Washington Lt. Governor Brad Owen hasn’t announced if he intends to seek a sixth-term next year. But he already faces challenges from two fellow Democrats who are betting he won’t run.
It’s rare in politics for someone from the same party to challenge an incumbent. The tradition is to wait for the incumbent to announce he or she is not running. Then the seat is fair game.
But unwritten rules and tradition have been tossed out when it comes to Washington’s 2016 race for Lt. Governor. Already two Democratic state senators have announced they’ll run: Cyrus Habib from Seattle’s eastside and, now, Karen Fraser from Olympia.
The race has also drawn a Republican candidate, Javier Figueroa, mayor pro tem of University Place near Tacoma.
Incumbent Lt. Governor Owen has registered a 2016 campaign committee. But he’s also hinted that he’s thinking about retirement.
