Joel Connelly

I worked for Seattle Post-Intelligencer from 1973 until it ceased print publication in 2009, and SeattlePI.com from 2009 to 6/30/2020. During that time, I wrote about 9 presidential races, 11 Canadian and British Columbia elections‎, four doomed WPPSS nuclear plants, six Washington wilderness battles, creation of two national Monuments (Hanford Reach and San Juan Islands), a 104 million acre Alaska Lands Act, plus the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area.

Split State Polls: Bad News for Biden, Support for Abortion Rights

Voters like the Biden bills but that doesn't translate into approval for Biden's job performance. Meanwhile, Roe v. Wade shows its political staying power.

Lisa Murkowski Preps for a Tough Senate Reelection Battle

A Trump-backed challenger, Kelly Tshibaka, has been in the field for months. She has labeled Murkowski “Biden’s chief enabling officer” and accused the incumbent of “going against President Trump, whose policies were the best that Alaska has ever known.”

Survey Finds Viral Politicization Over COVID Vaccines

“People’s trusted news sources are correlated with their belief in COVID-19 misinformation,” the Kaiser survey found. It noted trust in vaccination highest among those watching network news, viewers of CNN and MSNBC, and those watching their local news.

How the Democrats Finally got an Infrastructure Bill Passed

The squabbles of America and of the Democratic Party nearly derailed a bill which, among other features, will provide the biggest-yet investment in Amtrak rail service and eliminate congested highway rail crossings.

National Wave: Clear Messages for the Left

Seattle left/activist firebrand Robert Cruickshank Tweeted last night: “The results out of Seattle are bad. Not unsurprisingly so, but it’s bad and we progressives have a lot to fix.” No kidding.  But the local left is not introspective and loath to abandon its agenda. 

All the President’s Toadies: Adam Schiff on the Trump Years

The 45th president was, Schiff writes, a “xenophobic autocrat” with neither knowledge nor respect for the limits of power. What astounded Schiff, however, were Trump’s enablers.

Gonzalez, Lambert Lesson: Attack Ads Can Wound the Attacker

Local examples of how these "bomb" ads can blow up in the face of the tossers of these ads: Lorena Gonzalez and Kathy Lambert.

Depleted Western Washington Federal Court Gains Pathbreaking New Judges

The Western Washington district is one place where the Trump Administration did not pack the federal bench.  It began the year with just two active judges – Chief Judge Ricardo Martinez and Judge Richard Jones – while relying on work of nine senior judges.

Why Two “Impeachment” Washington House Republicans are Going Their Separate Ways

The fortunes of Republicans Jamie Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse have diverged recently on how to deal with holding TrumpWorld accountable.

Our National Parks are being Loved to Death

The popularity explosion goes beyond national parks, however; witness the early October “golden week” in the Cascades and Rockies when needles on Lyall’s larches in the high country turn gold.  Long lines of cars are parked at the Biue Lake and Maple Pass Loop trailheads near Rainy Pass on the North Cascades Highway.

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