Brandi Kruse
Politics • Culture • News
[un]Divided Newsletter: November 6, 2022
November 06, 2022
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Take a minute to [un]wind with our Sunday newsletter. Grab a cup of coffee and catch up on what you may have missed from [un]Divided this week.

Ballots, ballots, ballots

Well, in your case, hopefully just one ballot.

If you’re in Washington state, your ballot must be returned to an official drop box by 8pm PT on Tuesday, November 8. Find yours here. You can also return it via U.S. Mail (no postage required) but this late in the game, if you go that route, it’s best to bring it directly to your local U.S. Post Office to ensure it is postmarked no later than Election Day.

What pundits and pollsters are saying

FiveThirtyEight has the race for control of the U.S. Senate in a “dead heat” and predicts Republicans are “favored” to take majority control of the U.S. House.

Real Clear Politics lists eight senate races as toss ups, including Washington state and, more recently, Colorado.

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CNN’s Chris Cillizza pointed to a recent CNN poll that he believes paints “a very grim portrait of the electorate for Democrats.” The poll sheds light on just how concerned voters of all stripes are about the economy – and how little faith they have in President Biden to tackle it. As you know, Midterms are often a referendum on the party in power. So while Biden isn’t on the ballot himself, his leadership is.

The poll found that the economy is the biggest issue for likely voters (with 51% calling it their key issue). No other issue was even close, including abortion (15%) which Democrats in key swing districts have hung their hat on.

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In perhaps a glimmer of hope for Democrats, a recent NBC News poll found that enthusiasm among Democratic voters has grown in recent weeks. In an October survey, Republican enthusiasm outpaced Democrats by 9 points. Now, it’s tied, with 73% of both Democrat and Republican respondents saying they have a high interest in the Midterms.

Abortion on the ballot

Voters in five states will decide whether to restrict, expand, or codify abortion access for women following the fall of Roe. Those states are California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana and Vermont.

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Proposition 1 in California would expand and cement reproductive rights, building abortion protections and the right to contraception into the state constitution.

Similarly, voters in Vermont will decide (Article 22) whether to add protections in their state constitution to define abortion access as “central to the liberty and dignity to determine one’s own life course.”

In Kentucky, Amendment 2 would create new language in the state constitution stating that “nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”

Voters in Montana will weigh Legislative Referendum 31, which would establish criminal penalties for health care providers who do not act to save the life of an infant born alive during an abortion.

And finally, voters in Michigan will decide whether to make abortion rights a protection of their state constitution. If the effort fails, it is possible an existing abortion ban signed into law in 1931 could be enforced – making abortion illegal in most instances.

Trump 2024 announcement imminent?

I said previously that a 2024 announcement from former President Donald Trump before the Midterm election could spell disaster for Republicans in key swing races. It now looks likely that Trump will wait until after Tuesday ... but not long after.

Axios reported on Friday that Trump may launch his 2024 reelection bid on November 14, waiting until after the wedding of his daughter Tiffany on November 12.

During a rally in Iowa last week, Trump teased the expected announcement.

“I will very, very, very probably do it again, OK? Very, very, very probably,” Trump said. “Get ready. That’s all I’m telling you. Very soon. Get ready. Get ready.”

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‘Ron DeSanctimonious’

I’ve long believed that Trump’s ego comes before anything else – his supporters, his policies, and his country.

Now I think the former President has shown his hand, even to those who had so far refused to look.

During a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump attacked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis completely out of the blue, dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

If Trump truly cares about Republican gains on Tuesday, vilifying DeSantis serves no purpose – other than his ego, given that DeSantis is growing in popularity and could become Trump’s toughest 2024 opponent.

Even conservative pundits were flabbergasted.

Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire tweeted, sarcastically, “…nice job launching your public attack against the most popular conservative governor in America three days before the midterms when we’re all supposed to be showing a united front.”

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Notably, as we discussed on Friday’s edition of “Florida Report,” Trump also snubbed DeSantis this week by not inviting him to a campaign rally in Florida being held to help Senator Marco Rubio.

I'm already tired of the 2024 presidential election and we haven't even made it past the Midterms ...

 

 

Reverse psychology

As I discussed at length on Friday's show, Washington state Democrats are deploying a really sad attempt at reverse psychology to win the Secretary of State's race. 

In a video posted to social media this past week, Governor Jay Inslee and Washington State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski urged voters NOT TO WRITE REPUBLICAN BRAD KLIPPERT IN FOR SECRETARY OF STATE. 

