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Message from the Chair A lot of information is being shared from legitimate sources regarding the issues facing our LD and how they will be addressed at the LD meeting on May 28. Please read that information as it comes out and familiarize yourself with what is included. The more informed you are, the better the discussion and decisions will be made. We are heading into the beginning of our election season and we need to get ourselves ready and focused on what we can do to make sure our Democratic candidates get elected. While the 23rd is considered a strong Democratic LD, we cannot take that for granted. It is our hard work that keeps it that way. It also means we can share that power with our fellow LDs like the 26th and 35th who would love help to turn their areas solid blue as well. So, please consider doing work in our neighboring LDs along with supporting ours.
Go Dems! Go Blue! Have a good rest of your week, Val Reminders: 1) Our 2026 State Democratic Convention will be held in Spokane, WA on June 19th-21st, 2026! All Democrats are welcome to attend. You do not need to be an elected official, an elected or appointed official from your LD or county organization to attend the convention. It’s a great way to meet others from the different parts of the state and have good, in-depth discussions on the issues of the day. Broaden your horizons and get to the other side of the state!
Have a good rest of your week, Val In Memory: Phil Rockefeller
From a Friend Senator Phil Rockefeller passed away on April 15, 2026, after a long struggle with chronic renal failure. He was 87 years old. Phil grew up in the Hudson River Valley and graduated from Yale in 1960 and Harvard Law in 1963. After serving in the Air Force, he spent a brief time in Washington D.C. as a legislative aide before moving to Tacoma to work for Weyerhaeuser's legal team. He left corporate law for a position in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in Seattle. He then became Regional Commissioner of the U.S. Office of Education and an education policy advisor to Gov. John Spellman. He eventually settled on Bainbridge Island, where he lived until his death. He was elected State Representative from the 23rd district in 1998 and then State Senator, serving from 2005 to July 2011. During his tenure he was assistant floor leader for the Senate Democrats, chair of the Senate Environment, Water & Energy Committee, and a member of the Senate K-12 Education and Ways & Means committees. His final State Senate term ended early when Governor Christine Gregoire appointed him to serve as one of Washington State's representative members on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. He served 5 years there, including 1 year as Chair of the Council. While chair, he presided over the development and completion of the 2014 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program and the Seventh Northwest Power Plan, which commited the council to meeting all or nearly all new demand for electricity in the Northwest with zero-carbon, low-cost energy efficiency. He was deeply committed to clean energy and environmental stewardship. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Anita, and their three daughters. I had the pleasure of knowing Phil and Anita for many years, including travels to Europe, Cuba and Vietnam. He was boundlessly good-humored (except for that terrible night in 2016 when Trump got elected!). He had always loved music and dancing (skilled at the Lindy Hop when he was a teenager) and one of my fondest memories is of him salsa dancing in Cuba to a red-hot house band. He was a devoted husband and father, a great friend and the definition of a great public servant. He will be sorely missed. They broke the mold. Stephen Hubbard |
Devotion to Democracy: Turning the Tide Saturday June 27, 2026 |
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