26th Legislative District

A host of candidates are running against Sen. Cantwell this year, though none appear to be competitive.

Dr. Raul Garcia is the leading Republican challenger for the U.S. Senate. After initially announcing a campaign for governor, he is now running to install conservative leadership in one of Washington’s senate seats. Dr. Garcia is a Yakima-based doctor and hospital medical director who previously ran for governor in 2020. He has served in leadership positions across medical institutions, nonprofits, and small businesses. Despite his vague platform, he has already received support from some of Washington’s most prominent conservatives.

Paul Lawrence Giesick is running as a Democrat even though he self-identifies as a “Catholic, Libertarian-leaning conservative” and is campaigning on a platform indistinguishable from many right-wing candidates. A Marine veteran, Giesick has worked in aerospace, municipal administration, and production management. His platform emphasizes racist border policies, oil production, and cuts to crucial public services that Americans rely on. Giesick frequently uses religious language in his campaign and even boasts a “pledge a prayer” section.

David Tilton is running a non-partisan challenge to Cantwell. Tilton works for Microsoft as an associate manager and lacks community leadership or public service experience. He is running on a moderate platform to support local economies, invest in public education, ensure affordable health care, increase funding for militarized policing, and cut some public services.

Mel Ram, another Republican challenger for the Senate seat, is running an incoherent, spiritual, conspiracy-based campaign. She blames black mold for our nation’s social unrest and refers to a conspiracy called the “smart lie” as the reason she wants to enact massive education reforms.

Far-right candidate Isaac Holyk has some of the most extreme views in this race. He has stated that he believes the country is Christian in nature and that he does not believe in leading for “the greater good.” Recently, he came out against the Trump verdict, criticizing the fair ruling by a jury of Americans and in doing so undermining our criminal legal system. Like many MAGA Republicans, his platform consists of scapegoating people at the border, blaming Biden for economic insecurity caused by Trump policies, and promoting conspiracy theories about public education curriculums, including calling for a ban on any diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within schools.

Seattle Republican Scott Nazarino works in estate and retirement planning. Nazarino has only a vague campaign platform in this primary. He states that in order to keep our school-age children safe, he wants to bring armed guards to elementary schools – but we know that more guns do not make us safer.

Three additional candidates - Independent Thor Amundson, Independent Chuck Jackson, and "Socialist Workers" candidate Henry Clay Dennison - have minimal, unrelated, or no campaign website or information available as of mid-July. We will continue to monitor this race and update their information if it becomes available.

Perennial conservative challenger, Goodspaceguy, has also filed in this race. He regularly mounts empty, unserious challenges to seats across the state.

There are three other candidates in this race. State Senator Drew MacEwen is the first Republican in the race to represent Washington’s 6th congressional district. First elected to the state legislature in 2012, MacEwen has been a staunch conservative voice in Olympia, including opposing clean climate initiatives, resources for Washington students, protections for local wildlife, and commonsense gun safety bills. In addition, MacEwen voted against an abortion shield law that protects Washington state health care workers when they provide abortion care to patients from Washington and from out of state.

Republican Janis Clark is the president of a local nonprofit. Clark served in the U.S. Army, reaching the rank of captain before facing retaliation after reporting incidents of sexual abuse she experienced. Now, Clark runs SAFE House, an organization that provides shelter and services to youth in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Her priorities in this race include increasing funding for militarized police forces, opposing age-appropriate sexual health education in our schools, and cutting funding for vital public services.

J. Graham Ralston, who is running as an Independent in this race, is an attorney at his own Olympic Peninsula-based firm. Ralston also lists himself in vague leadership positions at several Seattle-based companies. Previously, he worked in the nation’s capitol within the Department of Transportation's Office of Small Business. Ralston has yet to release a campaign platform in this race and it is unclear what his priorities and vision for the office include.

State Sen. Mark Mullet is a conservative Democrat who would be a step backward for Washington. For example, his votes were part of the reason that rent stabilization failed in the Legislature this year, denying Washingtonians the safety of more stable, affordable housing. Mullet also voted against the progressive capital gains tax, which taxes the ultra-wealthiest Washingtonians to fund education and early learning. Mullet's stances against bills like the wealth tax and the Climate Commitment Act make it clear that he would prioritize the powerful few over working families.

Former U.S. House Representative Dave Reichert is the leading Republican in the crowded gubernatorial race to replace retiring governor Jay Inslee. Reichert served Washington’s 8th Congressional District in the House for 14 years, where he took some bad votes against climate protections and health care affordability and voted for a national abortion ban, among other anti-abortion votes. He also previously served as the elected King County Sheriff, and worked on the prominent Green River Killer case.