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"Whatever you do, do not write Brad Klippert for Secretary of State," Inslee read from a prepared script while Podlodowski grinned. 

It was all so hilariously transparent and amateur. 

Democrats have their first real chance this election to capture the Secretary of State's office, and they are gaslighting voters to do it. 

Democrat Steve Hobbs is in a tight race against Julie Anderson, who is running as a nonpartisan. The race would have been an easy win for Anderson - who has support from both sides of the aisle. But a late write-in campaign from Republican Brad Klippert could complicate things. 

The only person who loses votes from a Klippert write-in is Anderson. So, by telling voters NOT to write Klippert in, Inslee and Podlodowski know that Republicans might do just the opposite (and therein lies the reverse psychology). 

The ‘paws that enforce the laws’

I had the pleasure last night of being part of the 2022 Snohomish County K-9 Foundation Dinner and Auction. The foundation gives community members a chance to directly support our law enforcement officers and their K-9s, ensuring they have the tools they need to do their jobs (did you know that a bulletproof vest for a police K-9 costs $3,000?).

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It was wonderful to be surrounded by so many who protect and serve our communities, as well as citizens and businesses who value that service.

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You can learn more about the foundation’s work here.

Housekeeping

Your only housekeeping for today is to get that ballot in!

Have a greet week and thank you for your commitment to give common sense a comeback!

 

 

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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. 

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EXCLUSIVE: When being a social media troll comes back to bite you – hard
If you simply can’t help but poke the hornet’s nest, at least make sure your own hive is in order first.
 

 

 

This story has it all. Politics. Conservative infighting. Social media trolls. Lawsuits. A fugitive from justice. Charges of sodomy. And a side of karma, served cold.

Let’s start with the basics.

On March 26, a 24-year-old named Tyler James Crowl was arrested at his dad’s house in Lakewood, Washington, for a warrant out of Oregon. The arrest didn’t make the news in Washington, which isn’t a surprise considering the alleged crimes weren’t perpetrated in our state.

Crowl was wanted out of Yamhill County, Oregon, on three counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree and three counts of Sodomy in the First Degree. Both crimes are felonies. According to court records from September 2024, prosecutors allege Crowl “unlawfully and knowingly engaged in oral sexual intercourse with a child under 12 years of age” on multiple occasions and “did unlawfully and knowingly subject a child under 14 years of age to sexual contact by touching her vaginal area and/or upper/inner thighs” on multiple occasions.

While Tyler Crowl would have been a teenager himself at the time of the alleged crimes, Oregon state law says minors under 12 years old cannot consent to oral sex. And minors under the age of 14 cannot consent to sexual intercourse.

The details of Tyler Crowl’s alleged crimes are disturbing. But the way he came to be arrested in Lakewood is the stuff movie scripts are made of.

For those who frequent the bowels of political social media in Washington state, the last name Crowl might look familiar. Eric Crowl, known by the X handle @OutragePNW, is a well-known social media troll in conservative circles. His schtick is attacking Republicans who he deems not conservative enough. In full disclosure, I’ve been a favorite target of his for my reporting on former gubernational candidate Semi Bird. Bird, a Republican, was accused of stolen valor, on top of other documented criminal cases from his past. I found the accusations credible and important enough to discuss on my show.

OutragePNW didn’t like that one bit.

His online posts became so unhinged, not to mention defamatory, I informed my local police department that I was worried for my safety. We had officers at our home a couple times to check in.

1.png?token-time=1744848000&token-hash=08A8qzwyNh1P_xGdASRiY-hEB_Fkn0epz6V44aQtwaU%3DWhile I’ve had my share of social media trolls rile their followers up into a rabid mob, Eric Crowl presented a different kind of security concern – one worth taking seriously.

In 2016, Eric Crowl, then 39-years-old, was arrested in Portland with a cache of weapons including a rifle, shotgun, camouflage, police scanner, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Police there had been investigating Crowl for months, after they “noticed him videotaping police outside the bureau's east precinct, often showing up during shift changes and leaving after hearing his name over the police scanner he carried,” according to Portland station KGW.

Crowl was arrested and charged with attempted assault of an officer and unlawful use of a weapon. 

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While out on house arrest, he was accused of violating the conditions of his release by allegedly showing up – with his wife and son in tow – to the home of a federal inspector.

