Clark 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.

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.

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.

Retired Marine officer and moderate Democrat Chris Thobaben is running for the 18th Legislative District House Position 1. Thobaben wants bring jobs to Southwestern Washington by working with both the private sector and organized labor. He is also passionate about addressing the region's homelessness crisis and has a plan to work with health care providers to better serve rural communities.

Thobaben is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Brandon Vick, who has been a consistent obstacle to progress on key environmental and women's health issues. Thobaben is the stronger choice in this race.

Kathy Gillespie is a former newspaper editor and a current Vancouver Public Schools Board member. A strong supporter of workers' rights and K-12 education, Gillespie gives back to the community by mentoring young women and volunteering with the PTA. Gillespie is focused on ensuring that Southwestern Washington communities are authentically represented in Olympia. She will work hard to ensure that they receive funding for infrastructure development, job creation, and social services.

Gillespie is running for the 18th Legislative District House Position 2 against Republican small business owner Larry Hoff. Hoff is a former CEO of Fiber Federal Credit Union and a U.S. Navy veteran. He is running on a conservative platform that fails to offer pragmatic solutions to the tough challenges facing Southwestern Washington. Gillespie is the best choice in this race.

Democrat John Thompson is running for Legislative District 20 House Position 1. Thompson is a Vietnam veteran and an active community leader. Thompson has sat on the board of directors for the United Way and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce and currently sits on the board of Cascade Regional Blood Services. Thompson is running to ensure that K-12 schools, colleges, vocational education programs are fully funded and is committed to protecting well-paying jobs, veterans, and people experiencing homelessness. As a gun owner, he also supports practical gun safety measures.

Though Thompson suffered a tragedy this past summer, he has been running a competitive race against incumbent Republican Rep. Richard Debolt. Debolt has a terrible track record on environmental and social justices issues. He generally sides with the far-right members of his caucus.

Thompson's campaign has generated a groundswell of community support. He is the best choice in this race.

Former small business owner Brennan Bailey is running for 20th Legislative District House Position 2. For the past seven years, Bailey has served as the Chehalis School Board President and knows firsthand the challenge facing K-12 schools in rural communities. He believes in the importance of bipartisan compromise and is focused on lowering the unemployment rate in Southwestern Washington, improving education, and supporting small business owners.

Brennan's opponent is incumbent Republican Rep. Ed Orcutt. Rep. Orcutt has been an obstacle to progress on improving K-12 education and environmental protections. This year, Orcutt also voted against the requirement for insurers to cover reproductive health care and opposed a bill that prohibits conversion therapy on LGBTQ minors.

Brennan Bailey is the clear choice in this race.

Democratic Representative Sharon Wylie is a current board member and past president of the Council for the Homeless of Clark County and is a current board member for Affordable Community Environments (ACE). This year in Olympia, she voted to increase funding for homeless assistance services and supported automatic voter registration. She also pledged to pass campaign finance restrictions on the no-limit port commissions races that allowed candidates to accept vast sums from the fossil fuel industry.

Rep. Wylie is running unopposed and deserves your vote.

Democratic Representative Monica Jurado Stonier won election to the state House of Representatives for the 49th Legislative District in 2016 after previously representing the 17th Legislative District. She is an instructional coach at Vancouver's Pacific Middle School and is an advocate for improving educational opportunities for all students. Rep. Stonier has sponsored recent bills like the student loan bill of rights and Breakfast After the Bell, which provides meals to low-income students.

Rep. Stonier does not have an opponent this year and has earned your vote.

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.

Temple Lentz is the host and producer of Hello Vancouver, a live talk show in Southwest Washington. After a vote by Clark County residents in 2014, the county was mandated to establish a council-manager form of government, and Lentz was elected to the board of freeholders that worked on the new Home Charter Rule. She also currently serves on the Clark County Commission on Aging. If elected, Lentz is prioritizing attracting new jobs, building more middle- and low-income housing, building public-private partnerships to support the homeless, and supporting universal design that accommodates the elderly. Lentz also supports increasing density where appropriate to accommodate the county's growing housing needs.

Lentz is running against incumbent and former Vancouver city councilmember Jeanne Stewart. Stewart is a Republican who sometimes trends independent, earning ire and praise from both sides of the aisle on the county council. She voted against lifting the marijuana ban in Clark County in unincorporated areas. Though her website has not been updated for the current election, Stewart has stated in debates that she supports additional senior housing and preventative public health care.

Lentz, with her broad support from progressive groups, 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.

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.