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.

So Stressed! Help! Last Ditch Effort! It Depends on You! Tiffany Smiley’s Relentless Emails

The fear-inducing tone of Smiley’s ceaseless stream of e-mails, begging money for the Republican’s U.S. Senate campaign, makes me wonder whether to respond with a contribution or call for a crisis intervention.

Montana and the Fine Art of Suppressing Hostile Voters

The Republican-run Montana Legislature, seeking to make it difficult for people we met to vote, has deployed distances in the Big Sky State as a political weapon.

Alaska’s New Congresswoman Mary Peltola Goes Fishing at a Seattle Fundraiser

The moderate Peltola delivered a lesson on Alaska politics, practical problem solving, and cross-party cooperation to a Seattle audience.

Nina and Ruth: A Beautiful Friendship with Serious Consequences

Nina Totenberg could have, should have, acted on her knowledge of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s health problems.

A Strong and Restive Bench: Attorney General Bob Ferguson in the Wing

The emergence of a new front bench of Democrats are mostly prominently attorneys general who brought successful court challenges against Trump.

Magic Mountain Time: Incandescent Larches in High Cascade Forests

In the first week in October larch needles backlit by the sun draw thousands of hikers to the east slopes of the Cascades.

Surprise New Poll: Tight Race for Southwest Washington’s 3rd Congressional District

Joe Kent, an ex-Green Beret, eliminated incumbent six-term Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in Washington’s top-two August primary.

Mr. Ambassador: Biden Taps Seattleite Roger Nyhus

Nyhus helped Biden's campaign in Seattle and is a leader of LBGTQ causes. He has a reputation for knowing what buttons to push.

A Prosecutor’s Book: How Trump Weaponized “Justice”

“I walked the tightrope for two-and-a-half years. Eventually, the rope snapped.”

Gotta Have a Plan: Are State Republicans Ever Going to Get Their Act Together?

Victimhood is not a recommended theme for reaching out. 

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