Johnson enters race; is he just a tool?

According to local muckraker Stefan Sharkansky, late-entering judicial candidate Michael Johnson just might face a class B felony charge for conspiring to confuse voters. The relevant statute:

Any person who with intent to mislead or confuse the electors conspires with another person who has a surname similar to an incumbent seeking reelection to the same office, or to an opponent for the same office whose political reputation has been well established, by persuading such other person to file for such office with no intention of being elected, but to defeat the incumbent or the well known opponent, is guilty of a class B felony punishable according to chapter 9A.20 RCW. In addition, all conspirators are subject to a suit for civil damages, the amount of which may not exceed the salary that the injured person would have received had he or she been elected or reelected.

The Seattle Times' report that Michael Johnson "...said he will not raise any money or seek any endorsements..." leads Sharkansky to call Michael Johnson's campaign "transparently bogus," and it's tough to disagree with that assessment.

His other claim, that Susan Owens and Christine Gregoire are somehow behind this, is offered without evidence, and without a smoking gun, a conspiracy charge won't stick.

With an independent judiciary, we could avoid this sort of nonsense.

Update: Merely entering with an intent to confuse is also a class B felony. Thanks to Richard Pope for that one.