Senator Elect Mark Mullet

Issaquah City Councilman Mark Mullet has been a elected to the state senate, he becomes the first Democrat to represent Washington's 5th Legislative district in 20 years. Mullet, a former Bank Of America executive, is owner of  Zeke's Pizza and Ben And Jerry's Ice Cream franchises in the Issaquah Highlands.  He was written about in the Seattle Times a few years ago for being the first Washington resident to purchase a Tesla, an all electric car.

Seattle Times Endorses Mullet For Senate

Washington's 5th Legislative District, one of the last of the totally red districts in King County, could be electing a Democrat for the first time in almost 20 years.  Incumbent Cheryl Pflug, a Republican, has left the race and endorsed what would have been her Democratic Opponent Mark Mullet, an Issaquah city councilman.  Mullet was also endorsed by the usually right-leaning Seattle Times.
Mullet own's a Zeek's Pizza franchise, along with a Ben And Jerry's Ice Cream franchise in the Issaquah Highlands.

Democratic Candidates For !st Congressional District To Debate

The five Democratic candidates vying to replace Jay Inslee in the newly redrawn 1st Congressional District will face each other this Wednesday June 27th in a debate sponsored by 5th, 45th and 48th LD Democrats.  Suzan Delbene, Darcy Burner, Darshan Rauniyar, Laura Ruderman, and Steve Hobbs will spar over the right to carry the Democratic banner into the hotly contested race.  Both Del Bene and Burner have run for Congress in the past, Burner taking on Dave Reichert in the 8th CD in 2006 and 2008 and Del Bene doing the same in 2010.  Ruderman is a fomer member of the State House Of Representatives, while Hobbs in currently in the State Senate. Rauniyar is a newcomer, positioning himself, of course, as the outsider. 
The debate will take place at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center at 16600 NE 80th in Redmond from 7:30 until 9pm.  There will be no admission charged but donations will be asked for to cover expenses.

Cheryl Pflug Leaving Senate

 Republican Senator Cheryl Pflug from Maple Valley, who has represented the 5th district in the state legislature for almost as long as I have resided here, is moth-balling her campaign signs and leaving her position to take a job on the State Growth Management Board.  Pflug began her legislative career in 1998, when she replaced Phil Dyer in the Washington House Of Representatives.  She may have lost support amongst many in her own party when she became one of only 4 Republican senators to support marriage equality.
Pflug was appointed to her new position by Democratic Governor Cristine Gregoire.  It could open up an opportunity for the 5th to get it's first Democratic Representative since  Senator Kathleen Drew was defeated in 1996.  Issaquah City Council Mark Mullet has launched a strong campaign in what was to be an attempt to defeat incumbent Pflug.  Snoqualmie businessman Brad Toft is the lone Republican running for the Senate in the 5th.

Mullet Kicks Off Senate Campaign

So either Issaquah Councilman Mark Mullet's campaign for State Senate in the Washington's  5th Legislative District is off to a great start or Issaquah Highlands residents wanted free pizza.  A packed house gathered at Issaquah's Blakely Hall to meet Mullet, who is challenging Republican Cheryl Pflug for the position.  Mullet says that he is a fiscal Conservative and a social Liberal making him a good fit for the 5th  As the owner of two local franchise's, Ben And Jerry's and Zeke's Pizza, he has a good understanding of what it takes to run a small business.
The 5th district has been represented solely by Republicans since Democratic Senator Katherine Drew was defeated in 1996 by Dino Rossi.  Rossi at the time became the rising star in his party.  No doubt, if Mullet can defeat Senator Pflug, he would be a candidate to watch in the Democratic Party.

Mullet Will Challenge Pflug For Senate Seat

In 2009, Mark Mullet was elected to the Issaquah City Council without opposition, now Mullet would like to represent the new drawn 5th Legislative District in the State Senate and will have to face a twice elected incumbant.
The Issaquah Press reports that Mullet, a Democrat, has announced that he will challenge two term Senator Cheryl Pflug.   Pflug is a Republican in what is widely considered a conservative leaning rural district.  It will not be the first time that Pflug a Maple Valley resident and an RN, has faced an elected official.  In 2004, Pflug defeated Sammamish Mayor Kathy Huckabay.  Sammamish will no longer be part of the 5th if the state's new redistricting plan is implemented. 
Mullet is the owner of a Zeek's Pizza Franchise in the Issaquah Highlands, he also owns a Ben And Jerry's. He is  a former manging director for the Bank Of America.  His Father, Steve, was formerly the mayor of Tukwila.

5th District's Glenn Anderson To Hang It Up

The Sammamish Review reports that Glenn Anderson will be leaving the Washington State Legislature where he represented the 5th in the House Of Representatives.   Anderson has represented the district since 2000.   He ranked 13th in seniority in seniority. Anderson's representation, although very unpopular with progressive leaning constituents, has rarely been challenged in the mostly conservative,   primarily rural district representing South Eastern King County.  He did face a tough race in 2008, a Democratic year across the nation, to then upstart David Spring.  A rematch between Anderson and Spring, 2 years later, proved to be a landslide victory for Anderson.