James Vesely / Times editorial page editor
The crop: Orchids and nuts in election '04

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So far, the crop of candidates streaming through here like gold seekers on the Chilkoot Pass looks pretty good.

This is a serious year for the state and our country and I find that seriousness reflected in candidates who are faced with the realities of public office. A large deficit, a war, a sour economy and angry voters produce a little more steel than glitter in this year's crop. The smart ones know getting elected is the easy part, even if it's hard on the shoe leather. For the first time in many years, Washington has three candidates for governor — each qualified and competent to be the state's chief executive. The adjoining rundown of the governor's race by editorial staff writer Joni Balter shows candidates who know the issues and have put in time and careers leading up to high office. Only one will be chosen, and before then we'll pass through a rough campaign period, but so far, three orchids and no nut cases.

In the statewide race for attorney general, our recommendations are on the following page. Of four candidates, I think three have the ability and disposition to be an excellent chief lawyer for the state. I'd say we have three orchids and one petunia running.

I find strong candidates running for Congress, for the state Legislature and judgeships. Our recommendations for those races will appear per our endorsement schedule, also on the next page. Contrary to the usual flowage of disdain for politicians you hear, we have some very high-quality candidates asking for your vote, both Democrats and Republicans.

But enough nice stuff. Let's also remember elections are about nuts as well as orchids and here're a couple you can break a tooth on:

The two major political parties. For reasons that have little to do with serving the public, Democrat and Republican party bosses pushed the state into its first truly partisan primary election in 70 years.

The closed primary that voters see on their ballots at home and two weeks hence in the polling booth represents party strangulation of an election. I hope it backfires on them. By causing each of us to limit our vote along party lines, the political hacks — including the governor who helped manipulate this thing — have stolen an election.

Washington voters will be denied the chance to vote for one party candidate for governor and another party candidate for Congress in the primary. If that's not theft, I don't know what is.

In pursuit of hackery, the parties have lost credit with me, and I suspect thousands of angry voters who find themselves pigeon-holed as a Democrat, Republican or Libertarian. In serious times, voters are forced into the cookie-cutter mentality of the parties.

Implicit in the party arguments before various courts is their right to have candidates selected by party members, in this case by making voters declare party preference.

It's nuts. I'd feel better about it if the parties were doing their duty and putting up qualified candidates in every race, but they don't. They pick their races, they pre-select their voters and they wonder why people stay home. The parties like small turnouts because it is only the faithful who vote. The bulk of us in Washington, the independent voters who try to see past party label, are being treated like Kleenex.

Woldt vs. Sommers. When progressives fight, it's not a pretty sight, but the attempt to unseat state Rep. Helen Sommers in Seattle's hard-left Queen Anne-Magnolia-Ballard neighborhoods has dimensions for the state. Apparently not pure enough, Sommers is being challenged by Alice Woldt and her big-union supporters. An eight-page pamphlet went out last week that is an expensive hit piece on one of the state's most respected lawmakers.

If voters in the 36th District buy this one, they should line up to buy the Fremont Bridge. When Woldt was asked at The Times editorial endorsement meeting what she thought of the campaign mailing, incredibly, she said she had not seen it or read it. Talk about implausibility.

James F. Vesely's column appears Sunday on editorial pages of The Times. His e-mail address is: jvesely@seattletimes.com