The Long Run

Election news and commentary by Charlie Bermant

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Semi Bird, during a Port Townsend appearance on May 4. Beacon photo by Charlie Bermant [/caption]

Jefferson County Republicans had a big day on Saturday, May 4, beginning with a capacity crowd fundraiser at the Port Townsend Elks Club and followed by a downtown appearance by Semi Bird, the Republican State Party endorsed gubernatorial candidate.

About sixty people came and went at the Pope Marine Building, listening to what is often characterized as Bird’s uplifting message. Bird, 63, is an impressive, personable candidate. He appears to speak extemporaneously, politely acknowledging every question while showing his knowledge in a variety of areas. He is a linguist, fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and a constitutional expert on both State and Federal levels. Other people might position these accomplishments in an annoying and condescending frame, but Bird appears to be humble about his accomplishments and doesn’t make other people feel stupid.

I say “appears” to be humble because politics is an act. Bird projects a likability and knowledge that you’d like to see in an elected official. But we need to ask ourselves about any politician: how much of this is real? Politicians are packaged, processed, and inoculated with sound bites and talking points. But Bird seems—that word again—to be authentic.

His story is compelling: Born in Oakland, CA as one of a single mother’s seven children, the family moved to Seattle when he was 6 or 7 years old. A high school dropout, he joined the Marines, where he built a career and earned several degrees. He received a pile of medals and worked for the Department of Energy and, he hints, for intelligence services. He is the example, he says, of someone who was born in poverty and lifted himself up into a successful career.

“There has never been a candidate like me,” Bird told the Beacon. “I defy the party labels. I am the first African American candidate who has been endorsed by a major party for a statewide office in Washington. We are breaking new ground, and you can expect to see something different.

“I also see the trend in the Seattle City Council. They moved towards the right, and I'm not saying they’re conservative, but they're seeing what was happening in Seattle with homelessness, the lawlessness, and the breakdown of our education system. So they’re upset because things aren’t going well. This is the perfect time for a transitional change candidate such as myself.”

One of Bird’s favorite sayings  is that he won’t say anything bad about anyone, “but these are the facts.” He used that phrase to describe Republican Dave Reichert, a perceived frontrunner in the gubernatorial election. The “fact” is that Bird earned a supermajority of delegates for the convention’s endorsement. Reichert withdrew, Bird said, because he saw he was not going to get the endorsement.

Reichert disputes this account, saying he withdrew from consideration because he didn’t like the party’s direction. Many news reports described the convention as a “chaotic” gathering that antagonized many party members.

Bird’s charm, it turns out, is context-free. According to the Seattle Times, he is a strong supporter of Donald Trump, but the former president's name is absent from his web page and local appearances. He was recalled from the Richland School Board for his support of student choice when it comes to masking. He failed to disclose his conviction for a financial misdemeanor in the early 1990s, for which he has repeatedly apologized.

Bird has raised $482,000, according to the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission. He is fourth, behind Attorney General Bob Ferguson ($6.6 million), Reichert, ($1.5 million), and State Senator Mark Mullet ($1.1 million).  The Republican nightmare is a scenario where Democrats Ferguson and Mullet prevail in the August 5 primary, leaving the Grand Old Party out in the cold.

Bird’s appearance at Pope Marine Park was the first of many Pop-up Campaign Events planned by the Jefferson County Republicans. If they let us know in time, we will post notices of these events in advance..

In other election news, District 2 candidate Heidi Eisenhour is also as yet unopposed.

Republican Marcia Kelbon, who is now running for State Senate, ran against District 3 Jefferson Commissioner Greg Brotherton in 2022, earning 32.2 percent of the vote. She is the only county commissioner candidate to identify as a Republican since 2012.

“We’ve been looking hard, we’re still looking fpr someone to run,” said Jefferson County Republican Party Chair John Marshall at a fundraiser on May 4. “We still hope that someone will step forward next week.” Retiree Leo Boyd of Port Ludlow is less optimistic.”The reason that we have no one running for commissioner is that it’s Western Washington. That’s what’s going on.”

Marshall acknowledged that local Republican candidates get about 35 percent of the vote, although occasionally it edges toward 40. There are a lot of dissatisfied Democrats crossing over, he said.

Such an increase from 35 to 40 percent would be an impressive gain if it were a batting average. But in elections,  40 percent still loses.

“It’s a new party; there are a lot of new faces,” said Larry Carter, a twice unsuccessful legislative candidate who ran the day’s auction. “Something is happening, and it’s truly local. It’s obvious that things need to change, and that change can start at this level where we are working.”

There is much ill feeling between local political parties, something Carter has felt personally. In 2022, he knocked on 4,000 doors in support of Republican US Senate Candidate Tiffany Smiley. He was spat on, threatened verbally, and once faced the barrel of a gun. I wondered whether it goes both ways, asking Carter whether a Democratic doorbeller would face similar hostility from Republican households.

“I don’t know, I’ve never been a Democrat,” he said before he acknowledged “there are wackos on both sides.” (Very fine wackos?)

It takes great courage for a Republican to knock on doors in Jefferson County. Especially Port Townsend, where there is an up to 70 percent chance they will face a hostile audience. For this, it suggests that people of one party answering a guest from another should strike up a dialogue and listen to the other side.

However, few people are seeking help to change their minds, especially from someone from across the political aisle who has the audacity to interrupt their afternoon nap.  It doesn’t have to be this way, if we can crack open our minds a bit. These interactions could benefit both participants, if they are able to ignore the party line noise and listen to each other.

Or not. As  many people are indoctrinated by our political parties, these discussions are likely to end up as a series of talking points and clichés, inevitably ending with “What about her emails?”

Those hosting political events should go to jeffcobeacon.com and enter the details in our community calendar.