Joel Connelly

I worked for Seattle Post-Intelligencer from 1973 until it ceased print publication in 2009, and SeattlePI.com from 2009 to 6/30/2020. During that time, I wrote about 9 presidential races, 11 Canadian and British Columbia elections‎, four doomed WPPSS nuclear plants, six Washington wilderness battles, creation of two national Monuments (Hanford Reach and San Juan Islands), a 104 million acre Alaska Lands Act, plus the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area.

Emily’s List Weighs in for Lorena Gonzalez

Emily’s List – the Emily stands for "Early Money is Like Yeast” -- has a long history here and fair amount on the line.

Ticky Tacky: Two Pols Raising Money By Demonizing Opponents

Mayoral candidate Lorena Gonzalez uses George Petrie’s perfectly legal donation to deliver guilt-by-association.  Petrie’s donation to Bruce Harrell’s PAC pales in comparison to the labor PAC that has been running TV spots and sending out dried cherries to boost Gonzalez.

Justin Trudeau Calls An Election: A Short Primer on Canadian Politics

Why now? The polls look favorable, Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination rate tops that of “the States,” and Trudeau’s government has doled out billions in aid to soften pandemic impacts. 

Logjam: State’s Top Officials Grow Old in Place While New Talent Stacks Up

A wait-your-turn mentality has infected Washington's ruling Democratic Party in the quest for higher office.

Primary: Center Takes the Night

Does anyone dare predict that a sensible progressive center may be taking hold here?  It sure has in New York City and Cleveland.

Three Washington Congressmembers Join Effort to Get Supreme Court to Overturn Roe v. Wade

Abortion rights would appear secure on the West Coast and in East Coast and New England states.  The situation in the South and Midwest is far different.

Sizing Up the State of Seattle Politics

The electorate does have vital reasons to tune in, despite a dismal campaign.  The election in the Emerald City has unfolded along familiar lines.

Three Books: The Final Days of Trump

Michael Wolff: “The nature of the Trump chaos is that, beyond its immediate desires and pronouncements, there was no ability – or structure, or chain of command, or procedures or expertise, or actual person to call – to make anything happen.”

Canada Announces US Border Reopening

The United States has yet to announce a reciprocal policy.

Biden Reverses Trump and Saves Old-Growth Trees in Alaska’s Vast Tongass Forest

The environmental community has much to celebrate, having fought the clear cutting of old growth in the Tongas back to 1980 when Congress passed the Alaska Lands Act.

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