Take a minute to [un]wind with our Sunday morning newsletter. Grab a cup of coffee and catch up on what you may have missed from [un]Divided this week – plus, all the anti-fringe news that’s fit to print.
A battle in the 3rd:
Late ballots have swung heavy in the direction of Joe Kent – the Trump-endorsed candidate trying to unseat Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. Should she lose, that would mean two out of three Republicans who voted to impeach the former president will have lost their seats so far – with more primary contests ahead.
Right now, Kent trails Herrera Beutler by just 257 votes, with around 30,000 ballots left to be counted in Clark County. The winner will move on to face Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.
Should Kent advance, he will face an uphill battle to secure the seat. Washington’s 3rd is a purple district that Democrats have felt for years they can capture. It’s unclear how a candidate as far right as Kent will be received as a general election contender. Should Republicans lose the 3rd and a seat in Congress, that would leave only two GOP Congressional seats in Washington state (The 4th and 5th). The whole ordeal highlights the deep divide in the Republican Party and the consequences of failing to present a united front.
Washington State Republican Party Chair Caleb Heimlich addressed the issue on Friday’s episode (5:50 mark).
Beating the two-party system:
Washington may be on its way to electing a nonpartisan to statewide office. Thanks to the failure of Republicans to coalesce around a single candidate, Julie Anderson squeezed through the primary election to face Democrat Steve Hobbs in November.
Anderson joined [un]Divided on Friday (23:20 mark) to talk about the unique set of circumstances that allowed for her to advance and discussed what she expects her opponent to target her on in the months ahead.
Anderson’s candidacy will be a test of default voting – forcing Democrats to decide whether to support one of their own, or a far more qualified candidate. Keep an eye out for an op-ed on this topic from yours truly.
Voter turnout has improved – ever so slightly:
I ranted a lot this week about the horror of 25% voter turnout in a critical primary election. Thankfully, last-minute voting has raised that to a more respectable (but nowhere near acceptable) 37%. Compare that to 41% in the 2018 primary and I guess things aren’t so bad.
Inslee lets up on vaccine mandate:
In a quiet Friday press release, Governor Jay Inslee announced that he’s had a change of heart when it comes to mandating COVID boosters as a condition of employment in perpetuity. Combine that with his sudden shift on public safety and it really makes you wonder what’s going on in that bespectacled head of his.
“The updated directive reflects feedback and recommendations from state employees and labor partners to pursue options for offering incentives for COVID-19 boosters instead of making them a requirement,” Inslee’s office wrote in a press release.
“The current requirement that new and current employees be fully vaccinated – meaning the individual has received all doses of the primary series – will remain in place.”
Much more on this Monday on [un]Divided – you already know I have some thoughts.
As Washington state heads toward economic ruin, remember that Democrats ignored the warnings. Americans are toying with a dangerous ideology. More taxes to fund public safety, but how much will actually go toward hiring police? Joy Reid sees the light.
Prefer to listen? https://audioboom.com/posts/8808485-actions-have-consequences-11-19-25
Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction doesn’t think it matters how many sexual partners students have. Trump once again threatens to move the World Cup from Seattle. Democrats in Olympia keep trying to lower punishments for sexual predators. Trump’s love affair with McDonalds.
Prefer to listen? https://audioboom.com/posts/8807912-safe-sex-is-fascist-11-18-25
Trump says Seattle could lose the World Cup if new socialist mayor can't ensure safety. Pros and cons of 50-year mortgage. Washington is the most expensive state for dining out.
Keep in touch with Zach Abraham at KnowYourRiskPodcast.com.
These remarks were delivered to the Snohomish County Lincoln Day Dinner on May 17, 2024.
The following remarks were delivered to the Whatcom County Lincoln Day Dinner on March 23, 2024, in Ferndale, Washington.
I struggled with what to talk to you about tonight.
Well, that’s not true. I didn't struggle with what to talk to you about – I struggled with whether I was brave enough to say what I wanted to say.
When I'm invited to speak to groups, I don't want to offend anyone or be too controversial. So, I reached out to a few of your fellow party members to ask whether any topics were off limits or wouldn't go over well with the crowd.
I got some good advice.
Then I decided to ignore that good advice entirely.
Too much is at stake to be polite.
As we sit here tonight, we are in the final battle of a war.
A war that has pit sanity against insanity.
Pragmatism against idealism.
A war that has sacrificed the public good, in favor of a twisted idea of progress.
