On of only three Republicans I've ever voted for. (One of the other two was a protest vote.)
Washington was lucky to have this guy. Colorado's Secretary of State (elected because of the GOP wave, and for no other reason) is all but trying to make it impossible for Democrats to win major elections here.
Though I'm a liberal Democrat, I respect Sam Reed's relative impartiality, and I voted for him at least once (and Ralph Munro before him.) But he's going to be the last Republican I vote for, ever, until the party as a whole makes massive changes both locally and nationally.
It's thanks to Sam Reed that the Washington State Archives has been decimated and the funding diverted toward plans for a redundant state history museum. It will take a long time for the Archives and the functions the agency supports (such as open government and FOIA) to recover.
Sam Reed is representative of what all public servants should strive to be: competent and without ego. A well-deserved retirement, though he will be missed.
Like a couple other people here, Reed was my sole Republican vote in '08 (and probably one of only 3 or 4 in my entire voting life). I figured once he was gone, that I'd go back to voting D down the line. However, Kim Wyman, the Thurston County Auditor is thinking of running for his seat. She's about the most decent Republican I can think of. I know the Thurston County Dems always held out a little glimmer of hope that she'd switch parties. At this early stage, I'd be inclined to vote for her.
Washington was lucky to have this guy. Colorado's Secretary of State (elected because of the GOP wave, and for no other reason) is all but trying to make it impossible for Democrats to win major elections here.