The Republican Machine Keeps Washington
While the nation pivots to Democrat Grover Cleveland, local Seattle voters secure a decisive win for Republican John H. McGraw.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Though the returns from the state of Washington are meager and scattering, it is certain that the state has been carried for Harrison by a good plurality. It is now certain that John H. McGraw has been elected governor. King County has given McGraw and the whole Republican ticket a magnificent majority. From present indications it appears that King County has saved this state from the control of the 'Seattle-haters.' It has rolled up a majority for McGraw which will not fall short of 4,000, and may exceed that figure. Returns from Eastern Washington show that McGraw is running ahead of his ticket in that part of the state. There is no reason to fear that later returns will change the result.
“King County has saved this state from the control of the 'Seattle-haters.'”
In 1892, Seattle was already defining itself against a perceived rural or state-level antagonism, using the ballot box to cement its local influence. This 'us vs. them' framing regarding state politics remains a permanent feature of Washington's legislative landscape today.
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