Overwhelming endorsements for Carmela Conroy for Congress mean less than they first appear

Mar. 19—Democratic candidate for Congress Carmela Conroy boasts a long list of endorsements, including the most prominent elected Democrats in the greater Spokane area.

But some don't remember agreeing to those endorsements. In many other cases, a name being listed on Conroy's campaign website does not entail the kind of singular, unwavering support that might be implied.

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said in February that she was planning to soon announce who she would be endorsing. When told in early March that her name was published on Conroy's list of endorsements, Brown expressed surprise and said that she would need to speak with the candidate before saying anything more.

In a Monday interview, Conroy said she had believed she had clearance to list Brown as an endorsement but thanked The Spokesman-Review for bringing to her attention that Brown may not have agreed to this. She added that she had not spoken with Brown on this topic in the past month.

Interest in the race to represent Congress in Eastern Washington grew after incumbent Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers announced last month that she would not seek an 11th term. Seven Republicans have since announced runs for the seat. But three Democrats already were campaigning for the race: Conroy, a former diplomat; small business owner Ann Marie Danimus; and OB-GYN Bernadine Bank.

Spokane City Council members Paul Dillon and Zack Zappone, as well as Council President Betsy Wilkerson, are also all listed among the endorsements. Dillon looked surprised to hear this, saying he didn't remember making that commitment.

Zappone and Wilkerson initially said they had not decided who to endorse for Congress; once told that Conroy had listed their names, both recalled having done so previously.

"I thought you meant since the announcement," Zappone said, referring to the news in February that McMorris Rodgers would not run for re-election.

"I endorsed Carmela, and I think she would do a good job, but the dynamics of the race always change and other people join," Zappone said in a later interview. "At this time I've only endorsed Carmela. The dynamics of the race keep changing."

"I have not endorsed Bingle," Zappone quipped, referring to his fellow Spokane City council member Jonathan Bingle, who is running as a Republican.

State Sen. Andy Billig, the Senate majority leader who Conroy also lists as an endorsement, was initially similarly noncommittal when asked if he backed a single candidate.

"I don't have a candidate," he said. "I mean, I've endorsed Carmela Conroy, but I think all three candidates are strong. But, yeah, I'm supporting Carmela."

State Rep. Marcus Riccelli was firm about his support for Conroy, praising the depth of her experience and confirming that he was only endorsing the former diplomat. But he noted that he reserved the right to double-endorse later on and added that he thought Bank's background in women's health made her a solid candidate as well, particularly as abortion access is under attack.

Conroy also lists Spokane Valley Deputy Mayor Tim Hattenburg, a rare Democrat-aligned politician in that city, as an endorsement. Hattenburg said that he was fine with Democratic congressional candidates using his name, but he does not support one of them over the others.

"I don't want to do anything to derail anyone right now," Hattenburg said. "They all have their strong points."

Believing that an endorsement listed on Conroy's campaign website meant those people thought she was the best candidate "bar none" was an "assumption," Conroy said in an interview.

"Nowhere on the website does it say that these people will only endorse me," Conroy said. "I don't know how people would understand it, but I know practice."

She pointed to a practice of the Spokane County Democratic Party, which Conroy led until after jumping into the Congressional election, to endorse more than one candidate in a race. In 2023, the party under Conroy's leadership endorsed both Dillon and Cyndi Donahue in a race for Spokane City Council that Dillon later won.

Almost all of Conroy's significant endorsements came before McMorris Rodgers dropped out and state Democrats began to talk about the district as a possible — if still long-shot — pickup.

Danimus, a small business owner who is also running for the seat as a Democrat, said she believed the party didn't take the race seriously until after McMorris Rodgers announced she would not run for re-election, and that it was previously easier for leadership to give their nod to a party loyalist.

"Democratic leadership here tends to more than endorse — they anoint a candidate, and I think in part they've seen this as a career boost, like, 'Here's the next darling of the party,' " Danimus added. "I do think the reason that endorsements are on thinner ground than before is because this is now the real deal."