A premature claim

What in the world was The Times’ motivation to make the unsupported claim that Judge Steve Gonzalez lost the recent Supreme Court primary because of “ ... a reluctance by some white voters to vote for Gonzalez, a candidate with a Hispanic surname”? To solidify its assertion, The Times even labeled it “race voting,” [“Race and politics,” editorial, Opinion, Aug. 14].

The Times suggests supporting evidence for its assertion will be provided in the coming weeks by University of Washington researchers. Can’t The Times wait for those fact-based conclusions before it disparages every nonminority voter who decided to support Bruce Danielson?

I appreciate that this is written on The Times’ Opinion page, but fact-supported “opinions” would make The Times far more credible and less-likely offensive. As The Times states in its editorial, Gonzalez has previously been voted into past prestigious positions, apparently with the support of a substantial amount of nonminority voters. What has changed that makes The Times so sure this was a case of voter racial bias? Has Washington turned so blue that when a minority candidate loses an election to a nonminority, it must be due to “race voting”?

I was offended by The Times claim, and it appears that being politically correct is more important to The Times than offending the likes of me — an average, nonminority voter. An apology for making this premature claim would be appreciated, followed by a retraction, if the UW research calls for it.

— Michael G. Hanks, Federal Way

A racial dilemma, not a political dilemma

Every time I think we make an advance in the field of race relations, something happens that looks to me like two steps backward. It appears that that is the case in the recent primary election for a position on the Washington State Supreme Court.

The Times’ recent editorial, “Race and politics,” was on the mark except its conclusion that this candidate’s “ascent was made more difficult by his ethnicity is a political dilemma that needs resolving.” That thousands of people would pass over a pre-eminently qualified candidate because of his Hispanic surname is not a “political dilemma,” it’s a racial dilemma.

Perhaps this might be a learning moment for all of us — we can be better than this.

— Mark O. Brown, Lacey