While Reichert is adept at sounding more moderate than some of his MAGA colleagues, his policy positions tell the truth, particularly when speaking to friendly crowds of Republicans behind closed doors. Earlier this year Reichert said that he opposes marriage equality, which Washington voters passed in 2012 and became the law nationwide in 2015. More recently, Reichert finally admitted that he plans to vote for Trump this November and cited his signed MAGA hat as evidence of his Republican credentials. Finally, Reichert questioned humans' impact on climate change, despite the overwhelming scientific consensus. Reichert is clearly out of step with the values of most Washingtonians.

Another Republican in the race for retiring Gov. Inslee’s seat is Semi Bird, a recently ousted Richland School Board member. Bird has served in a number of leadership positions including as a senior advisor to the ambassador of Bangladesh, a former chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Energy, and as the executive director of a consulting firm.

Last August, Bird was recalled from the Richland School Board after his controversial vote to defy Washington’s indoor mask mandate during the height of the pandemic. In this race, he has defined himself as a “constitutional Christian conservative” and made concerning comments about the role of religion in government. Bird is in favor of expanding our overcrowded criminal legal system, further militarizing our police, allowing far-right groups control over public education, and eliminating policies that keep neighbors dealing with substance abuse safer. If elected, he would not represent the values or needs of average Washingtonians.

Heck faces several opponents this year, none of whom appear to be running competitive campaigns.

Republican Bob Hagglund is an IT professional with data science credentials. Previously, Hagglund joined some of the country's biggest MAGA conservatives in lying about the results of the 2020 elections in an effort to illegally install Trump as president. He has spent most of this campaign criticizing elected Democrats rather than offering his own ideas for improving the office. He has an identical platform to Rep. Mike Kelly, who is running for a state Senate seat. Like Kelly, Hagglund has shared transphobic and misogynistic rhetoric about protecting the so-called “very essence of womanhood.” Hagglund is not a leader and his views do not represent our state’s values.

Navy veteran and retiree Patrick Harman is also in this race. Harman previously ran an unsuccessful bid for Oak Harbor mayor in 2019. Now, he is running in support of typically conservative fiscal policy with more moderate social positions, including supporting reproductive freedom and commonsense gun safety policy. However, he has no detailed campaign information or website as of mid-July.

Republican Dan Matthews is a veteran and former school board member running to deprioritize public schools in favor of private education, cut spending on social services, and limit regulations on businesses and corporations.

Democratic challenger David Griffin has a minimal campaign website that promises to support government transparency, "embrace change" in leadership, and support reproductive rights. He lists no elected or community leadership experience.

Hobbs is facing a challenge from fellow Democrat Marquez Tiggs, a finance professional and veteran. In a volunteer capacity, Tiggs has been involved in community organizations such as POCAAN Seattle, which delivers social services for people of color. The pillars of his campaign include community empowerment, voter education, election security, and strengthening public trust in the electoral process. Tiggs’ ultimate goal is to build an inclusive, secure democracy where everyone’s voice can be heard and counted. In comparison to Hobbs, Tiggs appears to lack a track record of community leadership and strong endorsements in this race.

Republican Dale Whitaker, who owns a small tax business, is also in this race. Whitaker serves as the executive director of We Believe We Vote, which claims to educate Christian voters by supporting conservatives with some of the _most _extreme views in the state, including strong anti-abortion stances, homophobic positions, and a belief that the Christian Bible should be the ultimate guiding text for leaders. In this race, Whitaker’s top priority is election transparency and security. Unfortunately, the greatest threat to our democratic, electoral processes has been incursions from the far-right, of which Whitaker is affiliated. Washington voters deserve a secretary of state who is above divisive, conspiracy-based politics.

Damon Townsend is running without party affiliation – what he calls “No Labels” – in this race. Townsend previously worked as Pierce County’s elections specialist and supervisor before resigning in 2019 after a “disruptive” personnel dispute where he displayed unprofessional conduct. In 2022, he ran to earn the county seat back but was unsuccessful. This election cycle, he has set his sights on the state’s highest elections position, campaigning on a platform to improve confidence in Washington elections, increase office transparency, improve voter privacy, and strengthen contingency planning for election emergencies.

