Equal Rights Washington Endorsements

Rep. Suzan DelBene is running for re-election in the 1st Congressional District. DelBene is a former executive at Microsoft who has used her technology background to become a leader in protecting privacy rights against government surveillance. She was first elected in 2012 and has been an advocate for creating family-wage jobs in industries like aerospace, sustainable agriculture, and clean energy as well as advocating for reproductive justice. She also supports raising the federal minimum wage and passing comprehensive tax reform to ensure that corporations and the wealthy pay their share. This year, DelBene urged the Trump administration to send resources to Washingtonians and use science to combat the coronavirus crisis.

DelBene is running against Republican Jeffrey Beeler. Beeler is a conservative who opposes expanding health care access and investing more in transit. Since the primary, Beeler has expressed support for Trump's disastrous coronavirus response and opposes taking action to support the postal service, which is vital not only to ensure a fair election this year but also to provide access to medication and critical services for millions across the country.

Rep. DelBene is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for her re-election.

Rep. Rick Larsen is a moderate Democrat who has been a strong advocate for jobs, transportation, and infrastructure projects in the 2nd District. Before serving in Congress, he served on the Snohomish County Council and worked on economic development for the City of Everett.

In Congress, Larsen supported the Lower Drug Costs Now Act to give Medicare the power to negotiate directly with the drug companies and pass the lower drug prices to all Americans. He also voted for the Voting Rights Advancement Act, supported the coronavirus pandemic relief packages, and sought to reform student loans. Unfortunately, Larsen has been less ambitious when it comes to supporting climate change legislation and has accepted political contributions from corporations including Exxon Mobil as recently as last year.

Larsen's challenger is Republican and Navy veteran Timothy Hazelo, whose is running on a very conservative platform. He has used racist language to describe immigrants and has repeated some of Trump's most dangerous and misleading conspiracy theories. 

While Larsen is not progressive, he's a reliable Democratic vote and has earned the support of all our progressive partner organizations who chose to endorse in this race.

Rep. Derek Kilmer is running for re-election in the 6th Congressional District. He is a moderate Democrat who is a reliable supporter of creating jobs and improving infrastructure. Kilmer has been a leader on small business development and protecting the Puget Sound during his four terms in Congress. A former state senator, he previously worked as a business consultant and economic development official.

In Congress, Kilmer is a sponsor of the federal Dream Act in support of immigrants who arrived in the country as children with their undocumented parents. He supports commonsense gun safety legislation and co-sponsored the Voter Empowerment Act, an online voter registration system that helps keep voting rights equitable. Kilmer has also worked on several environmental bills, including the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. This year, he supported coronavirus relief as well as the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.

Former education researcher Elizabeth Kreiselmaier is challenging Kilmer for the 6th Congressional District seat. Kreiselmaier is running on a dangerously conservative platform that prioritizes dismantling the Affordable Care Act in the middle of a global pandemic, defunding Planned Parenthood, and removing equitable access to education by privatizing our schools. Kreiselmaier says she enthusiastically supports Trump’s agenda and is amplifying some of his worst lies and conspiracy theories in her campaign. 

Kilmer has been a reliable vote in Congress and has earned strong support from progressive advocacy organizations for his re-election. Kilmer is the best choice for the 6th Congressional District.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal is running for re-election in the 7th Congressional District. She has a long history of civic leadership on immigration reform, economic justice, and civil liberties. Rep. Jayapal founded OneAmerica (formerly Hate Free Zone) in 2001 and built it into the largest immigrant rights organization in the state and a national model. She also played a key role on the Mayoral Advisory Committee that created Seattle’s $15 minimum wage.

Since her election to Congress in 2016, Jayapal has resisted the Trump administration at every turn and provided a voice for progressives across the country. She has supported the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the Dream Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for young DACA recipients. She has also fought back against the Trump administration's inhumane policy of separating families seeking asylum and introduced legislation that paves a pathway towards a universal health care system. This year, Jayapal introduced legislation to expand collective bargaining and provide relief to workers and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. She has held nearly 100 town halls during her time in Congress and is the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Jayapal's opponent is Craig Keller, the founder of Respect Washington, which was named as an anti-immigrant hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Keller's "platform" largely consists of racist statements and lies about immigrants. He is neither progressive nor qualified for office.

Jayapal has been an outstanding progressive leader for the 7th Congressional District and the entire country. She has earned your vote for re-election.

