Snohomish County

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made history when she became the first woman nominated by the Democratic Party for president. As President, she will continue her legacy of advocacy for women, children, and families, which began with working at the Children's Defense Fund to provide education to students with disabilities. She also promises to fight for equal pay, protect our environment, expand background checks to more gun sales, support comprehensive immigration reform, and stand up to Republican attacks on President Barack Obama's landmark health care law.

Her main opponent, Republican Donald Trump, has amassed a troubling track record of actions and positions that are divisive, dishonest, disrespectful to women, and far too uninformed and unstable to lead our nation and be our Commander in Chief. Also in this race is Green Party nominee Jill Stein, a former Lexington, Massachusetts Town Council member, and Gary Johnson, the Libertarian former governor of New Mexico.

Hillary Rodham Clinton deserves your vote.

Since Patty Murray was first elected in 1992, the "Mom in Tennis Shoes" has been an incredible champion for women, working people, veterans, and an economy that works for everyone. The fourth-ranking Democrat in the Senate, she has earned the respect of Democrats and Republicans alike by forging agreements on the budget, education, women's health, and other critical issues, all while continuing to fight for working people across our state.

Her opponent is former Washington State Republican Party Chair Chris Vance. Vance, a partisan operative who championed George W. Bush for president, has led a lackluster campaign and does not bring new ideas to the table. Murray's leadership, experience, and progressive values make her the clear choice in this race.

Rep. Suzan DelBene won a tough race in 2012 to represent the 1st Congressional District, which reaches from Kirkland to the Canadian border. DelBene is a former executive at Microsoft who has used her technology background to become a leader in protecting privacy rights against government surveillance. She has also been a strong advocate for job development, economic fairness, women’s health, and immigration reform. She faces Tea Party candidate Robert Sutherland.

DelBene’s experience and strong track record make her the clear choice in this race.

Rep. Rick Larsen is a moderate, pragmatic Democrat who has been a strong advocate for jobs, transportation, and infrastructure projects in the 2nd District. Larsen has also led efforts to protect voting rights, fought to reform student loans, and has been a champion of Wall Street reform. Before serving in Congress he served on the Snohomish County Council and worked on economic development for the City of Everett. Unfortunately, Larsen angered many progressives by urging Boeing machinists to vote on Boeing's contract proposal to eliminate workers' hard-earned pension benefits.

Larsen faces cookie cutter Republican Marc Hennemann. Larsen is the best choice in this race.

Tony Ventrella is a popular former sports broadcast journalist and progressive Democrat who is prioritizing getting money out of politics by overturning Citizens United. He supports building an economy that works for everyone, ensuring women have the freedom to make their own private medical decisions, and expanding access to health care.

Ventrella is challenging longtime incumbent Dave Reichert. While in Congress, Reichert voted for the government shutdown that cost taxpayers $24 billion, voted to defund Planned Parenthood, and has joined with the far right members of his party to waste time voting again and again to overturn Obamacare. Ventrella would be a welcome change for the 8th District.

Governor Jay Inslee has been a strong, principled leader on the important challenges facing Washington, including tackling transportation problems, increasing the minimum wage, and fighting global warming. He has also worked to fund schools by closing unjust tax loopholes and fought to close the gender pay gap. Before he was elected Governor in 2012, Inslee represented both sides of the Cascades in Congress, opposed the Iraq war, and worked to increase accountability and oversight for Wall Street banks.

In contrast, Republican Bill Bryant opposes the Washington Voting Rights Act, is opposed to many public transportation projects, and is an obstacle to closing unjust tax loopholes. While Inslee has his work cut out for him in his second term, we believe his strong moral compass and vision for improving our state makes him the best choice in this race.

State Senator Cyrus Habib has been an effective champion for public education, transit solutions, and gun safety. Habib authored a successful jobs bill to connect entrepreneurs with additional funding options, and has been named one of 12 legislators to watch in the country by Governing Magazine.

His opponent, Republican Marty McClendon, is a far-right conservative who advocates for Tea Party proposals such as eliminating the IRS, shutting down the Affordable Care Act, and pursuing energy exploration without regard to the environment. Due to his leadership and accomplishments, Habib deserves your vote.

Tina Podlodowski is running for Secretary of State to increase voter participation and turnout as the state’s chief elections officer. Podlodowski has spent her life fighting for equality and driving forward progress. She understands just how important voting and an equitable election system are to a functioning and flourishing democracy. She is a former Microsoft executive who also served on the Seattle City Council and has a strong track record of non-profit leadership.

Podlodowski is challenging incumbent Republican Kim Wyman for failing to improve declining voter participation. Wyman has opposed the Washington Voting Rights Act and has refused to support common-sense measures to increase voter participation such as Election Day voter registration and pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds. Podlodowski deserves your vote.