Republican and Pasco attorney Pete Serrano is running to bring a conservative agenda to the attorney general's office. Serrano, the board president and general counsel of an organization that fights commonsense gun laws and public health mandates, was recently elected as mayor of Pasco. He states that while he disagrees with these laws he will follow the state Constitution, but the Seattle Times also reported that he intended to remain "actively engaged" with the organization in a Facebook video on the organization's page. If elected he promises to "Make Washington Safe Again" and make the office more transparent. Serrano is not a progressive choice in this race.

Patrick DePoe, the tribal relations director for the state’s Department of Natural Resources, is running to become the first Native candidate to win a statewide position. DePoe is a member of the Makah Tribe who grew up on the Neah Bay reservation. In addition to his DNR job, he works with a number of groups at the intersection of environmental sustainability and Indigenous land use, including the Northwest Indian Fish Commission, the Environmental Justice Council, and the Pacific Fishery Management Council. DePoe has also served on the Makah Tribal Council, including as vice chairman.

In this race, DePoe is running to manage public lands in a way that maximizes environmental sustainability while balancing building a stronger economy of well-paying jobs. He believes he can build a widespread climate coalition to engage all community stakeholders in efforts towards a green future. DePoe also wants to improve forest health while preventing and fighting increasingly dangerous wildfire seasons. Finally, he is committed to being a representative for rural communities who often serve as the frontline of environmental issues in our state. However, DePoe lacks Upthegrove’s experience in elected office as well as his demonstrated track record of writing and passing environmental legislation.

Also in this crowded race is state Senator Kevin Van De Wege. Van de Wege served five terms in the House before joining the Senate in 2016. Before that, he served as a firefighter and paramedic. His voting record makes it clear he would not be a progressive choice in this race. Van De Wege broke ranks with his party to vote against the critical 2021 Climate Commitment Act, which enables the state’s Department of Ecology to make headway on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and engages an environmental justice approach to make sure no community is left behind in climate mitigation, among other key policies. As a hindrance, rather than a leader, on addressing climate change within his own party, Van De Wege is not the best choice to take the bold action our communities need from the next public lands commissioner.

Firefighter and ecologist Allen Lebovitz is another Democrat in this race who is running to lead the public lands office with core values of sustainability and respect for the land. Lebovitz has worked for the state’s Department of Natural Resources in a number of roles since 2011, including aquation restoration ecologist and most recently wildland fire and forest resilience liaison. His experience spans policy, science, and frontline work to protect our public lands from environmental degradation, wildfires, habitat loss, and climate change.

Lebovitz is running with a progressive, sustainable vision for the office. If elected, he wants to invest in fire-resilient forest management techniques, ensuring public lands benefit all Washingtonians equitably, strengthening rural economies, and valuing healthy forests above time volume. His goals for office revolve around effective crisis management and a strategic, optimistic plan for a sustainable future.

Redmond City Council member Jeralee Anderson is another Democrat in this race. Anderson first joined the city council in 2018, and she also co-founded and serves as president of a globally recognized nonprofit focused on helping to make our transportation systems more sustainable. Her training is as a civil engineer, and her work has been recognized at many levels including as one of President Obama’s White House Transportation Champions of Change.

Former congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler is back on the ballot this election. In 2022, she lost her re-election primary to ultra-conservative Joe Kent and current Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez. In Congress, Herrera Beutler voted with Trump more than 80 percent of the time, though she has received criticism from her party after voting to impeach Donald Trump following the January 6th insurrection. Herrera Beutler has overwhelmingly opposed bills that protect our environment including the 2021 Build Back Better Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act which, both contained bold policies to alleviate the climate crisis. She lacks a detailed campaign platform in this race but mentions wildfire mitigation, habitat preservation, and public land use as top issues.

Also in this race is Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson, a retired environmental and power analyst who has worked for Seattle City Lights and the Grays Harbor Public Utility District. Pederson previously ran for this seat in 2020. Despite the growing climate crisis and the need to build a sustainable Washington future, Pederson’s focus lies in criticizing the Democratic incumbent and prioritizing revenue from the sale of timber from public forests.

Gig Harbor School Board member David Olson is running on a reactionary platform. Olson wants to increase special education budgets, engage parental intervention, and double down on letter grade systems. Like many conservative school board directors, he wants to expand local control of curriculums and schools. Olson wants to employ strict guidelines in our schools that penalize students struggling the most.

