Whatcom County

Senator Maria Cantwell was first elected in 2000 and continues to represent our state's progressive values in our nation's capital. Sen. Cantwell has been a leader on a wide range of issues including reproductive rights, supporting the Children's Health Insurance Program, defending net neutrality, passing oil spill legislation to protect our water, working on clean energy policies, and many more.

Sen. Cantwell is opposed by Republican Susan Hutchison. Hutchison is a former news anchor and past chair of the state Republican Party. She ran for King County Executive in 2009 and lost by twenty points. Hutchison is well-known for being a party-line Republican and for her fierce defense of President Donald Trump, including calling fellow Republican Ted Cruz a "traitor" for not supporting the president's campaign.

Sen. Cantwell has been a tenacious advocate for the people of Washington state and is the best choice in this race.

Representative Rick Larsen is a moderate Democrat who has been a strong advocate for jobs, transportation, and infrastructure projects in the 2nd District. Before his time in Congress, he served on the Snohomish County Council and worked on economic development for the City of Everett. Rep. Larsen has also supported efforts to protect voting rights, fought to reform student loans, and championed Wall Street reform. Unfortunately, Larsen joined Republicans to repeal some banking rules imposed after the Great Recession intended to prevent another economic collapse.

Rep. Larsen is running against Libertarian Brian Luke, who has worked in the grocery business for 22 years. His campaign is focused on reducing the national debt and cutting regulations.

Rep. Larsen is the best choice in this race.

Debra Lekanoff is running for the 40th Legislative District House seat to replace retiring Rep. Kristine Lytton. Lekanoff currently serves as the Government Affairs Director for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. She has spent her career working with various levels of government on complex policies and having conversations about what’s important for local families. Lekanoff is running to protect the Salish Sea for future generations, improve educational opportunities, and sustainably build the economy. If elected, Lekanoff would be the only Native woman in the state Legislature.

Lekanoff is opposed by Republican Michael Petrish, a carpenter at the Andeavor refinery in Anacortes and a proud member of The Knights of Columbus. He is running on a "pro-second amendment, pro-school choice, anti-abortion" platform.

Lekanoff is the clear choice in this race.

Democratic Representative Jeff Morris is the former House Democratic Floor Leader in Olympia. He is a moderate Democrat who has sponsored numerous bills to protect the environment and promote alternative energy, though at times he frustrates environmentalists by watering down good bills. He recently introduced a "right-to-repair" bill that would make it illegal for electronics makers to produce devices with hard-to-replace batteries in Washington. Rep. Morris is running unopposed for re-election.

Democrat Justin Boneau is running for the 42nd Legislative District House Position 1. Boneau is a U.S. Navy veteran who has spent the last 10 years working as a crew supervisor with the Ecology Youth Corps in Whatcom and Skagit County. His campaign is focused on creating living-wage jobs, improving health care access, and expanding housing options.

Boneau is challenging Republican Representative Luanne Van Werven. In 2016 and 2018, she voted against bills to implement automatic voter registration, protect women from gender pay discrimination at work, ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth, and ban bump stocks on firearms.

Boneau is the best choice in this race.

Sharon Shewmake is an economics professor specializing in environmental and urban economics at Western Washington University. She is a member of several community organizations, including the Whatcom County Climate Change Impacts Committee and Walk Bike Bus Bellingham. She is running on a platform of expanding access to affordable childcare, protecting the environment, and creating good jobs for working families.

Shewmake is challenging incumbent Republican Representative Vincent Buys, whose platform centers on small business and decreasing government regulation. This year, he voted against prohibiting conversion therapy on LGBTQ youth, banning bump stocks, and establishing net neutrality for a more equal internet.

Shewmake is the better choice in this race.

Democrat James Erb is running for Whatcom County Prosecutor after serving in the Bellingham City Attorney’s office since 2010. Previously, he served as a prosecutor in the Nooksack Tribal Court, where he learned more about diversion and alternatives to incarceration. Erb is running to focus prosecutions on violent offenders while maximizing the use of drug courts and treatment programs for non-violent drug users.

Small business owner and career educator Carol Frazey is running to bring a fresh perspective to the Whatcom County Council At-large Position B. Frazey is committed to protecting regional waterways and Whatcom County's public lands. She believes that improving the county's environmental standards will be a contributing factor to maintaining a healthy local economy. Frazey is also running because she wants to work alongside fellow councilmembers to make communities safer by improving the criminal justice system in Whatcom County.

