Early this month we brought you news of a campaign by some of Washington’s most prominent corporations to block significant tax increases in the Legislature. Now we’re starting to see some of the early scope of that effort.
People For An Affordable Washington pulled in more than $600,000 in cash contributions in February, according to its most recent filing with the Public Disclosure Commission. It also reported more than $850K in pledges—we’ll get back to those.
The overwhelming majority of the cash came in $300K checks from Microsoft and the Washington Alliance for a Competitive Economy, a nonprofit research institute affiliated with the Association of Washington Business.
The PAC’s largest expenditure in February was $64,000 to EMC Research for a statewide poll. That amount of money suggests an extensive survey to test messages and messengers for an aggressive campaign. The PAC also spent $56,000 on old-school print ads in The Seattle Times.
The People for an Affordable Washington PAC, stood up to block significant tax increases in the Legislature, pulled in $600,000 in cash last month, with more corporate pledges forthcoming. Here’s the list of corporate entities that have promised money:
Most of these donors are long-established companies with significant infrastructure in Washington that would have difficulty moving operations out of state. The name at the bottom of the list, for example, is the Cowles family of Spokane, which owns The Spokesman-Review.
That amount of money waiting in the wings looks like the front end of a ballot measure campaign to force a statewide vote on new taxes. The Democratic majorities’ budget leaders are expected to roll out their budget proposals next week. We’ll see what if any, major programs Democrats slash and what they preserve as the progressive wing weighs new options for tax revenue.
The other shoe drops in Ferguson’s office
The future may hold a worse time for top leaders in Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office to quit, but it’s hard to imagine when that might be. Mike Webb, Ferguson’s longtime top aide, resigned Wednesday following Jim Brunner’s piece in The Seattle Times, in which Democratic members of the Legislature leveled allegations that Webb had created a hostile workplace. Legislative Director Joyce Bruce resigned last week.
The resignations leave gaping holes in Ferguson’s office as the most high-stakes period of the Legislature’s session begins. Majority Democrats are expected to roll out their budget proposals next week, along with new taxes to pay for them. Expect legislative budget writers to shrug off many of Ferguson’s proposed cuts from a few weeks ago.
There’s some interesting professional and interpersonal context here, the details of which may never come fully to light. Webb and Bruce had been colleagues in Ferguson’s office when he was attorney general. The sharpest allegations in Brunner’s story came from Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma, who also worked in the AG’s office until late 2023.
There’s an intriguing tactical undercurrent. Ferguson’s office has been crosswise with Democratic leaders in the Legislature on issues of taxation and spending. Recent developments could give lawmakers at least a temporary advantage.
These stories also appear in the author’s political website, The Washington Observer.
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Where’s the editor??
The Senate Democrats’ opening salvo in this session’s budget wars includes a multi-headed tax package. Sales taxes would be reduced, and taxes targeting the wealthiest, large employers, and property owners would be increased. None of the contributors listed in this blog post seriously opposed property tax hikes before. Clearly they don’t want sales taxes reduced, hikes in payroll taxes, or progressive taxing hitting the wealthy only.