Story Photos
 Photo by Bill Wagner Mark Doumit of Cathlamet, left, and Brian Blake of Aberdeen see early returns Tuesday at the Cowlitz County Courthouse. |
Doumit, Blake win
Wednesday, November 5, 2003 8:32 AM PST
By M. L. Madison
Printable version
E-mail this articleAfter an aggressive and expensive campaign, incumbent Sen. Mark Doumit, D-Cathlamet, beat back a challenge from Pacific County Commissioner Pat Hamilton.
Early returns showed Doumit leading Hamilton by nearly 2 to 1, capturing about 64 percent of the vote.
"Anything better than 60 percent was going to be kind of a bonus," said Doumit, 42, as he waited for returns at the Cowlitz County Courthouse Tuesday night.
Hamilton, 54, said she would have liked a stronger showing, but she said she had no regrets about running.
"It was my first time out. I'm new to Cowlitz County, and turning Republican was shocking," said Hamilton, who joined the GOP in May. "It was a learning experience, and the next time, you're always better at what you do."
The Lebam resident wouldn't say outright if she would challenge Doumit again next year, but she indicated that she would run for the Legislature again, noting that there "are many legislators that lost their first race."
"Don't count me out," she said.
Throughout the campaign, each accused the other of negative campaigning. Doumit said he spent a good amount of time clarifying his voting record after "attack mailers" from Hamilton's supporters.
"People realized that it was really a nasty campaign, and they don't appreciate this," he said Tuesday night.
Hamilton countered that Doumit's camp "threw everything at me in the end, including (former state Sen.) Sid Snyder."
Hamilton campaigned mainly in support of tort reform and rollbacks of some state environmental regulations. She also worked on legislation to with Sen. Joyce Mulliken, R-Ephrata, that would exempt businesses in economically depressed areas from state environmental regulations, if those regulations were higher than federal standards.
With strong support from Senate Republicans, she raised more than $100,000, coming close to Doumit, who raised approximately $131,000, according to the state's Public Disclosure Commission.
"We've never had the kind of dollars spent against us, in this District, and in such a negative way," Doumit said Tuesday night.
Both candidates said Tuesday that their immediate plans are to spend more time with family.
"It's very time consuming to run a campaign, and this is two years back to back," said Doumit, who was appointed to replace former Sen. Majority Leader Sid Snyder of Long Beach last year.
Hamilton said she is looking forward to spending time with her two-month-old grandson.
"I'll actually get to introduce myself," she said.
State Senate 19th District
Mark Doumit, Democrat 11,208 (64 percent)
Pat Hamilton, Republican 6,348 (36 percent)
Blake, appointed to seat, gets 2 of 3 votes
Appointed Rep. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen, easily defeated Castle Rock Republican Mike Kayser on Tuesday night, putting to rest the notion that his Grays Harbor County residency would hurt Blake in Cowlitz County.
Unofficial results showed Blake leading Kayser with 9,527 votes, or 66 percent of the vote. Kayser had tallied 4,916 votes or 34 percent.
Watching early returns Tuesday night at the Cowlitz County Courthouse, Blake was hesitant to declare victory, but he conceded that results so far "looked good."
"This is better than I expected," he said, noting that his immediate goal after the election was to spend more time with his wife, Debra. "This has been a long process."
Blake was appointed last November to replace Rep. Mark Doumit, D-Cathlamet, who was appointed to the Senate after Majority Leader Sid Snyder resigned.
Kayser, who lost a race against state Rep. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, last year, said it was "too premature" to decide if he'd run for office again in 2004.
"It's time for a vacation," he said Tuesday night. "Running two years in a row -- this is a 60 percent Democratic district. It's an uphill battle, it really is."
Referring to election returns, he remarked, "They'll pick up a little overnight, but it's not going to pick up 15 percent, do you think?"
Kayser raised about $15,000, while Blake raised more than $116,000, according to the state's Public Disclosure Commission.
Throughout the campaign, Blake, 43, and Kayser, 47, emphasized their differences.
Kayser said he supported freezing the state's minimum wage and making Washington a right-to-work state. As a citizen activist, Blake organized support in Grays Harbor and Pacific counties for a successful ballot initiative that annually raises the state's minimum wage when the cost of living rises.
Kayser supported allowing non-tribal casinos to have electronic gaming, while Blake said he staunchly opposes any expanded gambling in the state.
During the campaign, Kayser also said he could better represent Cowlitz County residents because he lives in Castle Rock. Since his appointment to the House last year, Blake had dismissed the notion that a representative from the Coast couldn't serve people in Cowlitz County, which comprises 57 percent of the 19th District's population.
"I always felt that was not a credible campaign technique," Blake said Tuesday night. "I was bewildered that people would focus on trivial items like that."
19th District State House of Representatives
Brian Blake, Democrat 9,527 (66 percent)
Mike Kayser, Republican 4,916 (34 percent)
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