Rep. Kim Schrier was elected to represent Washington's 8th Congressional District in 2018. Schrier serves on the Education & Labor and Agriculture committees and prioritized gun violence prevention, health care (including reducing the cost of prescription drugs), and reproductive justice in her first term. Prior to running for office, she worked as a pediatrician in Issaquah for two decades. She is the first Democrat to hold this seat.

Rep. Schrier's strong re-election platform includes encouraging sustainable agriculture, addressing the climate crisis, safeguarding our elections, and protecting endangered species and lands. She is the only woman doctor in Congress and her perspective is incredibly valuable, especially during this unprecedented pandemic. Schrier has worked hard to listen to her constituents in her first term, including holding more than 50 town hall forums. 

Schrier's opponent is Republican Jesse Jensen, a manager at Amazon and a former Army captain who was recruited by Republicans to run in this district. Jensen has expressed his opposition to a $15 minimum wage while supporting Trump's trillion-dollar tax giveaway to corporations and the wealthy. In addition, he refuses to support investments in Black and brown communities, opposes holding big polluters accountable, and doesn't have a meaningful plan to expand health care access. 

Rep. Schrier is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote.

Rep. Adam Smith has been a reliable vote in Congress on progressive issues from taxation to immigration reform. He represents Washington's most diverse district, where 30% of residents are immigrants and there are large Asian, Hispanic, and Black communities. Smith is an advocate for greater equality and supports a path to citizenship for immigrants, reforming the tax code, and Medicare for All. Recently, Rep. Smith spoke out against President Trump's call for the military to intervene and stop the "insurrection" of demonstrators protesting police brutality. He supported the $3 trillion coronavirus pandemic relief package and is supporting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to dramatically increase law enforcement accountability and transparency.

His opponent is Republican Doug Basler, who has tried and failed to unseat Smith in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Basler is a Trump supporter and has adopted the administration's conservative agenda. He is opposed to abortion and a person's right to bodily autonomy, and he opposes the public health measures taken to fight the coronavirus. Recently, Basler has been repeating some of Trump's most dangerous conspiracy theories that downplay the severity of the pandemic.  

Rep. Smith is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for Congress.

Governor Jay Inslee has been a strong, principled leader on the important challenges facing Washington. Before he was elected as governor in 2012, Inslee represented both sides of the Cascades in Congress, opposed the Iraq war, and worked to increase accountability and oversight for Wall Street banks.

Inslee has established himself as a national leader on fighting climate change. He has invested more than $170 million into clean energy and energy efficiency projects, implemented the Clean Air Rule, and pushed for legislation that reduces pollution in Washington. In his 2020 bid for the presidency, Inslee brought a focus on climate to the race. Outside of his work on climate, Inslee has signed into law Washington's public option for health care, paid family leave, and the Equal Pay Opportunity Act.

Recently, Inslee has been a national leader in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. His proactive, decisive, science-driven efforts have saved countless Washingtonians from getting sick. Unfortunately, we've seen the flip side recently where states with governors who were slow or failed to act have seen dramatic increases in cases.

Inslee's opponent is Republican Loren Culp, the sole police officer of the town of Republic and one of the farthest right of Inslee's main primary challengers. Culp came to national fame for refusing to enforce the voter-approved Initiative 1639, which placed restrictions on semi-automatic firearm sales. Much of Culp's primary and early general election campaign has centered on opposing public health measures like wearing masks. 

Culp's policy track record is disturbing, especially related to the environment. He recently questioned whether the wildfires that have ravaged the region are climate-related. He's compared gun rights to the Holocaust and likened the governor's stay-home policies to the horrors of Japanese internment during WWII. He faces a lawsuit for failing to investigate a child sex abuse case and for intimidating the victim in a case that was swiftly prosecuted after the county stepped in and took over. 

As the coronavirus crisis continues and the gap in the state budget persists, we need real, experienced leadership at the helm of the state. Inslee is the clear choice for governor.

State Senate Floor Leader Marko Liias was first elected to the Mukilteo City Council in 2005 before being appointed to the state House in 2007 and finally the state Senate in 2014.

In the Legislature, Liias has been a strong progressive advocate for all families. As the Democratic Senate floor leader, Liias has led the fight on LGBTQ+ equality and created a student loan bill of rights. His past legislation includes a ban on the inhumane practice of conversion therapy. This year, Liias sponsored legislation requiring informed consent to perform a pelvic exam and creating a new state financial aid program for undocumented students.

