17th Legislative District

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.

Democratic Carolyn Long is an associate professor at the School of Politics at WSU Vancouver. Her platform includes protecting the health care of those with preexisting conditions, stabilizing the Affordable Care Act, and providing effective health care for those with addiction and mental illnesses. She is also prioritizing treating gun violence like a public health crisis, caring for veterans, reforming the tax code to make it fairer for middle-class families, and protecting Medicare and Social Security.

Long is running against incumbent Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, an extremely conservative Republican who has consistently sided with far-right members of her party on important issues. In particular, Rep. Herrera Beutler voted in favor of congressional Republicans’ $1.5 trillion tax giveaway to corporations and the wealthy few.

Long is the best choice for Congress in the 3rd Congressional District.

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.

Community leader Tanisha Harris is running for the 17th Legislative District House Position 1. Harris works with the Clark County YWCA helping guide families and others through the complicated court system. With more than 10 years of experience working in the Evergreen School District, Harris has been an outspoken advocate for working families struggling to make ends meet. If elected, Harris would fight to improve local health care options, protect abortion access, and work hard to support the people of Clark County.

Harris is running against Republican Rep. Vicki Kraft, who fought against progressive economic reforms like raising the minimum wage and paid sick leave. Prior to serving in the Legislature, Rep. Kraft worked for the Freedom Foundation, a conservative anti-worker organization. Harris is the best choice in this race.

Democrat Damion Jiles, Sr. is running for the 17th Legislative District House Position 2. As a political newcomer, Jiles Sr. is running on three key issues: infrastructure, education, and health care. He believes that partisan politics has prevented the Legislature from fully serving the needs of Southwest Washington residents, including rebuilding the Interstate 5 bridge.

Jiles is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Paul Harris, who opposes most progressive reforms, including fixing our state's upside-down tax code by closing wasteful tax loopholes for special interest groups. Jiles is the clear choice in this race.

There are no progressive choices in this race. First elected in 2010, incumbent Republican Peter Van Nortwick is running for reelection. Van Nortwick has focused on increasing efficiencies and streamlining the office's operations. While he's not progressive, Van Nortwick's re-election campaign has received support from local labor unions and he has publicly sought to maintain a positive relationship with his unionized staff.

Van Nortwick is being challenged by Army veteran and former economist Darren Wertz. Wentz is a three-term sitting Ridgefield city council member who has already run for this seat twice and lost. Wertz says that he is running because he wants to create a more responsive office that prioritizes the voices of homeowners.

Van Nortwick is the more reasonable choice in this race.

Democrat Barbara Melton is running for the position of Clark County Clerk. Melton has worked as a legal secretary in the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for 17 years. Melton is running because she wants to reduce staff turnover in the Clerk’s office by creating a healthy work environment through effective management. A devoted union member, Melton has served as her union's shop steward and is currently serving her first term as president. If elected, Melton plans to continue efforts modernize the Clerk’s office and advocate for sustained funding for services that help residents navigate the court system.

Melton faces a competitive race against three-term incumbent Republican Scott Weber, who was first elected in 2010 when he ran on a platform of abolishing the Clerk’s office. Looking forward, Weber is focused on streamlining services and creating processes to make court documents more accessible.

It’s time for new leadership in the Clerk's office. Melton is the best choice in this race.

First elected as the County Prosecuting Attorney in 2010, Democrat Tony Golik brings with him more than 23 years of legal experience prosecuting major crimes and misdemeanors as a criminal justice attorney. Golik is the board chair of the Clark County Elder Justice Center and also serves as board co-chair of the Clark County Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative. He seeks to improve legal services offered to survivors of domestic violence and works hard to identify ways to "keep youth in the community" when incarceration is not appropriate. Golik is unopposed and has earned another term in office.

Vancouver City Councilmember Alishia Topper is running to replace retiring eight-term Clark County Treasurer Doug Lasher. First elected to the city council in 2014, Topper is known for her record of leadership, public finance expertise, and commitment to public service. Currently, Topper is a full-time Tax Services Manager at the Clark County Treasurer’s Office where she manages the collection and billing of more than $792 million in revenue. In 2017, Topper was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to serve on the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, where she oversaw a multi-million dollar program that supported affordable housing tax credits. If elected, Topper will focus on streamlining outdated processes, modernizing taxpayer services, and working on legislation to reduce foreclosures.

Topper is opposed by nonpartisan candidate Robert Hinds, a market analyst and planning manager at HP who also chairs the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission. Topper’s progressive vision and extensive experience in financial management makes her the best choice in this race.

Eric Holt is a Precinct Committee Officer and vice-chair of the Washington State Progressive Caucus who, if elected, would be the only Democrat on the council. He is prioritizing creating more union jobs and living wage jobs. He recognizes that while unemployment is falling, the average renter in Clark County does not make enough to afford a studio apartment in a 40-hour workweek. He is also focused on protecting farmland from development and replacing the aging jail in order to provide additional mental health and substance abuse assistance. Holt also advocates for lifting the moratorium on marijuana in the county and fixing infrastructure issues.

Holt is running against real estate broker and Clark County councilmember Eileen Quiring. She is also a former planning commissioner for Clark County as well as a former state senator. Quiring's campaign is mostly crafted around fiscal responsibility, property rights, and fully funding law enforcement.

Holt is the best choice for Clark County Council.

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.

Judge Rich Melnick is running unopposed for re-election to the Court of Appeals, Division 2, District 3, Judge Position 1. Prior to serving on the appellate court, Judge Melnick served as a prosecutor in the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for more than two decades and served as a Clark County District and Superior Court judge. He is also a commissioner and the education chair for the Washington state Supreme Court's Gender and Justice Commission. Judge Melnick is known for his strong work ethic, commitment to public service, judicial expertise, and deep ties to Southwestern Washington. Judge Rich Melnick deserves your vote.