Frazey is opposed by small business owner Mike Peetoom, who is focused on strengthening private sector businesses and pushing back on "misguided politics and over-regulation." Frazey is the best choice in this race.

First elected in 2000, Supreme Court Justice Susan Justice Owens brings more 40 years of legal experience to Washington's Supreme Court. Prior to serving on the court, Justice Owens served nineteen years as a District Court Judge in Western Clallam County. Justice Owens has been a leader in the judicial community on addressing the impacts of domestic violence on children. Nationally, Justice Owens is a judicial trainer on this topic and participated in the writing of the Northwest Tribal Judges Domestic Violence Manual. Justice Owens is running unopposed for re-election and has earned your support.

Supreme Court Justice Steve Gonzalez has earned national recognition for his judicial expertise and work to increase access to the judicial system. Before serving on the Supreme Court, Justice Gonzalez served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and on the King County Superior Court for more than 10 years hearing criminal, juvenile, and family law cases. Justice Gonzalez is devoted to working for the people of Washington and serves as a board member for the Washington Leadership Institute, an organization that supports emerging community leaders from diverse backgrounds. As one of the few multi-lingual justices, he chairs the Interpreter Commission. Justice Gonzalez is rated "Exceptionally Well Qualified" by 10 independent bar associations in Washington state.

Gonzalez is being challenged by Bellevue-based attorney Nathan Choi, who ran unsuccessfully for a judicial seat on the Court of Appeals in 2016. Since then, Choi has faced numerous ethical controversies. In 2017, the King County Bar Association formally reprimanded Choi for violating KCBA's fair campaign practices guidelines by releasing misleading campaign materials and failing to follow state candidate rules. In February of this year, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson formally filed a lawsuit against Nathan Choi in a Thurston County Court. The case is still open.

Justice Steve Gonzalez is the best choice for Supreme Court Justice Position 8.

Washington Supreme Court Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud has been a fierce defender of constitutional rights and has written the decision in several consequential court cases. Prior to serving on the Supreme Court, she worked as an accomplished appellate court attorney for nearly three decades and was a founding member of the Washington Appellate Lawyers Association. Her strong judicial track record has earned a rating of "Exceptionally Well Qualified" by 10 independent state bar associations, including Washington Women Lawyers and the newly-minted Veterans Bar Association.

Justice McCloud in running unopposed for Position 9 and deserves your vote.

Public defender Cecily Hazelrigg-Hernandez is running for the Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 3, Judge Position 1. She possesses more than 10 years of legal experience representing low-income clients in Skagit County courtrooms and aims to administer justice fairly and impartially. Prior to joining the public defenders' office in 2010, Hazelrigg-Hernandez worked as an adjunct faculty member in American Cultural Studies at Western Washington University. As a public defender, Hazelrigg-Hernandez is assigned to the felony unit.

Hazelrigg-Hernandez is opposed by attorney Tom SeGuine, who is the wrong choice for a non-partisan judicial role. A Republican Precinct Committee Officer, SeGuine has been endorsed by Skagit Republicans and attended partisan fundraisers after announcing his candidacy, which suggests he will be a conservative judge who favors judicial activism.

We believe Hazelrigg-Hernandez is the best choice in this race.

Business leader Atul Deshmane has more than 25 years of experience in the sustainable energy field and recently served on the Whatcom County Planning Commission for 2 years. He is the current president of Whole Energy Fuel Corps and has also served as a board member of Sustainable Bellingham and Three Rivers Cooperative School. Deshmane aims to bring his clean energy experience to the Whatcom Public Utilities District by investing in renewable energy, expanding the county's high-speed internet infrastructure, and conserving freshwater resources. Deshmane wants to ensure that both rural and urban communities can access the resources they need to thrive.

Deshmane is running against incumbent Paul D. Kenner, an insurance executive who has been a Public Utility District Commissioner since 1980. Kenner is running to continue the expansion of water and electric services to Whatcom County industries but lacks an innovative vision for another term.

It's time for new leadership in the Whatcom Public Utilities District. Atul Deshmane is the best candidate in this race because of his background in sustainability and his fresh perspective on energy issues.