In his interview with Fuse, Liias said he would use the bully pulpit of the office to connect with voters across the state about progressive issues, including fixing our upside-down tax code. In addition, he laid out a strong set of proposals for how to increase police accountability. If elected, Liias would be the first openly gay statewide official in Washington history.

Former Port Commissioner and progressive state Rep. Gael Tarleton is now running for Secretary of State to serve as the state's chief elections officer, among other roles. First elected to the Legislature in 2012, Tarleton has been a strong advocate for environmental causes such as Governor Jay Inslee's initiative to reduce carbon pollution. She sponsored bills during her first term in the House to strengthen the maritime industry, improve access to health care, and ensure gender pay equity.

Tarleton is running for Secretary of State to expand access to voting in Washington while safeguarding our elections against "foreign and domestic" attacks. She wants to improve digital security and increase funding for county auditors to protect local elections from hacking attempts in the wake of the 2016 election. She would also expand audits of the state and local systems to identify any weaknesses that could be exploited.

Tarleton is challenging incumbent Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman, who has faced a bumpy road during her time in office. Last year, Wyman's office released a new $9.5 million voter registration database that was riddled with errors and led to a backlog of tens of thousands of registrations. King County elections director Julie Wise described the release as "irresponsible" and "not even functioning." In addition, Wyman was slow to support the Washington Voting Rights Act, same-day voter registration, and postage-paid ballots.

We need a progressive leader in the Secretary of State's office who is fully committed to protecting our elections and removing every barrier to participation in our democracy. Tarleton is the clear progressive choice in this race.

Mike Pellicciotti has served in the Washington state House representing the 30th Legislative District since 2016 and is now running for Treasurer. Pellicciotti has never accepted corporate campaign donations and has led efforts to make the Legislature's records open for public view. He also wrote the Corporate Crime Act, which increases financial penalties for corporate crimes by 100 times.

Pellicciotti is challenging incumbent Republican Duane Davidson. In 2016, incumbent Jim McIntire retired, leaving the seat open. Because of the crowded primary, two Republicans made it through to the general election, giving them control of the treasurer's office for the first time since 1957. Davidson previously served as the Benton County treasurer from 2003 to 2016. In his term, he has been a traditional Republican and has accused the state Legislature of "raiding" the Rainy Day Fund. He has only attended 3 of 18 critical pension meetings since fall 2017.

Pellicciotti has been a solid legislator and is the best choice in the race for Washington State Treasurer.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson's accomplishments during his two terms in office are impressive. From delivering millions of dollars back to consumers who were wronged by fraudulent corporations to his ongoing battle with the federal government to clean up the Hanford nuclear waste site to successfully fighting two Tim Eyman initiatives, Ferguson has been a strong and effective advocate for the people of Washington. He has sued the Trump administration 80 times as of late September and won all but one completed case. Some of Ferguson's biggest accomplishments from the past few years include safeguarding consumer medical data, protecting statewide water quality from Trump's erosive environmental policies, and fighting back against the Trump administration's child detention laws.

Ferguson faces a challenge from Republican attorney Matt Larkin, who is currently the legal counsel for his family's manufacturing business. Larkin worked in the Bush White House on efforts to direct federal funds to religious charities and is an advocate for a traditional Republican platform. Larkin opposes the vast majority of the lawsuits that Ferguson has filed to hold the Trump administration accountable. 

Ferguson is the clear progressive choice for Attorney General of Washington.

Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz has been a proactive force for protecting our communities from climate change. As the head of the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), she has focused on protecting public lands, wildfire management, and climate action.

This year, Franz released a climate resiliency plan for rural Washington that includes massive reforestation as well as expanding wind and solar farms. Given the statewide threat and impact of wildfires with recent record-setting fire seasons, she has also worked on a 20-year forest health plan and a 10-year fire protection plan.

Franz's opponent is fisheries researcher Sue Kuehl Pederson, the former chair of the Grays Harbor Republican Party. Kuehl Pederson is running on a conservative platform that focuses on significantly increasing logging of state forests and rolling back protections for endangered species. In recent interviews, Kuehl Pederson also downplayed the importance of climate change in exacerbating this fall’s forest fires. 

Franz has the experience we need to guide and protect our state from increasingly dangerous fire seasons and the rising threat of climate inaction. Vote Franz for Commissioner of Public Lands.

Chris Reykdal is running for re-election to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to continue his leadership of our state's public schools through this challenging time. Previously, Reykdal spent 14 years serving on local school boards and in leadership positions at community and technical colleges, as well as serving 6 years in the Legislature. In the state House, Reykdal had a strong progressive voting record and was a consistent champion for public schools.