Former Vashon School Board member John Patterson Blair is also in this nonpartisan race to challenge Reykdal. Blair previously ran for the state superintendent position in 2016 on a platform centered on individualizing Washington student experiences. As of mid-July, he lacks a campaign website and he previously failed to attend a community campaign event for candidates in this race.

Bill Boyd is the other Democratic candidate in this race. Boyd has worked in insurance for more than three decades and has spent nearly all of his industry experience at his own company, Boyd Insurance Brokerage. He is highly involved in his community as a church leader, youth sports coach, and league treasurer. Boyd is campaigning to expand health care options and take climate change into account in insurance coverage. However, he supports privatizing the workers’ compensation program, which the voters opposed in 2010 because it would undermine benefits for working people and their families.

Republican state Senator Phil Fortunato is also running for insurance commissioner. Fortunato was first elected to represent the 31st Legislative District in Olympia in 2016 as a representative before being immediately appointed to an open Senate seat. Outside public service, his professional background is in erosion control and stormwater management. In the Legislature, Fortunato was the primary sponsor of many far-right bills, including legislation to strip abortion rights for some Washingtonians and to oppose commonsense gun safety policy. If he's elected insurance commissioner, Fortunato wants to remove regulations that keep health care costs lower. He is vehemently opposed to universal health care policies that would allow all Washingtonians, regardless of income status, to access the health care and medicine they need. He is not a progressive choice in this race.

Democrat Chris Chung has no campaign website as of mid-July. His official voters guide statement is very vague and offers Washingtonians no real insight into how he would run the office. Fellow Democrat John Pestinger is a veteran who has worked for five years as a project manager in the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

Insurance professional Jonathan Hendrix is running without a party preference in this race. Hendrix recently finished an eight-year stint with Premera Blue Cross and has previously worked for Aetna and United Dental Care. He believes his experience in the industry will allow him to better prioritize customer service. Unfortunately, he also supports deregulation of the industry. We know that left unregulated in the pursuit of profit, the insurance prices for customers soar while service quality declines. Washingtonians need a strong leader who is unafraid to hold private insurance corporations accountable.

Deer Park mayor Tim Verzal, who is running without a party preference, and Republican Justin Murta have no campaign website or information available as of mid-June. We will continue to monitor this race and update their information if it becomes available.

Independent candidate Josh Smith is running to bring together a coalition across party lines to advocate on issues that affect the working class. A former meteorologist who has also worked on Washington state elections, Smith says that he wants to focus on political system reforms like banning Super PACs. Both Smith and his fellow candidate Tiffiny Mitchell want to end tolling on bridges like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and encourage more "middle housing," usually multi-family options like townhomes.

We don't agree with Smith's plans to amend the state constitution to ban any income tax on earners under $250,000. That would proactively prohibit comprehensive tax reform that ultimately lowers taxes on middle- and low-income earners by rebalancing the system to make high earners pay their share, lowering or eliminating regressive taxes, and instituting a progressive tax like most other states.

Smith's platform has earned him the support of three labor unions and some elected officials, the second most endorsements in this race. Notably, he earned a dual endorsement from the Washington State Labor Council.

Republican Rep. Michelle Caldier is running for re-election to Legislative District 26, Position 2. Caldier joined the Legislature in 2015 and has served as an affiliate professor at the University of Washington.

Caldier is a very conservative voice in the House. Recently, she voted against bills requiring the state’s private prisons to respect human rights, protecting consumer data privacy, and funding basic needs for Washington students. A recent investigation, released in December 2023, substantiated claims that Caldier bullies colleagues and legislative staff, including by “lashing out” at and “demeaning” those around her. Residents in the 26th Legislative District deserve a representative who leads by example and fights for community needs.

Republican Rachel Harter is running again after withdrawing from the race in 2022. Her campaign's policies are quite conservative, including fighting against teaching sex education in schools, attacking transgender Washingtonians, and removing regulation from businesses.

Democrat Lori McPherson has no website available as of early July. Her official voter statement says she volunteers in a homeless shelter and serves as a youth ministry program leader. She has no concrete policy proposals and states that she is running because she disagrees with the incumbent.

Former Tacoma City Council member Joe Lonergan is also running for the seat currently held by his father, Mike Lonergan. Joe Lonergan works as the people technology director for Motion Church. He has not shared a policy platform in this race and is instead relying on character testimony and his past elected experience.

Kent Keel is the final candidate in this race. Keel formerly served on both the University Place City Council and School Board. He believes that success in the assessor-treasurer role is dependent on executive leadership experience and should be nonpartisan. However, the assessor-treasurer shouldn’t be afraid to take action to improve life in Pierce County. Keel lacks any specific policy on this front and has fewer progressive endorsements than Campbell in this race.

