State endorsements: McKenna, Reed, Sonntag, Bergeson

Now that state Attorney General Rob McKenna has spent four years leading attacks against meth dealers, identity thieves and sex predators, and after his two triumphs before the U.S. Supreme Court, it is mystifying that anyone would use the experience issue to campaign against him.

John Ladenburg — the Pierce County executive and former county prosecuting attorney who himself has glowing credentials — is barking up the wrong tree as he points to his greater time spent in courtrooms. McKenna, as the state’s top cop, has performed admirably, aggressively and ethically. This Republican tackles this job with a badger-like tenacity, and he proved his nonpartisan nature last week when he sued the state Republican Party for alleged campaign law violations.

Thank McKenna in large part for the popular top two primary on Aug. 19. Taking the case before the U.S. Supreme Court this year, underdog McKenna secured a surprising 7-2 approval of the primary. Last year, he and the state won approval from the court to require unions to obtain permission from nonmembers to use representation fees for political purposes.

These are among the reasons McKenna secured 57 percent of the Aug. 19 votes statewide, including 55.9 percent in Clark County and even 53 percent in Ladenburg’s Pierce County. The Columbian strongly endorses McKenna in the Nov. 4 election, ballots for which will be mailed Oct. 15.

Elsewhere on the ballot:

Secretary of state — Like McKenna, incumbent Secretary of State Sam Reed is fiercely nonpartisan and closely tied to the emergence of the top two primary. He has masterfully orchestrated extensive reform of elections, and helped in the effort to move the primary to August, earlier in the year.

Reed also is commendably preserving state history with his promotion of the Heritage Center in Olympia, which is expected to open in four years. His opponent — Seattle Democrat Jason Osgood — is a novice running for a major elected office, facing an incumbent who has earned respect for his work through two terms. Reed has convincingly earned a third term.

State auditor — If McKenna is a Republican badger, then Brian Sonntag is a Democratic bulldog. His work producing mounds of recommendations through performance audits is his signature achievement. The News Tribune of Tacoma called him “a high-profile champion of government openness and accountability.” Those are key attributes in a state auditor.

Superintendent of public instruction — Opponents have tried to drag down incumbent Terry Bergeson by linking her to the controversial Washington Assessment of Student Learning. She, though, is only the administrator of the WASL, and has done so as well as possible under brutal circumstances. Bergeson is innovative, aggressive and passionate about public education. We join the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the The Herald of Everett in endorsing her for re-election.

Commissioner of public lands — Doug Sutherland supervises 5.6 million acres of public land that produces over $200 million annually. He is a master of efficiency, having greatly reduced the size of his office while greatly increasing revenue. He faces an able opponent in Democratic rancher Peter Goldmark, but Sutherland’s collaborative nature and broad public outreach have earned him another term.

Other races — Jim McIntire has the vast legislative and academic acumen in fiscal issues to warrant election as a replacement for outgoing state treasurer Mike Murphy. Two incumbents — Lt. Gov. Brad Owen and Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler — have served well, fared impressively in the Aug. 19 primary and deserve to be returned to office.