Tension and divisions growing among House Democrats

OLYMPIA — Signs of a rift are showing among House Democrats — a surprise for a group that normally displays a united front, at least publicly.

Tensions have been high since the first days of the session, when the tanking economy made it clear lawmakers would have to cut billions of dollars out of the state budget. Things have only gotten worse since Democratic leaders earlier this month killed a worker-rights bill.

Some members say the Democratic caucus is splitting into pro-labor and pro-business camps. Those who consider themselves more pro-labor complain that lawmakers aren't doing enough to address such issues as climate change or worker rights.

Democrats hold a 62-36 majority in the House, and therefore control the legislative agenda.

It's hard to tell if the rift is real or the result of stress from having to slash the budget, which faces a $9 billion shortfall between now and 2011.

Lawmakers say disagreements among party members are easier to keep in check when there's plenty of money to go around. After Democrats took control of the Senate and increased their majority in the House in 2004, the party increased state spending by $8 billion. Now because of the recession they're having to roll back many of the programs they've built up.

"In any group, particularly of this size, you will have a few people who are grenade-throwers," said Rep. Deb Eddy, D-Kirkland, who sided against the worker-rights contingency.

Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, said the death of the Worker Privacy Act was the breaking point for several caucus members. The act was killed after an e-mail from organized labor surfaced that implied the party would stop receiving campaign contributions if the bill failed to pass.

Gov. Chris Gregoire, House Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown went so far as to refer the e-mail to law enforcement for investigation. The State Patrol quickly determined that no laws had been broken.

The legislation, a top priority of labor, would have prohibited companies from requiring employees to attend meetings or participate in activities related to political or religious matters, including labor issues.

Business interests strongly opposed the bill. Shortly before it was killed, Boeing lobbyists had pressured Gregoire to help stop the bill from being put to a vote.

Rep. Brendan Williams, D-Olympia, who supported the Worker Privacy Act, said he's dismayed with how politics have played out this session. He says a pro-business faction among House Democrats is "tilting" party politics to the right.

"I understand there is an obligation to strike a balance between diverse perspectives in our caucus, but at the same time there seems to be an imbalance," Williams said. "I think there is definitely some enormous concerns that progressive voices aren't being listened to."

Williams has a history of battling House leadership. In 2007, he threatened to resign when Chopp blocked a home-warranty bill that the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) opposed.

The BIAW is a big contributor to Republican campaigns, and some Democrats accuse Chopp of too often supporting the organization's interests.

Paul Berendt, former chairman of the Washington State Democratic Party, said he has never seen such stressed-out behavior during a Legislative session.

"People are short-fused and quick to blow up or lose it," he said, adding that the attitudes in Olympia remind him of 1993, before Democrats lost their supermajority to the Republicans the following year.

Eddy said the disagreements are the result of real differences among the Democratic districts represented in Olympia.

"You can call it nitpicking, you can call it infighting but it's a healthy development," Eddy said. "We're talking about stuff. When we have something as important as the Workers Privacy Act it sparks an internal discussion."

Both Eddy and Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, say it is far too premature to believe that the interparty fighting is an indication that Democrats are about to lose their stronghold.

"I believe the Democrats in Olympia are handling things much better now than in that 1994 election," Berendt said. "It's a long way to 2010."

Information from staff writer Andrew Garber

and The Associated Press is contained in this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 360-236-8267 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com