Pierce County detective Craig Gocha is also in this race. Gocha has worked in law enforcement and military posts for 20 years, including positions with the National Guard and the U.S. Marshals Service, and he has also worked in private sector security. He currently serves as the vice president of the Pierce County Deputy Sheriffs Guild. Gocha is running with a typically conservative approach to public safety. His vision is more focused on apprehension, aggressive policing, and incarceration. However, we know that our communities are strongest when we invest in preventative policy and incarceration alternatives so that everyone has an opportunity to access justice and lead a life of dignity.

Cyndie Fajardo, who has held multiple leadership positions in the sheriff’s department, is now seeking the top role. She has spent 36 years with the Pierce County sheriff’s office, including serving as the deputy sheriff. Fajardo is also the former president of the Pierce County Deputy Sheriff's Guild. Her platform echoes the War on Drugs rhetoric and does not address the most pressing safety issues in our community such as climate change or gun violence. Instead, Fajardo seems to believe her decades of law enforcement, without a specific vision for the position, is enough to lead the county.

Also in this crowded race is former Seattle police captain Keith Swank, who is running on a platform centered on his experience putting people behind bars and cracking down on peaceful protests. He offers no policy ideas for the leadership position but is running with a more right-wing vision that fails to realize what keeps our communities safe. Pierce County residents deserve a sheriff who is more focused on safety than punishment.

Darin Harris has worked in the military, law enforcement, and firefighting, and he currently serves the Department of Defense as a federal police officer. Harris is running on a thin platform that emphasizes his values and his desire to add more police and corrections officers to the payroll.

Mike Csapo, a Pierce County sergeant and patrol supervisor, is also running for Pierce County Sheriff. Csapo has spent nearly four decades in law enforcement, including with the University of Washington Police Department, the U.S. Army Military Police, and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. Csapo has echoed conservative fearmongering about crime rates while proposing increasing militarized policing as the only solution. He wants to engage the community but only to create civilian police forces. He is not a good choice in this race.

Federal Way Municipal Court Judge Dave Larson is also in this race. Larson has spent 16 years as a judge, and 23 years before that as a trial attorney. He claims to have bipartisan support and wants to serve as a “balance” if elected. Yet unfortunately, Larson perpetuates fears of rising crime rates as a reason for his candidacy even though judges are meant to be impartial arbiters and the state’s highest court deals more with large cases that affect all Washingtonians rather than individual instances of nonviolent crime. He has not listed any endorsements as of mid-July but it is clear that progressives are backing Mungia in this race.

Tacoma attorney David Shelvey is also in this race. Shelvey has practiced in the areas of family law, estate planning, and taxes, and most recently worked as a tax preparer at H&R Block. On his resume, he lists many degrees including PhDs supposedly earned in a year or less. He lacks judicial leadership experiences in professional or service capacities, and his campaign website shares somewhat scattered thoughts about various legal precedents. He stated in that interview that he decided to run for the Supreme Court after initially setting his sights on a local judicial seat because he was inspired by one of the court’s recent cases defending the rights of some of Washington’s most marginalized residents.

Tax and finance advisor Todd A. Bloom is also in this race. Bloom previously ran for Congress in 2016 as a Republican. While Bloom has a law degree and is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, his professional experience is in financial planning. He appears to have little direct experience with our state’s criminal legal system and offers only vague statements about service and judicial integrity in his campaign. His website is filled with what appears to be filler content from an unrelated architectural firm as of mid-July.

There are two other candidates in this race. Brian Wasankari is a Pierce County deputy prosecutor. He has served in the role for more than twenty years and additionally works in legal assistance for military service members. Despite Wasankari’s career focus in criminal prosecutions in divisions such as drugs, gangs, and sexual assault, he claims to have experience in the wider range of cases that come before a county court superior judge. In this race, he is prioritizing equitable treatment before the law for all Pierce residents. However, though judges are impartial, Wasankari has expressed criticism over policies that allow all of us a second chance to learn from our worst mistakes. He is not the best choice for equal justice in Pierce County.

County attorney John Austin is the final candidate in this race. Austin has trial experience and has been an advocate for Pierce County residents in our local courts for many years. He also volunteers his life with the Tacoma Pro Bono legal clinic. Austin lacks a website in this superior court judge race but is basing his campaign on his experience and relationships within the county courts.