Luc Jasmin III, a Democrat who previously told JNS that it wouldn’t be “fair” to call Hamas a terror organization, since he’s not a member of it, moved into first place in the primary for a state House seat in Washington state, after another round of ballots were counted on Friday.
Jasmin made the comment to JNS after he responded to a query about his father, Luc fils Jasmin, who made antisemitic comments during a meeting of the Washington State Human Rights Commission. The elder Jasmin recently resigned from his seat on the state commission.
The younger Jasmin, who is eastern Washington outreach representative to Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, now leads in the race with 12,481 votes (32.7%), followed by Natalie Poulson, a Republican, with 12,372 votes (32.5%) and Pam Kohlmeier, a Democrat, with 11,581 (30.4%).
Poulson has called Jasmin’s comment about Hamas “discrediting.”
The candidates are running to replace state representative Timm Ormsby, who announced his retirement, in the state’s 3rd Legislative District, position 2.
Under the states open primary system, the two candidates who get the most votes advance to the general election in November, irrespective of party.
Poulson, who is endorsed by Washingtonians for a Brighter Future, a pro-Jewish PAC, is currently in line to advance.
Both Ferguson and Jay Inslee, the former Democratic state governor, have endorsed Jasmin.
Ballots will continue to be counted ahead of the state’s certification of the primary results, expected on Aug. 18.
