That’s why they are considering defying a directive from state Democratic Chairman Dwight Pelz, who has ordered all  legislative district central committees with two or more candidates to “nominate” one by May 23 — three months before the Washington “top two”  primary. 

Instead, several elected precinct officers in the 17th want to let voters choose between two Democrats who are challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Don Benton — software developer Martin Hash and university economics instructor David Carrier.

Pelz says if 17th District Democrats don’t choose, he will. And he can, under a rule the state party adopted in 2005 to deal with the situation it now finds itself in after a recent Supreme Court ruling cut the political parties out of the state primary system.

A little history:  In 2006, 17th District Democrats lost their challenge to Republican state Rep. Jim Dunn after state party leaders inserted themselves into the candidate selection process, endorsing Jack Burkman over Paul Waadevig and giving Burkman’s campaign $10,000.  In protest, both the chairman and vice chairman of the committee resigned, and the backlash against state party bosses cost Burkman the Democratic nomination. He lost to late entrant Pat Campbell, who in turn lost narrowly to Dunn.

Soon after, 17th District Democrats rewrote their bylaws to say they would not endorse a candidate until after the state primary election.  They’d let voters decide instead. 

“We said, ‘Let’s not go down this road again. Let’s let the people decide who they want to be the candidate and let the process play out,’” said ­precinct committeewoman Carolyn Wolin.

This year, she said, “We have two very bright, well-educated men who want to run.”

At the 17th District Democrats’ last meeting, Wolin said, most of the 40 people present favored sticking with their bylaws and letting the voters decide.  Precinct committee officers will vote on whether to bow to the state directive or amend their bylaws at their May 19 meeting.

Pete Aller, chairman of the 17th District Democratic Central Committee, noted that the bylaws were amended before the Supreme Court upheld the “top two” primary in March. Under the new primary system, the top two vote-getters will face each other in the general election regardless of their party affiliation.

The 17th isn’t the only committee  chafing at the requirement that local Democrats hold nominating conventions to choose candidates for legislative, county and congressional races.

At least one other Democratic committee — the 36th, which covers a portion of King County — also faces an intraparty contest in the primary. Its executive board recently  notified Pelz that it would not “nominate” either of its candidates for state representative.

Pelz then told the district that if it didn’t change its mind, he would make the choice. State party spokesman Kelly Steele confirmed the exchange, first reported by the Seattle Times. 

The August primary ballot won’t indicate which candidate is the party’s choice. Still, getting the party’s nod could mean money and support and give that candidate an edge —  or not, in the maverick 17th.

“It could help or it could hurt,” Aller said.  

Before the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the voter-approved “top two” primary,  both major political parties selected their candidates through the state’s primary system.

The ruling in effect lets candidates identify themselves as members of whichever political party they choose.

The Democratic Party hopes to test the constitutionality of the ruling by showing that it confuses voters.

In  a statement two days after the Supreme Court ruling, Pelz noted that five of the nine justices “indicated in their opinion that if the implementation of the (top-two primary) initiative creates a risk of widespread voter confusion about whether candidates stating a Democratic preference are in fact the

Democratic nominees, then the initiative would be subject to strict scrutiny and thus would almost certainly be unconstitutional.”

That argument would be made before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which retains jurisdiction in the case.

The state Republican Party is not requiring its  local committees to hold nominating conventions.

The new system presents the opportunity for political mischief, wrote 17th District precinct committee officer John Howse on his blog: “If you have two Republicans and four Democrats running in the primary, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the two Republicans are statistically more likely to both be the top two vote-getters, since the Democrats will split their Democratic voting base four ways and the Republicans only by two,” he wrote.

Also, he said, “It’s possible Republicans could call themselves Democrats.”

In the 17th, where two viable candidates from the same party will appear on the ballot, the “top two” process is causing political heartburn.

Hash, who is financing his own campaign, plans to spend at least $100,000 and possibly as much as $300,000 to defeat Benton, who had raised about $108,000 by Feb. 29, before this year’s fundraising began.

In contrast, Carrier, an elected precinct committee officer in the 17th, has pledged to accept no money from political action committees in the primary and has little money of his own.

Both candidates have met with state party officials. Both have attended candidate training sessions offered by the Progressive Majority, an organization that works to elect progressive candidates nationwide.

Asked whether he has the state party’s tacit endorsement, Hash said, “probably.”

“I have talked to Dwight, and he made no commitment either way,” Carrier said.

Party spokesman Steele said, “We’re not going to speculate” on which candidate state party chief Pelz would pick if the choice is left to him. 
Hash said he sympathizes with the frustration of 17th District precinct committee officers. “They rewrote the  bylaws, and now here comes the exact reason the new bylaw was passed.”

At the same time, he said, he understands the tactical issues involved. For example, on the House side, Dunn will face a Republican opponent, Joseph James, as well as a Democrat, Tim Probst. Democrats “are scared to death they could end up with two Republicans” on the general election ballot after the primary, he said.

For his part, Carrier favors letting voters choose candidates through a ranked or “instant runoff” ballot in the primary. “That would allow independent and third-party candidates to run, too,” he said. “What you want is a level playing field among all candidates. What we’re given now is two options, neither of which is good. I feel so strongly about it that if elected, I would work for instant runoff primaries statewide.”

The bottom line, said Hash, is that Democrats need a united party to unseat a well-funded incumbent.

“Could we please beat Don Benton,” he said, “without self-destructing first?”