Is State GOP Running A Democrat Against Patty Kuderer?

REDMOND, WA - Are state Republicans trying to take back control of the state Legislature by proxy? Taking a look at the 48th District state senate race between Democrats Patty Kuderer and Rodney Tom, it would sure seem that way.

Tom, who used to be a Republican, is getting a lot of support from some of the state's most prominent GOP donors. Meanwhile, Kuderer has been backed by mainstream Democratic groups. Both candidates will make it through the August primary, which means a potentially ugly and expensive race coming up this fall.

(Bill Hirt, an independent, is also in the race, but he hasn't raised any money; two Republicans withdrew their names from the race in June.)

Kuderer has even accused Tom of being a Republican, writing in a recent fundraising email: "His campaign of deceitful messaging is betting on the fact that voters won’t know that he isn’t really a Democrat."

For his part, Tom is marketing himself as a "moderate" and "independent" - words that provide cover should he side with Republicans on an issue or two.

An independent group called Citizen For Progress Enterprise WA (CFPE-WA) recently released a video supporting Tom. The video shows Tom shaking hands with the state's most prominent Democrat, Gov. Jay Inslee. But CFPE-WA's treasurer is Gary Stannigan, a lobbyist and former Republican state senator.

Then there's Tom's past as a Republican. Tom changed parties to become a Democrat in 2012. That same year he and Potlatch Democrat Tim Sheldon announced they would join Republicans to create a power-sharing coalition.

If that's not enough, check out some of the top donors to Tom's campaign this cycle:

• Kenneth Fisher, who donated nearly $100,000 to Donald Trump's PAC in 2016, gave Tom $4,000 (combined with his wife, Sherrilyn). On top of that, Kenneth Fisher has given $380,000 to the state Republicans between 2016 and 2017.
• The Washington Hospitality Association PAC gave Tom at least $2,000. That PAC donated close to $100,000 to Citizen For Progress Enterprise WA (the one that made the video linked above). In 2017, Citizen For Progress Enterprise WA backed Jinyoung Lee Englund and gave to the Mainstream Republicans Of Washington State PAC.
• Former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton gave Tom $1,000.
• Joe Pauletto, a Vancouver-area philanthropist, gave Tom $2,000. In other election years, Pauletto has backed Republicans Bill Bryant, Rob McKenna, Englund, and Secretary of State Kim Wyman.
• Bellevue businessman Scott Wiswall gave Tom $1,000. His only other donation on record was to Englund's 2017 campaign.
• The Washington Food Industry Association PAC gave Tom $2,000. That PAC has given to the Enterprise WA Jobs PAC and the South Sound Future PAC, which advocate for Republican politicians.
• Husband and wife David and Patricia Nierenberg gave to Democrats, more recently supported Englund.
• Bellevue's Richard Herzberg gave Tom $1,000 and has in the past given to Republicans Jan Angel and McKenna (he also gave to some Democrats).
• Mercer Island's Sarah Rindlaub gave Tom $1,000. She's primarily donated to the GOP, including $35,000 to the King County Republicans since 2009.

Kuderer has the backing of state Democratic groups. The Washington Senate Democratic Campaign fund has given her over $20,000. The state Democratic party has given another $1,000. Kuderer has also out-raised Tom $192,000 to $130,000 (not including independent expenditures).

The 48th District senate race is shaping up to be the 2018 version of Jinyoung Lee Englund vs. Manka Dhingra: an expensive and difficult battle in Seattle's eastside suburbs for control in Olympia.

Image courtesy Rodney Tom