Eyman backs new lawsuit to overturn Inslee orders

OLYMPIA, Wash. — As the leading Republican candidate for governor, Tim Eyman has made it an essential part of his campaign to fight Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home orders.

Gathered with Eyman on the steps of the state’s Supreme Court, the petitioners electronically filed their lawsuit to have Inslee’s shutdown orders declared unconstitutional.

“For two months we have been trying to work with you, and you have said sorry, closed. What else are we to do?” said gym owner Zach Miller.

This new lawsuit is a reaction to the crackdown on gyms that have opened in defiance of the governor’s shut down order. The owner of PA Fitness in Arlington closed again after being sued by the attorney general.

“This is what I wanted to do, make a difference in people’s lives. He doesn’t understand. Mr. Inslee doesn’t understand if you poke the bear sooner or later you are going to get bit,” said Mike Jellison.

Eyman added, “I am extremely frustrated that’s where they’re going to put the priority of law enforcement is going after these guys instead of the actual problems we have in this state.”

In the crowd, there were flags symbolizing resistance — signs of deep skepticism about the need for a shutdown in response to the coronavirus. One sign even went so far as to evoke Nazi Germany.

If Eyman were elected governor, we might well be in the midst of a second wave when he is inaugurated in January. When asked if he would be willing to shut down businesses in order to protect the health of the people of the state, he responded, “There is no way under any circumstances I would shut down a state. I would not force people to stay in their homes. I would ask them; I would persuade them. …You can’t have one person telling 7 million people how to live their lives. You just can’t do it,” he said.

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