Jayne: Can Moeller overcome Clark County’s statewide curse?

Oh, it’s not that we’re bad people down here. It’s just that nobody from this corner of Washington has ever won a statewide election other than for Supreme Court — at least as far as anyone can recall. Let’s face it, Clark County is viewed as an outpost by the political sentinels of King County and Pierce County, the kind of people whose money and support are crucial in a statewide race.

Some have tried. Craig Pridemore ran for state auditor in 2012 and narrowly missed making it to the general election. Considering that Troy Kelley finished second in the primary before winning the general election, and that Kelley now has been indicted on 17 federal felony counts, it’s our loss that Pridemore couldn’t squeeze out 2 more percentage points worth of votes. And Linda Smith left her congressional seat to challenge U.S. Sen. Patty Murray in 1998, losing by 16 percentage points. Considering that Smith has since dedicated her life to fighting sex trafficking, it’s our victory that she was unable to unseat Murray.

A quixotic quest?

As Moeller knows, developing name recognition and raising money and getting your message out can be difficult for a candidate from Clark County. “You pretty much have to center on the I-5 corridor; 80 percent of the registered voters are in six counties,” he said, noting that only Spokane County is on the east side. “That’s going to be the difficult part — getting the money to get the message out. I don’t have any money.”

In other words, he probably won’t schedule a lot of campaign rallies in Garfield County or Columbia County, where the population is sparse and where his message probably would not be well-received. But does that message play well elsewhere? “I think it does in the counties that matter,” he said.

So, Moeller, 60, will leave his seat as representative from the 49th District after completing his seventh term next year. He will eschew a position of power as Speaker Pro Tempore. He will spread his support for a $15 minimum wage, stricter gun regulations, and a capital gains tax to help fund the state’s educational system.

After winning re-election six times by healthy margins, he will leave the comfort of a job he probably could hold as long as he likes for the uncertainty of a statewide campaign. “It’s time for me to get up or get out,” he said. “Honestly, I could probably be re-elected, but I don’t want that.”

Moeller’s early announcement — hey, we haven’t even gotten through the 2015 election — creates immediate intrigue for next year’s ballot. Among the developments is the fact that former state Rep. Monica Stonier and Vancouver City Councilor Alishia Topper have announced they will seek Moeller’s seat, which will make for an interesting campaign. And Moeller’s quest could be compelling as he tries to break through the glass ceiling of Southwest Washington politics.

Is that quest quixotic? Maybe not these days. With social media and Internet advertising, generating name recognition is less laborious and less expensive than ever before, and Moeller’s platform will be attractive to the liberal population center that is Seattle. The gist of all this: “I think I can win it.”