It’s been a very heated competition for the nominations for the top two in our primary election this year. Probably the most heated I can recall, getting very nasty actually.
Oh, the Democrats are off the hook this year as there is little doubt that their candidate, Denny Heck, will easily win one of the coveted slots. It’s the Republicans that have gotten down and dirty with supporters of the candidates at times seeming ready to come to blows and dirty tricks galore.
We have 3 candidates running, David Castillo, Jamie Herrera and YouTube figure, David W. Hedrick, known for his bombastic confrontation against Brian Baird lasting some 3 minutes almost a year ago.
Herrera leads in the funds raised. Castillo outshines all in endorsements received, including every major newspaper that covers the 3rd Congressional District and makes primary endorsements. Hedrick has remained dragging the rear while making some noise, but basically going nowhere, gaining only some fringe support.
All that seemed to change suddenly, very suddenly in fact with Hedrick recently touting some poll no one has ever heard of showing him out in front of Herrera and with Castillo so far down it would be physically impossible for him to make up the difference in time for the August 17 vote.
Needless to say, eyebrows of people who pay attention were raised as this just seemed far too unlikely.
Further raising many more eyebrows is the vitriolic assaults launched against the supposedly last place candidate, Castillo, by many Hedrick supporters on forums, blogs and in the Columbian’s comments sections.
You may see what I mean by scrolling through comments found HERE and HERE, just for 2.
It is highly unlikely that supporters of a real leading candidate would so vehemently attack and belittle a real last place candidate, while ignoring the third candidate that is supposedly in a statistical tie with that “leading Republican” candidate.
Some light was shed on a possible answer this past Wednesday, August 4 on KPAM 860’s Victoria Taft program, when a caller named ‘Jason’ called in expressing the same disbelief many others have and identified himself as an individual familiar with computer forensics and searching out questionable computer sites for the Attorney General’s office in the past.
Questioning the validity of this poll like many of us have and also being a “poll junky,” he looked closely at the poll and saw, amongst several red flags, just how unreliable their methodology was in that it is an internet poll with no safeguards to prevent selectees of the poll from sending the link on to others to participate in.
He laid out the steps he took in discovering an unlikely coincidence in that the polls host site and domain registrar were shared by FreedomsAnswer.com, a company whose sole ownership is listed as belonging to Washington 3rd Congressional District Candidate, David W. Hedrick.
Realizing that although an unlikely coincidence, it was still possible, he looked a bit deeper and was shocked to discover that the IP address of the poll was on the same block as the sites owned by Hedrick.
You can read the full report ‘Jason’ wrote HERE
Admittedly, I am no computer sleuth or techie sort. All of that goes right over my head, much as it does most others today. But to those who dabble in such computer research, it makes complete sense. Therefore, I had the full 7-page report reviewed by a person I am acquainted with online who does understand such computer lingo.
In confirming the data ‘Jason’ revealed, he said,
“The most DAMNING of all of the data comes in point nine (and ten further.)”
“Most website owners or professional web coders or computer programmers reuse code or professional libraries of code to save production time. Every hour that someone creates a website site or computer program is VERY expensive. Especially in the United States. A library of code is like a bible.”
“And also coding structure usually is similar to the coder who creates it. No one wants to recreate the coding wheel when he has a library of code to use that he has used on previous projects. That shortens website development time. And most of that coding has a fingerprint or coding style within it (as he explains in further detail there) so why does Hedrick’s code look so similar in each of his websites or a piece of masthead, a beginning of a site is so similar?”
In closing, my acquaintance added,
“All I would finally say [is] I would not want to be the damn fool who was associated with this site, whoever coded it or is hosting it. It was a tragic error to do, looks too much like an attempt to smarm or live in some fantasy that one would think David Hedrick is in any way have an ability to be in the leagues with David Castillo or Denny Heck. It looks like a juvenile attempt to make someone look better than they really are.”
Any that choose to read the report ‘Jason’ submitted, I would only hope you have your own computer techie’s review it for themselves and your peace of mind instead of just fuming.
Something just doesn’t add up with this campaign and it stinks to high heaven.
As I’ve said before, it isn’t unusual for a newspaper to make an endorsement and get it wrong, not endorsing who the people over all vote for. It is highly unusual that four major newspapers of different ideological, political, regional and historical backgrounds from within the same congressional district to agree on one candidate and that candidate be polled dead last in any legitimate poll.
Add to that the vitriol thrown at David Castillo by supporters of David Hedrick, who proclaims in ads that he is “the leading Republican” in the race, while completely ignoring Jaime Herrera, although she is in a statistical tie for the nomination Hedrick claims is his, just doesn’t make sense.
Something very strange is definitely going on in the race to replace retiring Brian Baird in the 3rd Congressional District.
And, it stinks!
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