Washington state’s primary elections are Tuesday. In Clark County, staunchly right ideals – backed by the local GOP – will be facing off against a right-of-center ethos that moderate Republicans say is best for the county’s purple districts.
And while primaries often reveal a party’s fault lines, political experts and candidates said there is a particularly bitter recent history among Clark County Republicans.
Infighting occurs constantly within the two umbrella parties, said Mark Stephan, a political science instructor at Washington State University Vancouver. It may be less noticeable in Democrats today, however, because political groups coalesce more if they have a common enemy.
“That was true for Hillary Clinton, that is true for Donald Trump,” Stephan said. “That tends to get people to focus a bit on opposition rather than each other. That can help.”