●  Tuesday’s primary in Washington clarified who will be running in the general election for the state’s ten House of Representatives seats in the 113th Congress. No surprises, with four incumbent Republicans (Doc Hastings, Dave Reichert, Jaime Herrera Beutler, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers) likely to cruise to reelection this fall. Similarly, the three incumbent Democrats (Jim McDermott, Rick Larsen, and Adam Smith) should each easily win on November 6. Of the three open seats, I see in the 10th District Denny Heck (D) the clear favorite over Dick Muri (R); Derek Kilmer (D) the clear favorite over Bill Driscoll (R) in the 6th District; and a close race between Suzan DelBene (D) and John Koster (R) in the 1st District.

Also the state’s U.S. Senate race is now defined to be between the incumbent Senator Maria Cantwell (D) and Michael Baumgartner (R). Here I think the incumbent will win decisively on November 7, barring some cataclysmic event.

●  A primary election was held in Michigan on Tuesday of interest to those following both agricultural issues and control of the United States Senate in 2013. Senate Agriculture Committee chairwoman Debbie Stabenow will now face Pete Hoekstra, a Republican and former member of the House of Representatives, in Michigan’s general election. This should be a close race and may determine which political party will have a Senate majority next year.  As evidence that the incumbent, and champion of specialty crop agricultural issue, is casting her net wide for financial support is notice that she will be in Portland, Oregon, on August 24 for a fundraiser.

● The Produce Marketing Association has promoted Meg Miller to be its director of public relations.

●  Political Past:  “Agriculture, confessedly the largest interest of the nation, has, not a department, nor a bureau, but a clerkship only, assigned to it in the government. While it is fortunate that this great interest is so independent in its nature as to not have demanded and extorted more from the government, I respectively ask Congress to consider whether something more cannot be given voluntarily with general advantage.”  Abraham Lincoln’s Annual Message to Congress (December 1861).