Kevin Ranker walks away with 40th Legislative District Democrats Nomination for State Senate

For Immediate Release: Monday May 19, 2008
Contact: Jason Heck (360)220-5914
www.KevinRanker.com

40th Legislative District Democrats Nominate Kevin Ranker for State Senate

Kevin Ranker’s campaign continues to gain momentum with the nomination, sustained fundraising and additional endorsements.

Anacortes—On Sunday, Democratic precinct committee officers from all corners of the 40th Legislative District met in Anacortes to nominate their candidates for Washington State Senate. The nomination, a first step in the new "top two" primary system, represents the first in a string of contests intended to whittle down the field of five democrats vying for the State Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Harriet Spanel.

A simple majority was required to win the nomination, and multiple ballots were prepared in advance. However, only one round of voting was necessary as Kevin Ranker took 54% of the vote in the five-way race with 260 votes. The next closest candidates had 94 and 78 votes respectively.

"This is a great position to be in, but there is much more work ahead to sustain this momentum," said Ranker, a San Juan County Council member and longtime community leader in the region. "This victory proves that our campaign is strong and headed in the right directions. I’m grateful for the nomination of fellow Democrats." The next hurdle will be the endorsement elections which are set to be held in different locations between June 7th-June 11th in advance of the final withdrawal date for candidates.

This victory capped an extraordinary week in which Ranker also received endorsements from King County Executive Ron Sims, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Chair Billy Frank Jr., Anacortes Conservation Voters, Whatcom Conservation Voters, Washington Conservation Voters, Ocean Champions Voter Fund, and the San Juan County Democrats.

"This victory does not belong to me," said Ranker, "this victory belongs to all those who have chosen to believe in my ability to run a strong campaign, and represent them well in Olympia. I wish to thank each and every one of them for their support."