I’m not sure what this means, though: “I think you left the “i” off of Harrel’s being a doit.” What’s a ‘doit’?)
@3,4
I’m not quite as strong of an Ed Murray fan, but that sounds about right.