Elected in 2003, Benton County Treasurer Duane Davidson is the better of two conservative candidates vying to replace outgoing State Treasurer Jim McIntire. Davidson is currently serving his second term as the President of the Washington State Association of County Treasurers and has been endorsed by both Republican and Democratic treasurers as well as most major newspapers from around the state. While we disagree about how to reform our state's upside-down tax code, Davidson brings years of experience with government finance, managing staff, smart investments of taxpayer dollars, and a commitment to transparency and accountability.

In contrast, banker Michael Waite has no experience overseeing government finances. We have concerns that he would use the office as a platform for anti-tax activism and insert himself into legislative debates outside the scope of the Treasurer’s office. Waite does support safe and legal abortion access and has earned the endorsement of Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii as well as NARAL Pro-Choice Washington.

We recommend Davidson as the best of two conservative options.

Current Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy has run the operations of Pierce County government for eight years, managing 3,000 employees and a $900 million budget. Prior to that, she served as the Pierce County Auditor, where she was honored as the 2005 Washington State Auditor of the Year. McCarthy is running to bring back integrity to the Auditor's office after a criminal indictment derailed Troy Kelley's term, and promises to improve efficiency and transparency in our state government.

Her opponent is socially-conservative Republican Senator Mark Miloscia. Unfortunately, Miloscia is opposed to safe and legal abortion access and to marriage equality. He supports allowing employers to deny coverage for birth control and co-sponsored a bill that could ban many forms of birth control. We're concerned that if elected, Miloscia could use his office to launch politically-fueled investigations of Planned Parenthood and other women's health groups that receive public funds to provide health care to women.

Miloscia has been good on labor issues and was endorsed by some of our labor partners, including SEIU 925, SEIU 775, and the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters, as well as a dual endorsement from the Washington Federation of State Employees. However, McCarthy's support is broader and she deserves your vote due to her accomplished record, experience, and trusted values.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson's accomplishments in four years are impressive. From delivering millions of dollars back to consumers who were wronged by fraudulent corporations and his ongoing battle with the federal government to clean up the Hanford nuclear waste site to successfully fighting two Tim Eyman initiatives, Ferguson has been a strong and effective advocate for people in Washington.

Ferguson faces Libertarian Josh Trumbull, who is not running a viable campaign and is not qualified for this office. Ferguson deserves your vote.

Erin Jones is a teacher of foreign languages and African American studies who has won multiple awards for her innovative work to make learning more accessible for students of color. Jones most recently worked at Tacoma Public Schools as a literacy coach and previously served as Assistant Superintendent of Student Achievement for the state of Washington, where she worked on policy and instruction practices to make schools a place where all students can learn. Jones' three kids attended Washington public schools.

There are some concerns about the support Jones has received from prominent right-wing Republicans and conservative interest groups. In addition, The Stranger and Equal Rights Washington have raised important concerns about some of Jones' statements and positions on LGBTQ issues and associations with conservative groups opposed to LGBTQ equality. We take those concerns very seriously. After a careful review and a long discussion with her, it’s clear she has changed those positions. Although she had some learning to do on LGTBQ equality, we believe her heart is in the right place.

While Jones has earned dual endorsements from several of our Progressive Voters Guide partners, we lean toward Reykdal in this race.

As the state Insurance Commissioner, Mike Kreidler has brought a range of experience to the position and defended the interests of Washington residents against big insurance companies. Kreidler cut insurance rates, required that contraceptives be included in prescription drug coverage for women, and helped increase the transparency of the health insurance market. If re-elected, Kreidler will work on expanding health care access, limiting insurance company exploitation, and eliminating credit scoring as a determinant of insurance rates.

Kreidler faces Republican Richard Schrock, who is not running a credible campaign. Kreidler deserves your vote.

The Progressive Voters Guide recommends Guy Palumbo in this race. He is a small business owner and former Amazon.com employee who now serves as a fire commissioner and as the chair of the Snohomish County Planning Commission. Palumbo is running an energetic campaign to reduce traffic gridlock and solve our transportation problems, much like he did as an activist in 2015 when he successfully advocated for additional funding for highway 522. Palumbo strongly supports reproductive freedom and believes we need to close tax loopholes to fund education.

Palumbo faces Republican Mindie Wirth in this race. Wirth is a traditional Republican who would be an obstacle to fixing our state’s regressive tax system and closing loopholes. We believe that Palumbo offers the strongest potential as a member of the state Senate and is the best choice in this race.

Derek Stanford has been an effective legislator guided by progressive values. Stanford is a strong proponent of LGBTQ rights, consumer protection, job creation, a sustainable budget, and education.

