The Municipal League of King County released its ratings for 70 2014 legislative candidates, including those running in the 45th District. Two of the races showed challengers equal to or above the incumbent’s rating.

One of the biggest surprises was the rating for Rep. Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland), who holds position No. 1 in the 45th District. Goodman’s rating dropping two places from “Outstanding” in 2012 to “Good” this year. The district includes the Sammamish area.

“In my line of work, we call that a two-step downgrade, which is really quite serious,” said Goodman’s opponent, Republican Joel Hussey.

Hussey maintained a rating of “Very Good” from when he challenged Goodman in 2012.

“I was mystified by this year’s rating,” said Goodman. “It’s difficult to understand how a candidate’s rating can bounce from ‘Very Good’ to ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ to ‘Good’ over the course of four elections, when I’ve continued to build a solid record of achievement in the legislature and I’ve remained accessible and responsive to my constituents.”

Goodman said that he respects the work of the Municipal League volunteers and honors their civic commitment.

“However, I believe their final ratings might be a reflection of the personal interview they conduct, more than any of the other material and information we provide to them,” Goodman said. “Impressions given during a personal interview are often hit-or-miss, so there may be too much of an unreliable, subjective element to the Muni League rating process, but I really do not want to be critical of the hard work they put in.”

Goodman said he is confident in his accomplishments in the Legislature.

In the race for the 45th District Senate seat, both the challenger, Matt Isenhower (D-Redmond), and the incumbent, Andy Hill (R-Redmond) earned a ratings of “Very Good.” Hill, who did not return a request for comment, increased his rating from “Good” in 2010.

“As a first-time candidate, it’s an honor to be judged as someone who is a skilled builder of consensus, understands the issues facing our state and inspires confidence,” Isenhower said. “The community leaders who volunteer with the Municipal League of King County go to great lengths to evaluate candidates’ effectiveness, character and knowledge. It’s not a resume measuring contest or a partisan judgment. Because they really seek to understand whether a candidate is prepared to make an impact, I think their ratings are particularly helpful to voters.”

In the race for Position 2, The league rated Rep. Larry Springer “Very Good.” The league was unable to interview Springer’s opponent, Brendan Woodward, and rated him “Adequate.”

The non-partisan process used 50 volunteers, who devoted more than 1,000 hours to collect the information. To determine candidate ratings, the volunteers reviewed candidate questionnaires, studied the public record, spoke with references and conducted interviews with candidates, according to the Municipal League’s website.

The questionnaire the candidates fill out includes such information other elected offices held, volunteerism, community work and employment.

The ratings are not meant as an endorsement by the league but rather it assess each candidate’s potential to be effective in office and ability to serve the community, the organization says. Committee members then rate each candidate on four criteria: involvement, character, effectiveness and knowledge.