On February 11, 2011, despite strong grassroots support for 4th Legislative District State Representative Matt Shea, Spokane’s Board of County Commissioners taps Spokane Valley political outsider Jeff Baxter to represent the district in the Washington State Senate. The position has become available after the unexpected retirement of 30-year senator Bob McCaslin.
McCaslin Steps Down
Bob McCaslin (1926-2011) began serving as a Washington State Senator in 1980 after he unseated Spokane political icon William "Big Daddy" Day. But as the 2011 legislative session approached, McCaslin, who was diabetic and had undergone earlier heart surgery, was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a bone-marrow disorder that stymies the body’s production of red and white blood cells and platelets. After receiving weekly six-hour blood transfusions for months, McCaslin decided it was time to step aside; he announced his immediate retirement on January 4, 2011.
The announcement initiated a legal process to find his replacement. The process began 10 days later when 4th District Republican precinct committee officers (PCOs) met to deliberate and nominate up to three potential replacements. The PCOs forwarded their recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners, which had up to 90 days to select a replacement from the list by a majority vote. Obvious contenders for the position were the two 4th District members of the Washington State House of Representatives, Matt Shea and Larry Crouse. Crouse opted to keep his seniority in the house and not run for the vacant seat. Shea, on the other hand, wanted the job. He saw an opportunity to serve his constituents in a new and potentially more impactful capacity.
The Dark Horse
While the PCOs debated the merits of potential replacements, McCaslin died on March 13, 2011. Prior to his death, he wrote a letter to the three Spokane County commissioners asking that they not select Shea as his successor. "I wish to state that under no circumstances would I support Matthew Shea for any public office," McCaslin wrote ("McCaslin Blasts …").
McCaslin had been involved in a political arrangement with Shea, Crouse, and former state representative Mike Padden, a district court judge, to elevate Shea, Crouse, and Padden for consideration by the PCOs. But McCaslin felt Shea had broken his word by influencing PCOs to support Jeff Baxter, a Spokane Valley businessman who unsuccessfully ran for a West Valley school-board position in 2009, and Roy Murry, who operated a security business and had multiple run-ins with law enforcement.
Shea, an attorney elected to the state house in 2008, had his share of confrontations as well – mostly with fellow Spokane Republicans. Then-county commissioner Todd Mielke publicly accused Shea of launching a volley of expletives at him in an angry outburst during a meeting in Olympia. Ultimately, Shea was the top recommendation of the PCOs, with Baxter coming in second and Murry third, leaving Padden out altogether. Shea was accused of further stirring the pot by inviting members of a group called "Spokane Patriots Minutemen" to rally on his behalf outside the Spokane County PCO meeting. The group’s email to members encouraged a "flash mob for liberty" be present, and what was supposed to be a gathering of about a hundred people turned into something much larger. GOP leadership decided to postpone the meeting rather than face a crowd wielding signs that read, "Commissioners, listen to the people! Defy us and you WILL be voted out of office!" ("Call For ...").
When the Spokane Board of County Commissioners met to begin their winnowing process, they conducted interviews with each of the three candidates: Shea, Baxter, and Murry. One of the first sticking points was over the commissioners’ request for the candidates to take an oath promising to be truthful. Baxter refused, saying there should have been a subpoena if he was required to take an oath. Murry and Shea also refused for varying reasons. Murry also told the commissioners that he regretted being part of the plan to box out Judge Padden.
Despite the warnings from grassroots agitators, the commission unanimously selected the PCOs' second choice, Baxter, to replace McCaslin in the senate for the 2011 session. Commissioner Mielke pointed to Baxter’s business experience running three companies that provided credit-card services to other businesses. Mielke further noted that if the commissioners had selected Shea – a sitting state representative – the entire replacement process would have to be repeated from scratch to fill the house vacancy.
A Short Career
Baxter, then 50 years old, was soon sworn into office in the senate chamber and began his service as a state lawmaker. Shea returned to serving in the house of representatives for another 10 years, stepping down in 2021 amid a flurry of personal and political controversies.
Four years after losing his bid to replace McCaslin, Murry murdered his wife’s mother, brother and stepfather. He was convicted in 2016 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The same legal process that dictated how PCOs and county commissioners were to appoint a replacement lawmaker also required the appointed member to run for the office in the next general election. Before the ink was even dry on Baxter’s legislative certificate, Padden announced he would be running against Baxter later in 2011. In that contest, Padden trounced Baxter, who was able to muster only 45 percent of the electorate and lost by 3,437 votes. Despite a mathematical improbability, Baxter exercised his right to ask, and pay for, a partial recount. He was unsuccessful in overturning the results. Padden was sworn into office on November 29, 2011, and retained the 4th District senate seat until his retirement in 2025.