He is opposed by Republican Neil Thannisch, a far-right conservative who openly advocates for the policy agenda of anti-women's health, anti-LGBTQ qroups such as the Family Policy Institute of Washington. For his demonstrated leadership, Stanford deserves your vote.

Kirkland City Councilwoman Shelley Kloba is running for this open seat. Kloba has been a strong voice for parks and human services in Kirkland, serving on the Eastside Human Resources Forum and the regional Domestic Violence Task Force. She previously served two years as the Washington State PTA Legislative Director where she advocated for education funding, and just finished a six-year term as a trustee for the Lake Washington Schools Foundation. Kloba is now running for the Legislature because of her strong commitment to affordable housing and education funding.

She faces Republican Jim Langston, a child care center owner who does not share the same breadth of leadership experience as Kloba. Because of her longstanding commitment to parks, education, and housing options that work for all, Kloba deserves your vote.

Local Democrat Scott Chaplin is running a last minute write-in campaign for the state House Position 1 seat against far-right conservative Norma Smith, who voted against the freedom to marry for all loving couples. Chaplin, who was elected twice to the city council in his former hometown of Carbondale, Colorado, formerly ran a social justice non-profit that advocates for LGBTQ equality, and is a strong supporter of clean, renewable energy. Also in the race is Libertarian Michael Scott.

Chaplin deserves your vote.

Doris Brevoort faces an uphill battle to unseat conservative incumbent David Hayes. Brevoort is an educator and family caregiver who is running to protect our environment and support the working farms of Skagit County.

Hayes has voted against raising the minimum wage, closing tax loopholes and other forward-thinking legislation. Brevoort is a better choice in this race.

Democrat Dan Maher is a progressive from Wenatchee who aligns himself with many of Bernie Sanders' ideals. Maher faces an uphill battle against conservative incumbent Rep. Cary Condotta, who sits on the important Finance Committee and has been an obstacle to closing tax loopholes and reforming our state's upside down tax code. Maher is the best choice in this race.

Incumbent Representative, former city council member, and local cheese shop owner Strom Peterson has proven to be a smart and capable leader in the Edmonds community. This year, Peterson sponsored a bill to help solve the state's heroin and opioid epidemic, which passed. He also prioritizes the environment, workforce development, and fully funding our schools.

Peterson faces Libertarian Alex Hels, who is not running a competitive campaign. Peterson deserves your vote.

Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self has worked in children's services almost all of her life, including her role as an education adviser for the Department of Children and Family Services and her current job as a counselor in the Everett School District. She also founded two separate organizations that provide mental health counseling and help Latino youth achieve academic success, helping bridge barriers they face to succeed. In Olympia, she used her experience to bring a bill forward that will help improve students' success in Washington schools by examining outside factors that are impacting their performance.

Ortiz-Self facesy Republican Jeff Scherrer, who opposes expanding opportunities for working people by raising the minimum wage or passing earned sick leave. Rep. Ortiz-Self has earned your vote.

Representative Cindy Ryu is the former Mayor of Shoreline and a strong progressive running for re-election to her seat. In the Legislature, she currently serves as the Vice Chair to the Business and Financial Services committee, and also sits on the Rules, Transportation, and Economic Development committees, respectively. She has been a highly effective public safety advocate in the House, sponsoring a bill to stop human trafficking and a bill to promote safe streets, both of which passed.

Ryu faces Alvin Rutledge in this race. Rutledge is a far right conservative who supports discriminating against some of the LGBTQ members of our community. Ryu is the best choice in this race.

Representative Ruth Kagi serves as the Chair of the Early Learning Committee. Kagi has a strong progressive track record and prioritizes education and child welfare issues. She has passed bills to fund preschool programs, ensure that incarcerated juveniles can close their records, and prevent childhood homelessness.

Kagi faces Republican David Schirle, who lacks the broad leadership skills of Kagi. Due to her support from our progressive partners, Kagi deserves your vote.

Rep. June Robinson made a name for herself in Olympia by leading efforts to keep Boeing's manufacturing jobs in the state. In addition, she sponsored legislation to protect working families from landlords who are raising rent prices astronomically and partnered with the Everett School District to protect at-risk youth. Robinson is running unopposed and deserves your vote.

Representative Mike Sells is a strong leader in the Legislature, serving as the Chair of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee. Sells is a former teacher and labor advocate who is dedicated to improving higher education and led the efforts to bring a nursing program to Everett Community College University Center.

He faces Independent Bert Johnson, who is not running a competitive campaign. Sells deserves your vote.

Linda Wright has spent her career fighting to protect the interests of working people in Washington. As a small business owner and labor organizer, she understands how to balance the needs of Washington’s middle class families.

Wright faces an uphill battle against incumbent Rep. Dan Kristiansen, an extremely conservative legislator who opposes closing tax loopholes to fund education and raising the minimum wage. Due to her support of working people, Wright deserves your vote.

