The Thurston County Mainstream Republicans was set to have its regular Wednesday luncheon meeting in Olympia on Wednesday, Oct. 21, when the group was unexpectedly forced to cancel.
The reason for the cancellation, according to Thurston County Mainstream Republicans President Erik Smith, was "threats of violent protest" over the event’s scheduled speaker, Brian Heywood.
Heywood is the founder of Let’s Go Washington and sponsor of three initiatives on the November general election ballot.
The City of Olympia passed resolutions on Oct. 6 formally opposing two of Heywood’s initiatives, IL26-001 concerning parental rights relating to their children in public school, and IL26-638 concerning participation in athletics at K-12 schools..
The resolutions opposing the initiatives were universally supported by those who testified at the city’s public hearings.
The restaurant that regularly hosts Thurston County Mainstream Republicans reportedly called Smith on Wednesday to say that they had gotten “several threatening calls,” and told the group that “its employees don't feel safe.”
Thurston County Mainstream Republicans has not released the name of the restaurant.
The group was unable to find another venue on short notice and cancelled its meeting, according to Smith.
“The bullies who made these threats may think they have scored a victory by preventing him (Heywood) from appearing in Olympia. What they have really done is expose their hatred and intolerance, and they have shown us how dangerous they are,” Smith said in a news release published Wednesday afternoon. “Silencing political speech is not a virtue but rather a display of contempt for our nation’s founding principles. Whatever our political inclinations, those of us who believe in our system must stand together against this trend.”
Smith continued, “Many of us have been watching the world news with dismay this last week as western democracies are destabilized by anarchic protest. We hear commentators warn of a breakdown of political consensus. But this isn’t just an issue for France or Spain or even Washington, D.C. We are seeing a warning sign of this breakdown right here in Olympia, Washington.
“We need to stop squabbling about whether the right or the left is the biggest danger, and recognize that the real threat comes from extremist minorities that don’t play by the rules.”
This election cycle has been fraught with political discord on the local level within Thurston County.
Thurston County commissioner candidate Nic Dunning, a moderate Democrat running against incumbent Emily Clouse, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has reported repeated vandalism to his campaign signs.
In the most recently reported attack, dated Oct. 6, surveillance footage captured someone cutting one of Dunning’s signs with a boxcutter. Dunning has filed a police report, but the suspect had not been identified as of Oct. 22.
Dunning has alleged Clouse’s supporters are responsible for the vandalism to his signs. Clouse has denied those allegations.
Dunning has also alleged that Clouse’s supporters harass him and his supporters during debates and forums where both candidates are present. Clouse’s supporters have alleged the same from Dunning’s camp.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders reported Thursday during an interview with the Thurston Chronicle on his campaign that a minority group within the Democratic Party has been causing “drama” around his race.
Sanders is running as an Independent against Kevin Burton-Crow, a Democrat.
Comparing this election cycle to Sanders’ first campaign in 2022, when he ran against then-incumbent John Snaza, Sanders reported that “this race has been so much worse in terms of the attacks and the things that have been going on.”
In that 2022 race, Sanders was viewed as the more-liberal candidate, while Snaza was viewed as more conservative.
The opposite is true in this race.
“Republicans never treated me like this,” Sanders said, pointing to recent attacks targeting his wife.
Sanders added that it was “really disappointing” to see this behavior from people who used to rally behind him.
Sanders did acknowledge that the behavior was coming from “a very small faction” within the Democratic Party, not from Democrats as a whole.
“I've experienced lots of great support from individuals in that party,” Sanders said.
