City of Kent

Incumbent Dow Constantine has been a strong and effective leader for King County. Throughout his two terms in office, Constantine has improved King County Metro transit service and promoted the health of our natural environment. Constantine is leading efforts to protect King County from the Trump administration by proposing to triple the Veterans and Human Services Levy and offering regional support for the Paris climate agreement.

He is running against retired engineer and light rail opponent Bill Hirt, who is not running an effective campaign. Constantine has clearly earned another term as King County Executive.

Mitzi Johanknecht has worked in law enforcement for 32 years and is running to "restore honor and integrity to the Office of Sheriff." She believes the controversies surrounding the Sheriff’s office have been demoralizing for the department and a distraction for officers in the community. Johanknecht is against safe injection sites but has pledged to uphold any local laws surrounding these sites. She says she has never reported anyone to ICE and is a strong proponent of restorative justice. Johanknecht earned the support of staunch progressives such as Rep. Pramila Jayapal and The Stranger newspaper.

Johanknecht is challenging Sheriff John Urquhart, who was first elected in 2012 after serving 23 years as a sergeant and department spokesperson, where he was twice named Officer of the Year. As Sheriff, Urquhart has been an ally on a wide range of progressive issues. He supports sanctuary cities and protecting immigrant communities, and he was an outspoken critic of two anti-transgender ballot measures. He has been endorsed by a number of progressive organizations.

However, Urquhart has also been plagued by very troubling ethics issues in recent months. Late last year, reports surfaced that Urquhart was accused of raping a colleague 15 years ago. The FBI, Seattle Police Department, and the King County Prosecutor’s office investigated the allegations and did not find grounds to pursue criminal charges against him. However, the county ombudsman’s office faulted Urquhart for blocking an internal investigation into his behavior. You can read a lengthy description of the events here. In the closing days of the election, Urquhart has faced renewed criticism for attempting to bully and intimidate people who accuse him of wrongdoing and because a representative of his campaign threatened to release one accuser’s medical records to discredit her charges.

We expect our leaders in law enforcement to uphold the highest ethical standards and maintain the trust of the community they are sworn to protect. For this reason, we cannot recommend Urquhart and believe Johanknecht is the best choice in this race.

As the former chair of the House Environment committee in Olympia, Councilmember Dave Upthegrove is a strong environmental champion who has prioritized restoring salmon habitat on the Green River and cleanup for the Duwamish. However, he has recently disappointed progressives with his positions on the Veterans and Human Service Levy and safe injection sites. He is running unopposed in this race and deserves your vote.

Denice Carnahan is running for King County Council, District 9. As an experienced businesswoman, she has a deep understanding of the needs of working families and the many challenges facing King County. As a candidate, Carnahan is prioritizing the development of long-term transportation and public safety solutions that equitably enhances King County communities. She is focused on ensuring that King County remains a great place to raise a family.

Carnahan is running against Republican incumbent Reagan Dunn, who has opposed responsible growth legislation and progressive tax reform measures during his tenure. His lack of principled leadership has stifled progress on the county level. For her progressive vision, Carnahan deserves your support in this race.

Former Seattle City Council member Peter Steinbrueck is running to ensure that the Port of Seattle balances job growth and development with environmentally friendly environment platforms. He aims to make the Port of Seattle a leader in reducing emissions and restoring habitats. While Peter has a proven track record on supporting workers' rights, living wages, and environmentally responsible policies, we lean toward Shridhar for Port of Seattle, Position 4.

Judge Michael Spearman is running for re-election to the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 1, Position 2. Appointed by former Governor Christine Gregoire in 2010, Spearman has more than three decades of legal experience including 14 years as a Superior Court judge. Spearman has also been rated as "exceptionally well qualified" by more than 5 Washington state bar associations including the King County Bar Association and QLAW, the LGBT Bar Association of Washington. He is opposed by attorney Nathan W. S. Choi, who lacks Spearman's depth of judicial experience. Spearman has earned another term on the appellate court.

Judge David Mann is unopposed in this race. With more than three decades of experience, Judge Mann was appointed to this seat in 2016 because of his extensive judicial track record. He is a former board member of Conservation Northwest, the Northwest Fund for the Environment, and the Washington Environmental Council. He also successfully argued before the Supreme Court in the case of Milner v. Dept. of Navy, which improved government transparency through the Freedom of Information Act. Mann has earned your vote.

Current Kent City Councilmember Dana Ralph has served her community through numerous local non-profits, including as council liaison of the Kent Arts Commission, chair of the Drug Free Communities Coalition, and board member of Kent Kiwanis Club. On the council, Ralph sits on the Public Works Committee and Public Safety Committee, and also serves as the chair of the Operations Committee.

Ralph is running for mayor against another current councilmember, Jim Berrios. Berrios is a former Kent School Board member and current city councilmember who also brings an solid resume of community service.

Ralph has earned the most support from our Progressive Voters Guide partner organizations and is the best choice in this race.

Satwinder Kaur is an IT professional and a former Kent City Council executive assistant. Kaur has been deeply involved with local community organizations, including serving as chair of the Kent Cultural Communities Board, steward of Green Kent Parks, member of the Kent International Festival Steering Committee, board member of the Kent Historical Society, and member of Living Well Kent. Her platform includes ensuring safe neighborhoods, fiscal transparency, traffic reduction, and making the police force more diverse.

Kaur is facing libertarian Paul Addis, an army veteran and a senior business analyst at Alaska Airlines. Kaur is the clear progressive choice in this race.

Tye Whitfield has a long history of civic activism and serving our community. She was the chair of the Puget Sound Service District, a Parks and Recreation commissioner, and helped create community events like Taste of Kent. Whitfield is also a small business owner who is running to bring more jobs to Kent and keep it a great place to raise a family.

Whitfield is running against conservative-leaning former PTSA president Toni Troutner. Troutner has served as the commissioner of the Civil Service Commission of the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority and a member of Drug Free Coalition, among other community service organizations. Whitfield is the best choice in this race.

Incumbent Brenda Fincher is a strong progressive choice for Kent City Council, Position 6. She has served in many nonprofit and community roles, including as Board President of the Kent Youth and Family Services. As an author of the Kent School District's Diversity Task Force Plan, Fincher has emphasized equity and quality education as central themes of her campaign, as well as public safety and helping vulnerable populations by leading the development of the Kent women's homeless shelter.

Fincher is running against Russell Hanscom, a former member of the Kent Chamber of Commerce who is currently a Kent school board member. Hanscom has not advanced a platform. His official candidate statement states that his lack of enthusiasm for the position and his new business would likely make him an ineffective councilmember.

Fincher is the best candidate in this race.