GOP Chair Caleb Heimlich: ‘If we lose, the state’s going to be unrecognizable’

The initial election results were not quite what Republicans hoped they would be, as many at the Washington Legislature appear to trail their Democratic challengers. It’s a trend that’s somewhat concerning to State GOP Chair Caleb Heimlich.

“Only 21 percent of votes have been counted, so we’re hoping to see that trend turn in our direction in the coming days as Republicans tend to vote late,” Heimlich told The Jason Rantz Show. “We’ve got 90 days to sprint to the finish line and really save Washington state.”

“Because if we see Democrats gain these House seats that they’re ahead in right now, it’s going to be a fast track to our whole state looking like Seattle and California, and we can’t afford to do that.”

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Several of the results saw multiple Democrats running against one Republican, with the Republican not outpacing all the Democrats.

“There are 13 state House seats and 4 state Senate seats right now where the combined Democrat total is at or above 50 percent,” said Heimlich. “The Republican total is below, and those are all seats that we currently hold. If we’re losing those seats in November, the state’s going to be unrecognizable.”

Heimlich believes such losses would lead to a capital gains tax, state income tax, a carbon tax, and property taxes that continue to rise, with a government less accountable to the people.

How is Trump impacting local results?

Determining why Republicans are seeing these results is a bit of a grey area. Heimlich thinks some may be voting because they’re upset with what’s happening in DC, and others may be staying home because Trump’s not on the ballot.

“He is clearly very popular in certain corners of Washington state, and in those we’re doing well,” Heimlich said. “And there are other suburban districts where he did more poorly than other Republicans candidates have done, and so that’s what we have to overcome.”

“When you’re voting for a state representative in Olympia, it has nothing to do with what’s going on in Washington, DC. It really comes down to these local state policies that are affecting your pocket book.”

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