Anti-tax activist and I-976 proponent Tim Eyman made his run for governor official today by actually filing the paperwork, and he did so while announcing that he intends to run not as a Republican, but as an independent.

“Running as an independent I think is a very important thing, and I think it’s not just symbolism,” he said. “The idea is that the initiatives that we’ve done over the years were all about letting the voters vote. None of our initiatives could have passed without overwhelming support by Republicans, by Democrats, by independents, by all of them.”

WA Attorney General’s office says Seattle can withstand I-976 passing

Voters approved I-976 with 53 percent in favor across Washington state. Eyman says he felt compelled to put his hat in the ring for next year’s governor’s race because he believes Seattle is monopolizing politics and funding in the state.

The announcement to run as an independent was made as he spoke to reporters in Olympia today while filing. Seattle and King County are challenging the just-passed $30 car initiative in a lawsuit which argues that the initiative violates the state’s Constitution. Additional plaintiffs include the Washington State Transit Association, Association of Washington Cities, the Port of Seattle, and Intercity Transit, among others.

Todd: Tim Eyman is more trustworthy than Jay Inslee

Recently the Washington Attorney General’s office said Seattle can financially withstand I-976 passing, and that plaintiffs cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that I-976 is unconstitutional.

With reporting from KIRO Radio