This weekend I attended the Roanoke Conference, an annual gathering of conservative leaning voters in Washington State.
I am an independent, but my curiosity was piqued following an implausible comeback on the national level and another gubernatorial loss on the state level. While most of the country, including California, moved to the right in the last election cycle, Washington State moved to the left. I wanted to learn more about the conservative people in our state and what they had to say in light of recent developments.
The Roanoke Conference was founded in 2009 over beers at the Roanoke Inn on Mercer Island. Perhaps in good humor, or while still inebriated, they decided to hold it the last full weekend in January at Ocean Shores, when it is not uncommon for the rain to blow sideways, which I experienced personally when I went to another event last year and first heard about this conference.
The event was sold out this year and there were clear skies and warm weather, but what was most surprising was the zen-like atmosphere at the event. I thought maybe I would see raucousness akin to the national conventions I had seen online or the bellicose Republican State Convention I heard about this year, but it was neither. The name “Trump” was rarely mentioned. One presenter called him an “anomaly.” Were people glad that he won? Yes, but they weren’t exuberant. The foci were local issues and the state of this state.
With that, I want to share what I took away from this convention, and it’s not just the remarkable efficiency of feeding 600 people over two and a half days.
1. The Republican Party Has an Image Problem in Washington State
Washington is a blue state getting bluer largely due to demographics, especially in the tech sector. As one presenter noted, people fear Republicans more than holding Democrats accountable. As a result, the candidate matters less than the image of the party. One way around that is to focus on the problem. “Problems unite,” noted one presenter.
Given the supermajority of Democrats in the state legislature (30-19 in the Senate and 59-39 in the House), ballot initiatives are key to making an impact.
2. Keep it Local
In light of the image problem, conservatives, independents and moderates need to talk about issues in between campaigns, not just during a campaign. Pick an issue where there is 60% or more agreement and don’t wait for an election year to bring it up. In local politics, Democrats will try to nationalize a local issue because they see an advantage, but in the process, they are diluting attention away from the issue at hand. The advice was not to take the bait and keep the focus on local issues in the hopes that with repetition, the average voter will hear your message through the noise. Using humor to relay why a policy is ridiculous is another tactic.
3. Judges Matter
Not everyone can name their elected officials and even fewer can name their elected judges. Judges are perhaps the most misunderstood category on the ballot, but an essential one. It makes little sense to pour money and energy into other branches or initiatives only for them to be overturned by the judicial branch, and yet many people, if they even take the time to vote, ask their friends or lawyer-friends about who to vote for.
Nate Nehring, who is on the Snohomish County Council, said there is very little accountability for judges because they often run unopposed, and there is a good reason for that. Many races are uncontested because it is very risky for a trial lawyer to run against an incumbent judge knowing they will eventually have to present a case before them if they lose. Also, there is a significant pay disparity between a good trial lawyer and a judge. Full Court Press, a newly formed training center for judges seeking to run for elected office, is not only working to make judicial races more competitive, but also on developing a metric system to help voters easily evaluate a judge’s record.
4. Money is an Important and Necessary Part of Politics
Money in politics is often associated with sleaze, but money is essential to geting a candidate’s message accross. Chad Magendanz, a former state legislator who ran for state school superintendent in the last election, said he ran everything himself, from creating a website to knocking on doors to putting up yard signs. The Democrats, he said, hired someone to put up yard signs. A candidate isn’t just running against a person. They are running against a machine, and in many cases, a better machine makes all the difference.
5. Politics is a Grind
I thought I would see elites from our state’s Republican Party hobnobbing with each other. The majority of attendees were down to earth politically active people. My take-away from talking to them is that politics is a grind. At our state and local levels, where funding is at a premium, fancy meals or lavish expenditures will not get you elected. Even for offices that you think would be well compensated, getting there is a struggle, especially when you’re in the political minority. Through presenters’ and attendees’ stories, I was able to peak through the window of the good, the bad and the ugly in our state and local politics. It takes a certain character trait to keep participating in this grind.
6. How the Polls Move is an Indicator
Polls might not be entirely accurate, but the direction they move is an indicator of where voters might be moving, and this could be just as important as the actual polling numbers.
7. Politics is More Relational Than I Thought
With Democrats having supermajorities in both houses of our state legislature, Republicans can’t get anything accomplished without working with their Democratic colleagues. If the chair of a committee doesn’t like your bill, they don’t have to hear it. As a result, building relationships is key. Our state legislature is less partisan than what is presented on our national scene.
8. Politics is Local
Bellevue City Council Member Jared Nieuwenhuis talked about the impact of local politics. After hearing complaints about litter around Bellevue, he worked with community members to form “Keep Bellevue Beautiful” and “Adopt a Street” programs, which eventually removed 2,000 abandoned shopping carts from city streets. That is the effect of good local politics, even in a big city.
9. Danger of Censorship
On Friday, the State House of Representatives eliminated a 132-year old rule requiring a supermajority vote to end a debate on the floor. Previously, each member was allowed three minutes to speak before cut off. Now, it only takes a simple majority to end debate, and with the Democrats’ 59-39 advantage in the House, that wouldn’t be a problem. The new rule impedes the minority party from fully participating in debates.
Even though we all elect our officials, one’s party’s officials, apparently, matter more than others.
Government officials also use tactics to silence the press. Quietly leaving people off lists for press conferences, requiring them to RSVP and not responding to questions are tactics used to censor the press. Some reporters develop a buddy system in which a reporter attends a press conference on an ostracized reporter’s behalf simply to get information.
10. Danger of Self-Censorship
There is an insidious form of suppression that is as powerful as the one that is imposed, and that is self-censorship. It happens when the environs create shame or fear around holding another point of view. At a panel entitled, “Free Speech in Washington: Bob Ferguson Wants to Censor This Panel,” many on the panel agreed that Bob Ferguson would not be governor without self-censorship in the media. That was a frightening thought for our democracy.
It was worth the long trip to the conference, and I encourage more representatives from Central Washington attend next year. We need to be at a seat at the table for the benefit of this state.































