No Good Choices
There are no optimal choices in this race.
After leading a primary crowded with Republicans, Democrat Rick Payne is still in the race for state Senator. Payne is a former vice president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters as well as a current precinct committee officer. His official voter's guide statement declares that he will work on balancing the state's upside-down tax code and protect funding for local schools, but Payne has little concrete policy information or endorsements available. His official voter's guide writeup for his 2014 run under the "Marijuana Party" label was unserious. Since Payne's success in the primary, he has been notably quiet on his policy priorities.
Payne is running against former House representative Jim McCune, who currently serves as a Pierce County Council member. McCune states that he's running to tackle the state's "bloated bureaucracy" as a "pro-Make America Great" candidate. Even with the national conversation around police reform and accountability, McCune states that it's a priority to fund more officers to try and arrest the district's way out of addiction and encampment issues. As a former state representative, McCune notably voted against the 2012 bill that legalized same-sex marriage in Washington state. McCune recently used his taxpayer-funded council newsletter to promote President Trump's hydroxychloroquine cocktail as a viable treatment for coronavirus, contradicting federal infectious disease advice and upsetting local health officials.
In this highly conservative district, voters should pick Payne or write in a candidate of their choice.
Jim McCune
There are no optimal choices in this race.