Politics, nuance, and the upcoming primaries: Today So Far

• Politics is often not what we think it is. Perhaps, I'm not supposed to say that...
• Be prepared for a Western Washington heat wave this week.

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for July 25, 2022.

Politics is often not what we think it is. Perhaps, I'm not supposed to say that. It serves news stories well when there is little nuance and plenty of tension to tune audiences in — left vs right, and pro this and anti that.

The truth is, there are Mexican immigrants who voted for Donald Trump, and there are Liberal gun owners; Conservative environmentalists, and Seattle Liberals who says Seattle is not liberal. Beyond that, some younger voters may be questioning this whole Conservative / Liberal dynamic altogether. Actually, a lot of voters are.

All that speaks to nuance among politics. Take this story from KUOW's David Hyde who just visited Leavenworth to take the political temperature of Washington's 8th District. Kim Schrier turned this district blue after it was red for many years, indicating that this district has some sway. Now, a range of GOP candidates are aiming to unseat her and take it back. The district is said to be a toss-up this year. But what do voters in Leavenworth say? Well, you got one loyal Democratic Party voter who has "mixed feelings" about the overturning of Roe v Wade; they don't come down on any strict side of the abortion debate. Also, you have a couple GOP voters who would welcome Trump back into the White House. They say abortion is “a mother’s right.”

The 8th District race is expected to be a tight one this year. Schrier flipped the district in 2018 with 52.4% of the vote, and held it in 2020 with 51.7%. Since then, Washington has redrawn its district map and the 8th District has expanded into rural areas of Snohomish County. That has led to speculation that the district could be weighted more to the right. Snohomish County, however, did favor Biden in 2020 — though I'd throw out there that for many voters, perhaps, voting for Biden wasn't so much a political stance as it was a palette cleanser. Again, that would have us consider more nuance. Which points us back to the toss-up expectation for the 8th District.

Perhaps all this nuance is why I just watched a campaign ad for Schrier where she states "I'm taking on the Biden administration, to suspend the gas tax .... I got more funding for local police." Some of that may seem counterintuitive to some bluer voters, but perhaps it works well for purple voters, or even red.

The first clues to how the 8th District toss up will play out will come with the August primary, about a week away. Read more of Hyde's Leavenworth story here.

Speaking of temperature checks, it's about to get pretty hot around here. This week is slated for a heat wave with record-breaking temps stretching into the 90s. In fact, Western Washington is potentially facing four days in the 90s starting tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle (or fewer, depending on the forecast you are looking at). Public Health Seattle & King County is reminding us all about the often neglected health risks on such hot days, such as heat stroke and heart attacks.

I know it gets said often, but that's because it needs to be. Do not leave your pet in the car on a hot day. It's actually against the law in Washington state, and law enforcement can bust your windows open if they find an animal inside on a hot day. Also, here a few pet-cooling tips.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

Al-Baseer Holly working on a painting titled "From the Bottom," which appeared in the Forest for the Trees art exhibit. (Joshua McNichols / KUOW)

DID YOU KNOW?

It was a good few years back in 1998 through 2002. That's when Seattle had the most consecutive days without temperatures in the 90s — 1,415 days, according to the National Weather Service.

Seattle is looking at a stretch of potential record-breaking heat this week, with Tuesday being the most likely to break a record. The high for Tuesday, July 25 was set in 2018 with 92 degrees; Wednesday's historic high was 95 in 1998; Thursday's high was 97 in 2009; and Friday hit 103 in 2009.

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