November 2020 Presidential Election Results for Precincts of Clark County, Washington
A look at the precinct results of the 3 November 2020 results for Washington’s 39 counties provides a wealth of information on the probable shape of future elections in the state. The Kos Community has discussed results for Congressional Districts on a county by county basis, demonstrating that the electorally closest potential US House pickup in this solidly blue state is mostly likely to be in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. The US House seat is currently occupied by Republican Jamie Herrera Beutler, showing a district wide win by a margin of 56.4% (235,579 votes) over her Democratic opponent, Carolyn Long at 43.4% (181,347 votes). However, the county-wide tabulations mask a gold mine of opportunity for Democrats in 2024 at the precinct level, if sufficient attention and organization can be focused on elevating more liberal and progressive approaches to issues of immediate common concern.
As in other parts of the state, political predilections in WA-3, which includes the counties of Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat, as well as the southern margin of Thurston county, strongly reflect their urban/suburban vs suburban/rural character. This is clearly on display in the precinct level data, most notably for Clark County, which includes the city of Vancouver that sits on the opposite bank of the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon.
Of Washington’s 29 counties, results at the precinct level are still not yet reported on the WA Secretary of State website for the following counties: Benton, Clallam, King, and Kitsap. It is an open question as to why these counties have not so reported their results. Those living in these counties may wish to take up the issue with their respective state and county representatives. It would seem that a more widely appreciated, timely, and detailed accounting of the actual results would strengthening faith in election results, particularly in close or potentially contested races.
It would behoove the Kos Community to follow up with activism to identify those issues likely to lighten the shades of red and deepen the shades of blue and to motivate more focused local activism. Evaluation of demographic and economic changes between the 2010 and the 2020 census for which preliminary data should appear in coming months will permit further useful correlations and an even more focused approaches to identifying and motivating persuadable voters.
A unified and coordinated strategy to coalesce urban and suburban voters that meshes with Democratic efforts at the federal, state and local levels to harness progressive power to notably improve people’s lives will likely achieve the greatest success. However, this will happen only if the right harmonies can be established and through exertion of concentrated and coordinated effort over the next 2 years.
Clearly, there is no time to waste given both the scope and the scale of the damage that has been done as a result of the Trump presidency. These wounds will not likely be healed by rhetoric or naked appeals to idealism. More likely, healing will require new thinking and most importantly demonstrated progress on a wide variety of issues that are tailored to the needs of individual communities. Mobilization for a massive vaccination effort would likely be a good place to start, as well as highlighting the need for improved health care of all kinds. Likewise, a focus on women’s and children’s issues could further shift suburbs and even more rural areas from red to blue. Democrats must find ways to replace the politics of grievance with the politics of hope and opportunity. thus, Governor Inslee’s efforts to create new jobs and business opportunities in the alternative energy sector could also have a major impact, particularly as the electrification of the transportation sector continues.
Democrats will also need to be far more attentive to the early workings of the State Electoral Commission that will soon begin deliberations. The 2010 redistricting shift of southern Thurston county and Klickitat county into WA-3 has been a significant factor influencing both the composition and the margin of difference compared to results of earlier elections.