In his first term as superintendent, Reykdal has pushed the Legislature to fully fund K-12 education, increase teacher pay, and close the opportunity gap for students of color. More recently, Reykdal has worked closely with Gov. Inslee to help Washington schools navigate the pandemic. He made the tough decision early to close schools for the year in order to keep kids and families safe and to slow the spread of COVID-19. If re-elected, Reykdal will continue to advocate for these priorities and work with schools across the state as they make the transition back to in-person education.

Reykdal is facing former Republican legislative candidate Maia Espinoza. Espinoza is a school music teacher and a former legislative liaison to the Governor’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs. She was motivated to run by her opposition to comprehensive sexual health education and gained attention by publishing a false and inflammatory voters' pamphlet statement attacking Reykdal. In addition, an Associated Press investigation found that Espinoza provided false or misleading descriptions of her own education and the organization she leads. As of mid-September, Espinoza is also dangerously pushing for classrooms to re-open fully for in-person learning, despite mass outbreaks at schools and universities across the country.

Reykdal is the clear choice for Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Rep. Derek Stanford served nearly 10 years as a state representative before earning an appointment to the state Senate to replace Guy Palumbo last year. Throughout his tenure in the Legislature, Stanford has been a strong proponent of LGBTQ+ rights, consumer protections, environmental sustainability, and strengthening access to higher education in Washington state. Most recently, Stanford sponsored legislation that prohibits state agencies from creating databases based on an individual's religious affiliation. Stanford was also the prime sponsor of the Kuhnhausen Act, named after a transgender teen who was killed in Vancouver this year. The law prevents the use of the "panic" defense if someone commits a crime after learning of a victim’s actual or perceived gender identity.

Stanford is running against Dr. Art Coday, who previously ran for U.S. Senate in 2012 and 2018. His website does not appear to have been updated since 2018, but in that year, Coday's top priority was to completely repeal the Affordable Care Act and leave tens of millions of Americans without health insurance and at the whims of a few private insurance companies. His campaign also strenuously opposed any gun safety legislation and was anti-abortion.

Stanford is by far the best choice in this race.

Progressive nurse Ingrid Anderson is challenging Sen. Mark Mullet in the 5th Legislative District. As a nurse, Anderson will bring an important perspective to Olympia as legislators craft a public health and economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If elected, Anderson would also prioritize keeping East King County affordable for working families, strengthening our K-12 education system, and rebuilding the economy in a way that works for everyone, not just special interests. As the mother of a son with asthma, Anderson understands the importance of protecting our clean air and will work to pass strong environmental protections for Washington.

Mullet is a small business owner and business-oriented Democrat who has been an obstacle to progress on many issues during his eight years in Olympia. He has taken thousands of dollars from oil and coal companies and hasn't been willing to vote for critical environmental bills. We need to address climate change and salmon and orca recovery, but Mullet has shown he won't support the solutions we need. In addition, Mullet voted against addressing the gender pay gap, opposed childcare assistance for working families, and even voted to cut teacher pay.

It's time for new leadership for the 5th Legislative District. Anderson has garnered support from a large number of progressive organizations, even earning the endorsement of Governor Inslee. Anderson is the clear progressive choice in this race.

Rep. Bill Ramos is running for re-election for the 5th Legislative District, House Position 1. Prior to serving in the Legislature, Ramos was an Issaquah City Council member as well as a member of the Human Services Commission and the Planning Policy Commission. In his time as a local elected official, Ramos earned a reputation as an environmentalist by fighting for sustainable development and growth policies, as well as by supporting expanded transit options. He built on that reputation in his first term in Olympia by sponsoring a slate of environmental bills this legislative session, including House bills on carbon sequestration and expanding equitable community renewable energy projects. Ramos states that his priorities if re-elected would include transportation improvements to replace aging infrastructure and passing more environmental protections. Facing budget shortfalls in next year's legislative session, Ramos says he will take a people-first approach by expanding health care coverage and promoting funds for worker protections and small businesses.

Running against Ramos is Republican Ken Moninski. Moninski, who runs two aviation-related businesses, is prioritizing reopening the economy, reducing regulations on businesses, opening schools, and otherwise making a "return to normal" in Washington. He states that he will not seek to raise new revenue despite the historic budget shortfall of $6 billion caused by the pandemic.

The 5th District needs a representative who can both handle the threat of the pandemic seriously as well as build policies for the future beyond it. Ramos is by far the best choice in this race.

