Josh, apparently blown away by Pedersen’s palatial Capitol Hill lair, just sent a ton of photos of what he describes as a “lavish” spread and an “incredible” house. Unfortunately, cell-phone-camera technology has not advanced sufficiently to do it justice. Nevertheless, here they are:

That last picture is an image of Pedersen’s basement/nerve center, where Josh ran into Capitol Hill gadfly Janice Van Cleve. As a longtime community activist, Van Cleve knows all the candidates well; and as a precinct-committee officer coordinator in the 43rd District, she had to sit down separately with Dodson and Pure, who are both PCOs, and explain why she was supporting their opponent. Van Cleve’s explanation: “He’s the most intelligent and articulate of the bunch. When you get down to Olympia, you have to be able to convince other people what’s right and Jamie has the skills to do that.” Asked if Pedersen’s homosexuality was a factor in her support, Van Cleve said, “Absolutely. It’s not a tangential issue.”

Besides Van Cleve (and several members of the Seattle Men’s Chorus), Pedersen’s party was mostly bereft of prominent local officials—perhaps fittingly for a candidate who received few major endorsements.