Yakima 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.

Christine Brown is a former news anchor who has served on many community boards, including the Board of Directors for the Yakima Chamber of Commerce and the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. She is seeking bipartisan action on climate change, a path towards citizenship for undocumented workers, and health care for all through a single-payer system that would extend the coverage of the Affordable Care Act. She also supports the transition to clean energy and consumer protections against big banks.

Brown is challenging Republican Representative Dan Newhouse. Rep. Newhouse is the former director of the state Department of Agriculture and a pro-Trump representative who has voted with the president 96 percent of the time. He supports Trump's tax plan and repealing the Affordable Care Act, which provides health care to hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians.

Brown is the best choice in this race.

Democrat Sasha Bentley is running to address the opioid crisis in Washington state. Bentley has a progressive, solution-oriented platform that seeks to strengthen Washington's education and health care systems. She wants to push the Legislature to explore alternative ways to deliver critical services like universal pre-K and single-payer health care. Additionally, Bentley believes that in order to strengthen Central Washington's economy, the state must invest in solar and wind energy jobs as well as the Skamania lumber and agriculture sectors.

Bentley is opposed by Republican Chris Corry. Corry is an insurance expert who opposes reforms that would fix our state's broken tax system. He states that his first priority is protecting the Second Amendment and "our conservative, Central Washington values."

Bentley is the best choice in this race.

Small business owner and attorney Liz Hallock is running for the 14th Legislative District House Position 2. Hallock is prioritizing improving government transparency, protecting women's health care, and strengthening internet privacy. Hallock is also focused on affordable housing and implementing commonsense gun safety measures that do not undermine the 2nd Amendment.

Hallock is opposed by incumbent Republican Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, who is a strict social conservative. Since assuming office in 2015, Rep. Mosbrucker has maintained a poor voting record on environmental protections and women's health issues. This year, Rep. Mosbrucker voted against expanding access to women's health care, as well as against 10 out of 11 commonsense environmental protection bills, which earned her a failing grade from conservation advocates.

Hallock is the best choice in this race.

Democratic community leader Bengie Aguilar is challenging Republican Senator Jim Honeyford for the 15th Legislative District Senate seat. As a former Sunnyside city councilmember and 40-year resident of the Yakima Valley, Aguilar understands the challenges facing rural communities in Central Washington. Aguilar's campaign is focused on providing legislative solutions that support agricultural businesses and the economies of smaller cities and towns. Additionally, Aguilar wants to address rising health care costs and the impacts of climate change on rural Washington communities.

Aguilar faces an uphill challenge against Sen. Honeyford, who has held this Senate seat for the past 20 years. Throughout his tenure, Sen. Honeyford has been a staunch conservative and a major obstacle to progressive budget solutions that protect the most vulnerable. Aguilar is the best choice in this race.

Democrat Jack McEntire is running for the 15th Legislative District House Position 1. Currently, McEntire serves as the Vice Chair of the Yakima County Democrats. He is heavily involved in the community and believes that Washington's working families deserve leadership that prioritizes children and public safety. He is also committed to improving access to quality health care for all central Washington families.

McEntire is challenging Republican Rep. Bruce Chandler, who has done a poor job providing policy solutions to struggling working families. Rep. Chandler has opposed progressive economic reforms like raising the minimum wage and ensuring equal pay protections for women. McEntire is the clear choice in this race.

Career educator A.J. Cooper is running for the 15th Legislative District House Position 2. Cooper previously worked at Grafton Integrated Health Network and as a high school mathematics teacher before taking a job working with seniors at the YWCA. Cooper is prioritizing bringing living wage jobs to central Washington, protecting workers' rights, and fighting climate change. If elected, Cooper also wants to protect quality health care and inclusive workplace protections, as well as a woman's right to safe abortion access.

Cooper is running against Republican Selah city councilmember Jeremie Dufault after incumbent Rep. David Taylor lost the primary election. Councilmember Dufault is serving his first term in office and is the Vice Chairman of the Yakima County Republican Central Committee.

A.J. Cooper is the clear progressive 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.

Judge Robert Lawrence-Berrey is the chief judge for Division 3 of Washington’s Court of Appeals. Appointed in May 2014, Judge Lawrence-Berrey was elected the following November. Prior to serving on the appellate court, Judge Lawrence-Berrey worked for 20 years as a trial and appellate attorney and served three years as a Yakima County Superior Court Judge. Judge Lawrence-Berrey is also highly active in the community. He has served on the Yakima Symphony Orchestra Board, the Yakima Juvenile Court Community Accountability Board, and the Central Washington Multiple Sclerosis Society Board. Judge Robert Lawrence-Berrey is running unopposed for re-election and deserves your vote.