Elections 2012

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Democratic Party says it will not return $60,000 in contributions from a controversial spiritual leader from Yelm, Washington. This, despite the release of a video that shows JZ Knight delivering a profanity-laced attack on the Catholic Church and others.

In the video, Knight paces a stage in front of a large boisterous audience. In events like these she claims to be channeling an ancient male spirit named Ramtha. Knight as Ramtha uses the f-word repeatedly and rails against Catholics and the Catholic Church.

Democrat Jay Inslee sits down with Ross Reynolds for his final KUOW interview before the election.

Republican challenger, Rob McKenna, was last on The Conversation September 28. Listen to parts one and two of his interview.

We’ve been focused on local elections and the presidential race; today we'll look at the national picture and how the balance of power in Congress may shift. How many seats do Republicans need to take the Senate? Can Democrats win back the House? Jill Jackson of CBS News joins us with a look at the races to watch.

Republican Bill Driscoll and Democrat Derek Kilmer are running to replace US Representative Norm Dicks in Washington state’s 6th Congressional District.  The district encompasses the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas, much of Tacoma and Bainbridge Island.

Since 1977 most of the 6th District has been Norm Dicks country. In fact, many of the voters in this election grew up with the formidable Democrat as their representative. Now that he’s retiring, Dicks has endorsed Gig Harbor Democratic State Senator Derek Kilmer as his successor.  

On the campaign trail, Suzan DelBene tells the story of how her family struggled when she was a kid. Her father was laid off from his job when she was nine, and the family moved all over the country as her parents looked for work. “They never got back to a situation where they were financially stable,” she explains.

She recounts that despite her family's financial difficulties, she was able to go to college on student loans. “I was in a position to take care of my family,” she says. “I’m not sure I could tell that story today.”

This fall, voters in Washington will decide whether to legalize charter schools in the state for the first time. Washington voters have considered charters three times before. But the details of charter school funding, oversight and independence can be confusing. So we took a red pen to claims by supporters and opponents of Initiative 1240, and gave each claim a grade to see who gets to go to the head of the class – and who needs to go back and check their work.

Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott has represented Seattle and its suburbs in Congress since 1989. He faces a Republican challenger, attorney Ron Bemis, at the polls in November. Both candidates join us in our studio for a discussion of the issues at hand in Washington's 7th District.

President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will challenge each other on foreign policy in tonight’s third and final presidential debate. How do the candidates plan to handle hot spots like Libya, Syria, and Iran?