Tribal leader, mental health counselor, and Army veteran Ronda Metcalf is running for this open seat vacated by Rep. Elizabeth Scott. Metcalf supports an economy that works for everyone, increasing local transit options, and confronting our state's mental health crisis, including the rising drug epidemic in Snohomish County.

She faces far-right conservative John Koster, who is currently suing Snohomish County for nearly $1 million after being ousted for doing political advocacy while working for the county. Koster also lost his race against Suzan DelBene for Congress in 2012 after he made insensitive remarks about rape. Due to her leadership experience and her work to better our community, Metcalf deserves your vote.

John Lovick is a former state representative and former Snohomish County Executive who is seeking the seat vacated when Rep. Hans Dunshee was appointed to the Snohomish County Council. Lovick was also elected as the Snohomish County Sheriff in 2007 and successfully merged the county jail with the sheriff’s office. He has been an outspoken advocate of requiring Boeing to keep jobs in Washington state in order to receive tax incentives, and has been a strong supporter of working people.

Lovick faces Janice Huxford, a consultant and Lake Stevens Planning Commissioner who does not share Lovick's long track record of public service and experience with complex policy issues. Lovick is a great choice in this race.

Katrina Ondracek is the Executive Vice President of the Snohomish County United Way and a longtime local housing advocate. She's served on the boards of Workforce Snohomish, the Housing Consortium of Everett and Snohomish County, and the Snohomish County Emergency Food and Shelter Program, among others. If elected, Ondracek plans to focus on job creation, transportation solutions, funding schools, and addressing the region's growing drug addiction.

Ondracek faces incumbent Republican Mark Harmsworth, who has been an obstacle to progress since joining the Legislature, including his support for Tim Eyman's deceptive initiatives. Ondracek deserves your vote.

Recently appointed County Council member Hans Dunshee brings 20 years of experience as a legislator in Olympia, including his unique ability to reach across the aisle in order to build consensus on budget issues. Dunshee is an environmental champion with a great deal of integrity who has been instrumental in passing significant green jobs bills. He championed a bipartisan bill to fund the construction of schools in 2014 and also led the passage of his Jobs NOW package in 2012.

Dunshee faces Lake Stevens Council President Sam Low, a cookie cutter Republican who opposes transit options that keep our community moving and is backed by some of the most far-right members of the Republican party. For his longtime service and knowledge of how to reach across the aisle to get things done, Dunshee deserves your vote.

Justice Mary Yu served 14 years as a trial court judge in King County, where she presided over hundreds of criminal, civil, and family law cases before Governor Jay Inslee appointed her to Washington’s Supreme Court. As the first Asian American, the first Latina, and the first open member of the LGBTQ community to serve on the Supreme Court, Yu brings a community-based approach and respect for every person to her service.

Justice Yu is also highly involved in the Washington state law community. She serves as a Co-Chair for the Leadership Institute of UW, the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission, and the Washington State Bar Association.

Yu faces Gonzaga Law Professor David Dewolf, who is best known for his far-right pro-creationism and anti-evolution views. Because of her remarkable record and extensive experience, Justice Mary Yu is the clear choice for this Supreme Court Justice Position 1.

Chief Justice Barbara Madsen has led our state Supreme Court in a fair and impartial manner through a series of high profile cases. First elected in 1992, Madsen was only the third woman to ever serve on our highest court. She has won numerous awards for her service, especially for her work creating opportunities for young female lawyers and judges. Despite Republican efforts to politicize our court over rulings about education funding and several Tim Eyman initiatives, Madsen has maintained a steadfast commitment to upholding equal justice under the law.

Madsen is opposed by Greg Zempel, a Republican prosecutor from Kittitas County. Zempel has said he is running because he disagrees with some recent decisions. Madsen deserves your vote.

Elected in 2010, Justice Charlie Wiggins is highly regarded, bringing his sharp eye for judicial ethics and more than 30 years of law and justice experience to the Supreme Court, where he has written more than 100 court opinions. Justice Wiggins is an active volunteer in his community for Habitat for Humanity and other good causes. He worked to support campaign contribution limits in state judicial elections before he was elected to the court. Wiggins is rated “exceptionally well qualified” by several bar associations.

Justice Wiggins faces Dave Larson, a Federal Way Municipal Court Judge. Larson is not highly rated by bar associations, and as a Federal Way School Board Member he voted to ban the documentary An Inconvenient Truth from classrooms after a parent complained that the film didn't include the perspective of global-warming deniers. Larson is heavily backed by huge expenditures from conservative interests unhappy with Justice Wiggins' decisions. Ignore their misleading attack ads. Justice Charlie Wiggins' experience, qualifications, and commitment to judicial ethics makes him the best choice for Supreme Court Justice Position 6.