“Crowl and his family were described as ‘aggressively’ staring into the inspector’s open garage and duty vehicle,” according to Portland station KOIN. The federal employee said Crowl was wearing shorts and did not have his court-mandated GPS monitor on.

“The inspector believed the Crowl’s were acting suspiciously and/or conducting surveillance on his home,” according to court documents.

Crowl was rearrested and had his bail set at $1 million. In November 2016, he agreed to a deal with prosecutors and pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of unlawful possession of a firearm in exchange for three years of probation, KOIN reported.

So, what’s the link between Eric Crowl (@OutragePNW) and alleged sodomizer turned fugitive Tyler James Crowl?

Tyler is Eric’s son.

Usually, the misdeeds of family members of social media figures wouldn’t be something I’d jump to report on (regardless of how I felt about that particular person).

But in this case, it was Crowl’s obsession with trolling his perceived political enemies that led to his son’s capture. And that’s a tale too interesting not to tell.

On March 4, Eric Crowl registered a nonprofit with the state of Washington named the Pierce County Republican Party. He immediately started a Facebook page using the name and even held live virtual events on X titled “Pierce County Republican Pary – Media Availability.”

If that sounds weird to you, it is.

There is, of course, already a Pierce County Republican Party. It’s the Pierce County branch of the State GOP and has been active in local politics since at least the 1960’s.

So why would Eric Crowl want to troll his local GOP?

The Pierce County Republican Party and its chairman, Dave McMullan, have been favorite targets of Crowl’s social media attacks. McMullan was an early and unapologetic supporter of Republican Gubernatorial candidate Dave Reichert, earning him the ire of the party’s right flank – and of diehard Semi Bird supporters like Crowl. Furthermore, the county party voted unanimously to ban Crowl from its biennial organizational meeting back in November – in part because of his conduct online.

What better way to make sure you're included than to register an imposter Pierce County Republican Party and put yourself in charge of it?

In response to Crowl’s filing, the legitimate Pierce County Republican Party made a filing of its own – in United States District Court.

On March 23, the PCRP filed a lawsuit against Crowl and his new nonprofit, accusing him of violating the Federal Trademark Act.

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The only thing left was to serve Eric Crowl with the papers at his home in Lakewood.

That job fell to Robert Parker, a local Republican who offered to help.

In advance of doing so, Parker told unDivided he thought it would be wise to see who else was living at the home. He knew of Crowl’s criminal history in Oregon and wanted to be prepared for what he might encounter.

A search of public records from the address showed a Tyler James Crowl was registered to vote there. Parker went into amateur detective mode. He put Tyler Crowl’s name into Google. Up popped a January 6, 2025, blog post from a small news outlet in Oregon. It was a list of outstanding warrants.

“Area law enforcement agencies are looking for the following people who have absconded from the law.”

On the list was “Tyler James Crowl, 23, wanted on warrants for first-degree sodomy and sexual abuse.”

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Unsure whether Tyler would be at his dad’s house, but armed with the information anyway, Parker went to serve the papers.

Sure enough, Tyler Crowl was the one to come to the door. Parker caught the whole thing on camera.

“Mr. Crowl?”

“That should be my father, but yeah, what’s this regarding?”

“That’s for him,” Parker said, handing over the notice of service in a manilla envelope.

“Ok … what’s it regarding if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It’s legal paperwork for him.”

A woman can be heard in the background saying “Tyler, don’t accept that.”

Parker leaves the documents with Tyler and walks away – only to promptly contact the Lakewood Police Department to inform them of the whereabouts of a fugitive from justice.

Within hours, Tyler Crowl was in custody and being held at the Pierce County Jail, where he is still awaiting extradition to Yamhill County, Oregon.

It is unclear whether the elder Crowl knew his son was a fugitive from justice. unDivided has reached out to prosecutors in Oregon to inquire whether they are investigating whether Eric Crowl knowingly concealed his son’s whereabouts.

A text message and email to Eric Crowl seeking comment went unanswered Tuesday. Crowl protected his X account (@OutragePNW) shortly after unDivided reached out for comment about his son’s arrest, limiting his posts to approved followers.

So, what lessons can be taken from this sordid tale?

For starters, don’t engage in sex acts with a pre-teen. That’s good advice for anyone.

Second, don’t be a social media troll. Also good advice for anyone. But if you simply can’t help but poke the hornet’s nest, at least make sure your own hive is in order first.

 

 

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