Tim Probst

DENVER -Taking a moment to switch gears from the hoopla of the national convention to the nuts and bolts of state politics, Rep. Brian Baird (D-Vancouver) predicted that Southwest Washington would pick up a few seats for Democrats in the state House and Senate this November.

"I think we have a real shot at picking up a seat in the 17th," Baird said. "I think Tim Probst is going to win that seat. I think we have a great shot in the 18th. I like our candidate there VaNessa Duplessie, running against [Rep. Jaime] Herrera who has never been elected herself, really has hardly been in the district the last ten years. Vanessa is hard working, sharp, articulate, a real go getter."

Baird was also pleasantly surprised to see David Carrier running relatively close to Sen. Don Benton in the 17th District, and Jon Haugen within ten points of Sen. Joe Zarelli in LD 18.

DENVER - The Democratic Speaker of the state House of Representatives, Seattle's Frank Chopp, is well known in political circles for his planning and dedication to building a long-term Democratic majority in Olympia. Just like with the Republicans, every other year provides a chance to gradually build up or chip away at the current lead, depending on what side you are on.

But despite all the projections and planning, did last week's "top two" primary results change the leadership's picture of which races to focus on going into November? Chopp says no.

Because of the delayed reporting date for July, in accordance with the seismic changes in the Public Disclosure Commission's website this summer, June's and July's entries in PolitickerWA.com's money races at a glance series have been combined into one post.

The first number listed is contributions, the second number is expenditures and the third number is the difference between the two. Precluding any unusual circumstances, that third number in bold is equal to cash on hand. The candidate with the most cash on hand is listed at the top of each section. Asterisk denotes incumbent.

With the exception of the gubernatorial and attorney general races, in-kind contributions were ignored and significant campaign loans and personal candidate contributions have been noted in parentheses where applicable.

See April's figures here, and May's figures here and the latest number after the jump.

Republican Precinct Committee Officers in Vancouver's 17th Legislative District met over the weekend to endorse a candidate in the race against Democrat Tim Probst. In doing so, as The Columbian reports, the 17th District Republicans set a precedent by endorsing a challenger over an incumbent for the first time in their history when they backed Joe James over Rep. Jim Dunn.

"It’s clear that the district is ready for new leadership and I’m pleased to be their choice to work to earn their trust," James said.