Lesson for 2010: voters like knowing who's a 'D' and who's an 'R'

[depakid]

King County voters decided a year ago to make county elective offices nonpartisan, but they nonetheless want to know the party affiliations of the nonpartisan candidates they elect.

And while county executive candidate Susan Hutchison called herself an independent, nonpartisan nonpolitician despite her ties to Republican and conservative candidates and causes, the voters apparently concluded that if she walks, acts and quacks like a Republican, she must be a Republican.

Those findings from a public opinion survey just before Tuesday's general election help explain why Hutchison appears headed for defeat in her race against Dow Constantine in the race for the newly nonpartisan office of county executive.

Initial election returns Tuesday night showed the former TV news anchor trailing Constantine, chairman of the County Council and an unabashed Democrat, a good affiliation to have in heavily Democratic King County.

Much of his campaign consisted of labeling Hutchison, a novice candidate, as a stealth conservative Republican.

Hutchison was a prominent supporter of last year's ballot measure to turn the county executive, council and assessor into nonpartisan offices. It passed easily, 56 percent to 44 percent, enabling her to run this year without having to declare a party affiliation.

More: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/184026.asp

[bugfragged]

1. I heard Fox does a bad job of this.