With 'supermajorities' in sight, Democrats have more muscle to flex in Olympia

As Democrats eked out a majority in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, the picture in Olympia was a lot clearer: In both the state House and Senate, Democrats now run the table.

If current election trends hold steady, the Democrats will hold solid "supermajorities" of more than 60 percent in both the state House and Senate.

Some lawmakers predict the added clout will breathe new life into past defeats, such as a bill that would make it easier for school districts to pass tax levies. But they also expect to see more demands from traditional Democratic allies.

"Our friends think 'Now we have real power, give us everything we want,' " said Rep. Alex Wood, D-Spokane.

It will be hard to say no, he said, but legislative leaders have plenty of experience at it.

"People are always demanding. I don't think that will change at all," said House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle.

He and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown both vow to stay focused on big-tent issues like education, health care and economic development.

"This might sound a little bit boring, but you'll see more of the same," said Brown, D-Spokane.

The Democrats' power surge is particularly dramatic in the state Senate, where Brown presides over a sometimes-shaky 26-23 majority.

Now that's likely to mushroom to 32 to 17, and possibly higher. The last time one party so dominated the state Senate was 1966.

In the House, Chopp said, Democrats expect to gain half a dozen seats or so, which would put them at a better-than-hoped-for 62 seats to Republicans' 36.

National unhappiness over the war in Iraq clearly boosted Democrats, Brown said. But she also sees the legislative victories as affirmation of Democrat-led investments in transportation and education, as well as bipartisan breakthroughs like the Columbia River water storage plan.

"I feel like it's sort of a stamp of approval," she said.

Republican leaders were stunned Tuesday to see veteran GOP incumbents like Spokane's Brad Benson and Bellevue's Luke Esser trailing well behind Democratic challengers. As the results firmed up Wednesday morning, right-wing bloggers labeled the results "astonishing," "a wipeout" and "some kind of painful."

"I kept hitting the refresh button on the computer screen," said Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla. "I thought it couldn't be true. But even a good swimmer can't survive a 30-foot tidal wave."

"Bad day for our team, but looking back over the last 18 months, I don't know what we could have done much differently," said Kevin Carns, political director for the House Republican Organizational Committee. "The Washington state House Republicans didn't declare war on Iraq."

Both Brown and Chopp said Republicans - who still comprise the vast majority of Eastern Washington lawmakers - will be involved and listened to.

"We don't want to consider anybody to be irrelevant," said Chopp. "We're going to reach out to them."

Both parties are trying to pick up strength by steering toward the political center, Wood said. The key, he said, is for Democrats not to overplay their hand.

Democrats have vivid memories of their own landslide losses in Olympia in 1994, he said, when health care reforms backfired and Democrats pushed for tax hikes in a weak economy.

"The Greeks had a word for it: hubris," said Wood. "When you think you're God and start acting like it, you sometimes get pulled back to Earth."

Also, he said, the next gubernatorial election is just two years away. And Democrats don't want to do anything that could be used as right-wing ammunition against Gov. Chris Gregoire, he said.

Hewitt, the Senate's top Republican, makes no secret of his hopes that Democrats overreach. They've increased state spending dramatically, he said, and balked at a constitutional amendment requiring a rainy-day fund.

"I'm looking forward to 2008," he said.