Ellen Craswell (May 25, 1932 – April 5, 2008)
was an American politician who was a candidate in the
1996 Washington gubernatorial election. She ran as a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, but grew disillusioned with the party and later joined the
American Heritage Party, the Washington State affiliate of the
Constitution Party. She resided in
Poulsbo, Washington
Poulsbo ( ) is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is the smallest of the four cities in Kitsap County. The population was 9,200 at the 2010 census and an estimated 10,927 in 2018.
The area was historically i ...
with her husband and fellow politician, Bruce Craswell.
[
]
Early life
Ellen Howe was born in Bothell, Washington on May 25, 1932 and grew up in Silverdale, Washington
Silverdale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kitsap County, Washington, in the United States. The population was 19,204 at the 2010 census. Despite many attempts at incorporation, Silverdale remains an unincorporated community.
Silverdale ...
, the fifth child in a household of seven children. Her father died when she was nine years old and her mother raised the family.
Career
Craswell was elected to Washington's 23rd Legislative District in 1976. She received 33.69% of the vote against two Democrats in the 1976 primary, before going on to defeat Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Ray Aardal, with 54.63% of the vote. She won landslides in both 1978 and 1980, when she became a member of the Washington State Senate
The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympi ...
. From 1984 and onwards, she faced a series of competitive races. She narrowly won re-election after a recount in 1988 and was defeated by Democrat Betti Sheldon in 1992.
During her tenure as a senator, she earned the nickname "Senator No" for her steady refusal to vote for any tax increases.[ In 1987 she was appointed as the first female ''president pro tempore'' of the Senate, a position she held until the end of her career.][
]
1996 Washington gubernatorial election
After Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Mike Lowry
Michael Edward Lowry (March 8, 1939 – May 1, 2017) was an American politician who served as the 20th governor of Washington from 1993 to 1997. His political career ended abruptly following a sexual misconduct allegation made against him by h ...
announced that he would not seek re-election, Craswell announced that she would run. During her legislative career, she was initially identified as a Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
supporter, but as time went on, she gained a strong identity as an evangelical Christian
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...
and member of the Christian right
The Christian right, or the religious right, are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with t ...
. Craswell was very open about her religious identity, prompting concern among some in the Republican Party that she would have difficulty in moderately liberal Washington. During the campaign, Craswell successfully appealed to suburban conservatives with more moderate social leanings by promising to repeal more than a third of state taxes and cut 30 percent of the state budget. In September 1996, she narrowly gained the primary nod, receiving 15.26% of the primary vote and defeating her nearest Republican opponent Dale Foreman
Dale M. Foreman is an American politician, attorney, and farmer from Washington. Foreman is a former Republican Party member of Washington State House of Representatives. Foreman is the founder of Foreman Fruit Company.
Education
In 1975, For ...
, who received 13.37%.
Craswell campaigned both on fiscal issues and as an unabashed conservative Christian. She gained media coverage for comments, including those where she described herself as a "radical," declared that she would hire only "wise and godly people" as staffers, and listed God at the top of her campaign organization chart. Education also became an important issue during the campaign, with Craswell supporting heavy localization and a tuition
Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending (by governments and other public bo ...
-based system for all schools, and Democratic opponent Gary Locke
Gary Faye Locke (born January 21, 1950) is an American politician and diplomat serving as the interim president of Bellevue College, the largest of the institutions that make up the Washington Community and Technical Colleges system. Locke serv ...
supporting a more state-centric system. Craswell ran a grassroots
A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...
campaign, receiving campaign contributions from only individuals and advertising only on billboards and yard signs and at campaign events.
Craswell's outspoken position on social issues – including comments that gay rights
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Notably, , 3 ...
were "special rights for sodomites" – did not resonate with voters in the state. In November, Craswell was defeated by Locke, receiving only 42.04% of the vote.[
]
Subsequent activity
Following her defeat in the election, Craswell switched party affiliation to the Christian right American Heritage Party (AHP). Her husband, Bruce, ran under the party's banner in the 1st congressional district and received 6.11%.
When the AHP (then a state affiliate of the Constitution Party) attempted to disaffiliate from the national party ( CP), it caused an acrimonious schism resulting in non-renewal by over 90 percent of the state party members. The Craswells left both the American Heritage Party and the Constitution Party and became independents.
Personal life
In 1955, she married Bruce Craswell, a dentist who she had met in college.
Craswell lived with her family in the Poulsbo, Washington area, until her death on April 5, 2008. She had four children and 14 grandchildren. She had been diagnosed with cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
twice before, but succumbed to her third bout with the disease. After retiring from politics, Craswell remained fairly quiet, granting few interviews.
References
External links
''A 2005 interview with Ellen Craswell''
(Seattle Times Magazine)
''1996 Gubernatorial Election Results''
(Washington Secretary of State Election Results)
(Ellen Craswell Candidate Page)
(CNN AllPolitics)
* TVW.org (televised memorial service at Christ Memorial Church, Poulsbo, WA, April 16, 2008)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Craswell, Ellen
1932 births
2008 deaths
20th-century American politicians
20th-century American women politicians
American Heritage Party politicians
Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives
Republican Party Washington (state) state senators
Women state legislators in Washington (state)
21st-century American women