Inslee’s Secretary of State choice was ‘a political calculation,’ says state GOP
Nov 11, 2021, 5:31 AM | Updated: 7:30 am
A photo of the Washington Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs. (Photo courtesy of TVW)
(Photo courtesy of TVW)
Gov. Jay Inslee announced his decision on Wednesday to appoint Democrat Steve Hobbs as Washington’s new Secretary of State. But while Inslee touted Hobbs’ military and cyber-security experience, state Republicans believe the governor may have ulterior motives.
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“He picked someone that was a political obstacle,” Washington GOP Chair Caleb Heimlich told KIRO Radio’s Hanna Scott.
Heimlich cites numerous clashes Inslee has had with Hobbs — who is generally regarded as a more moderate Democrat — in the state Senate over transportation and climate change policies. That includes one instance in 2021, where Inslee struck down part of a bill that would have set a goal to end the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2030, contingent on having at least 75% of registered vehicles in the state participating in a yet-to-be-completed pay-per-mile road usage charge.
Hobbs criticized the move at the time as “illegal.”
“It blows up the trust, compromise that we try to give these bills together — it’s very disappointing,” he said in May.
Heimlich also pointed to Hobbs’ lack of election experience.
“Instead of prioritizing what was best for the people of Washington state, what’s best for our election system, and picking a qualified county auditor, [or] picking a former secretary of state, (Gov. Inslee) made a political calculation and said ‘what’s going to be best for my agenda,'” Heimlich said.
State House GOP Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox expressed a similar view, describing on Twitter how Hobbs’ appointment “breaks a several decades long tradition of world class elections experts in that position.”
Conversely, outgoing Secretary of State Kim Wyman praised Inslee’s decision, lauding Hobbs’ “demonstrated record of seeking bipartisan solutions to complex problems.”
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“Senator Hobbs is a proven leader and dedicated public servant,” Wyman said in a Wednesday press release. “As a lieutenant colonel in the Washington Army National Guard, I am confident Steve will bring that same commitment to service and integrity to the Office of the Secretary of State.”
“It is imperative the secretary of state — the state’s chief elections official — serve as a neutral arbiter in order to inspire confidence across the political spectrum in our election processes and results,” Wyman added.
Wyman announced her resignation in late October, effective on Nov. 19, 2021. She will next serve as the Senior Election Security Lead for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In her new role, Wyman will be heading up a CISA team — which functions as part of the Department of Homeland Security — tasked to “protect future elections from foreign and domestic interference,” according to CNN.
Hobbs will serve as secretary of state until a special election is held for the office in 2022. The winner will serve out the remaining two years in Wyman’s term, followed by a regularly scheduled election for the office in 2024.
