This morning, Gregory Gadow told us that he's dropping out of the race for Position 2 in the 43rd Legislative District (which includes Capitol Hill and the University District). Gadow is citing "several family issues," his website says, and his withdrawal leaves House Speaker Frank Chopp—who is widely considered the second-most powerful person in Olympia, after the governor—running unopposed.

I hope you're happy, Socialists!

Why? Kshama Sawant (S-Not a Chance) was originally running against Chopp as an alternative to the centrist politics he's been playing at the past seven terms. But in spring, her campaign folks tell The Stranger, she pulled out because Chopp had another independent challenger, Gadow, and she wanted a guaranteed fight in the general election. So she switched to run against Jamie Pedersen in position 1.

But here's where the Socialists and Sawant blew it. Now nobody is challenging Chopp, and thus, nobody is challenging his moderate approach to managing the Democrats Olympia. Instead she's challenging Pedersen, who was key to passing gay marriage this year and one of the plaintiffs challenging the Eyman initiative. Pedersen is the wrong candidate to challenge if you want to challenge Dems for being wimpy.

Now with no option for a protest vote, it looks like Chopp is headed back to Olympia without a fight, and Pedersen is running against a no-chance candidate who should never have been running against him in the first place.