It's a war that began long before I moved here 15 years ago. It started silently and it was mostly waged in the shadows.
Most of us didn't even realize that a war was being fought. We were too caught up in our own lives and our own problems. ...
As Washington state heads toward economic ruin, remember that Democrats ignored the warnings. Americans are toying with a dangerous ideology. More taxes to fund public safety, but how much will actually go toward hiring police? Joy Reid sees the light.
Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction doesn’t think it matters how many sexual partners students have. Trump once again threatens to move the World Cup from Seattle. Democrats in Olympia keep trying to lower punishments for sexual predators. Trump’s love affair with McDonalds.
I was honored this week to join President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and other independent content creators for a roundtable on Antifa.
While a certain joke about TDS is getting a lot of attention, the underlying mission of the meeting was serious – deadly serious.
For years, organized left-wing radicals have sought to influence public policy through coercion: using harassment, threats, vandalism, and violence as their tools. From the Occupy movement, to the May Day riots, to the "Summer of Love" and up to the most recent anti-ICE actions, I've followed these activities closely – and been the target of their tactics far too many times.
Whether you call them Antifa, terrorists, radicals, or just criminals – understanding, investigating, and disrupting violent extremism in all forms should be a nonpartisan pursuit.
Here are my full remarks to President Donald Trump:
Mr. President, you’re going to hear us be very fired up today, as you can tell. It’s because some of us have been covering Antifa for 15 years and have never had anyone in a position of authority even acknowledge their existence.
The single most powerful thing you’ve done to deal with this scourge has been acknowledging that Antifa is a real thing. I genuinely believe there would be people at these tables who would be dead today and would have been killed in Portland had you not called them a terror organization and said you're going to bring the full weight of the federal government to bear.
I talked to Katie Daviscourt in Portland the other day. She’d been assaulted all summer. And she said the same thing. They didn’t seem as quick to violence as soon as you made that designation. They’re worried. There’s been two dozen or so arrested in Portland. They don’t want to go to federal prison.
There’s this video of one of them who was in the face of an ICE agent and then he’s in custody shaking. Once you take the mask off, they’re nothing.
I was told by probably a dozen people not to tell you this. I’m going to tell you anyway because it’s relevant to what we’re talking about. I’m living proof that you can recover from TDS. I had strong Trump Derangement Syndrome for probably eight years. This is one of the reasons I recovered from it.
By the way, it’s much better to not have TDS. I’m happier. I’m healthier. I'm more successful. I even think I got a little more attractive after I got rid of my TDS.
I’m a reporter in Seattle and frankly, I could not care any less what any of you have to say about this meeting (looks to Press Corps). I could not care any less. We’re not here for you. I’m not here to convince any of you that Antifa is a real thing. Because if you have not come to that conclusion by now, you are never going to come to that conclusion because you don’t want to see it. And you’re going to say it’s a bunch of right-wing conservative influencers who are here spinning a tale.
I was one of you. I was a mainstream reporter in Seattle for 10 years. I was a TV reporter, on the streets, doing my job and I was still assaulted by Antifa. So, it’s not about being conservative. It’s about people who go out there and show what they’re doing.
When I saw after all those years that the media wouldn’t be honest about what was happening, that Democratic politicians wouldn’t be honest about what was happening, I thought, well, if they’re not being honest about that, maybe they’re not being honest about President Trump either. It opened my mind to just looking at things for what they were. And now I find you quite funny, actually (looks to President Trump).
Again, I could not care any less the stories that go to print. This is what I care about: We have three and a half years. Nothing is guaranteed. Although, I think if Democrats keep it up, we’ll probably have Republican presidents for the next three decades. But nothing is guaranteed. So, what I want to see over the next three and a half years is a fullcourt press to dismantle Antifa once and for all in a meaningful way. I know Andy Ngo, we talked before this about some ideas. We want the federal government to take as many of these cases as possible and look at the interstate travel between Portland and Seattle when it comes to these people who are committing violent acts.
Hopefully, in three and a half years, they will be a shell of their former selves.
President Trump:
Well I think we're very close, and it’s Antifa and many others. Unfortunately, there are many others, bad ones. Most have been named terrorist organizations. There a couple that we’re going to focus on, but I think we’ve got it pretty well covered, but there are many others. Specifically today is Antifa and it’s really bad and we’re going to get it cleaned up.
Thank you very much. I’m glad you no longer have TDS. I feel very good about that. Thank you.