Helen Price Johnson is challenging Republican incumbent Ron Muzzall for the state Senate seat in the 10th Legislative District. Price Johnson has held an impressive number of leadership positions in the community, including as a board member of the South Whidbey School District, as the first female board member of the Island County Commissioners, and on the Board of Directors of the Whidbey Community Foundation.

Price Johnson believes housing is a human right and that climate change requires action. She pledges to revise the district's housing regulations and move the state towards increased renewable energy. On healthcare and childhood education, Price Johnson wants to see more investment in mental health and addiction treatment as well as free early childhood education.

Her opponent, Ron Muzzall, replaced Sen. Barbara Bailey when she retired last year. Muzzall, a farm owner and manager, has not offered a strong policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic that has left hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians out of work and struggling to get by. Rather than investing in communities, Muzzall would make knee-jerk cuts to services at the moment they're needed most.

Price Johnson's extensive track record of civic service, strong community support, and vision for rebuilding our economy make her the clear choice in this race.

Architect Angie Homola is running for the 10th Legislative District, House Position 1. She has a long track record of public service and civic engagement in Island County, including serving as an Island County Commissioner. One of Homola’s accomplishments as a commissioner was to make the meetings available online so that people across the county could watch and participate in their local government. She is running for Legislature on a progressive platform of good government including campaign finance reform, increased affordable housing, and environmental conservation. Homola wants to prioritize farming and forestry, provide strong services for veterans, and use public and mental health care to end opioid addiction.

Her opponent is GOP candidate Greg Gilday, a lawyer who wants to address homelessness and improve local roads. He claims to be running to work on both “public health and economic health” but has been pushing to re-open the state's economy before public health experts say it is safe. His platform is not detailed but does include his opposition to age-appropriate sex education in schools. Gilday would be a conservative voice while Homola is a true progressive who will bring strong values to Olympia.

Homola is the clear choice in the race for House Position 1 representing the 10th Legislative District.

Incumbent Democrat Dave Paul is running for re-election this year in the moderate 10th Legislative District. Paul is the current vice-president of Skagit Valley College and has been a longtime advocate for children and public schools. He has been a strong progressive during his term in the Legislature and worked on bills to lower the cost of prescription drugs, as well as advocating for a 100% clean electricity grid by 2025. If re-elected, Paul states that he will continue to prioritize environmental work and re-opening the economy safely.

Paul is running against Bill Bruch. As a chairperson for the Skagit County Republican Party, Bruch is running on a cookie-cutter GOP platform. He states that those who are homeless or suffering from addiction must use "personal responsibility" to find a job, and implies that the role of government when it comes to these issues should be secondary to the private sector. On coronavirus, Bruch believes that Gov. Inslee's stay-home order is "totally unacceptable," ignoring both public health science and that COVID cases have continued to increase in Washington.

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

Bob Hasegawa is running unopposed for re-election to the state Senate. Since first being elected to the House in 2005, Hasegawa has distinguished himself through his social justice work. He is a labor advocate and founding member of several labor boards, including Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance AFL-CIO and the Washington State Labor Council. Hasegawa has also been a strong advocate for reforming our state's upside-down tax system and has pushed to establish a state bank.

Hasegawa has earned another term in the state Senate and deserves your vote.

Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz is running against incumbent Rep. Tom Dent for state House in the 13th Legislative District. As a specialist in the U.S. Army, Castañeda-Díaz states that he has five top priorities if elected: environmental protection and agriculture, civil rights, health care, education, and economic justice. His platform includes a wide range of policies and goals, including the completion of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project, ending cash bail, and supporting guaranteed low-income housing for veterans and at-need citizens. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Castañeda-Díaz advocates for providing a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to all Washington residents at zero cost.

Notably, Castañeda-Díaz says that he "does not support banning semi-automatic firearms" but does support criminal background checks.

His Republican opponent, Tom Dent, has often voted against the needs of his constituents. Dent voted against a goal of net-zero carbon emissions for state agencies by 2050, opposed allowing tenants to pay first- and last-month rental fees in installments to offset the affordable housing crisis, and against reducing plastic bag pollution. Dent is the ranking minority member on the Early Learning and Human Resources Committee. This year, he worked on legislation providing additional educational pathways in Washington. However, in his response to COVID-19, Dent wanted Washington to re-open unsafely in the spring and has not changed his stance or acknowledged his dangerous response.

Castañeda-Díaz is the best choice in this race for the 13th Legislative District, Position 1.

Tracy Rushing is an ER doctor who is running to strengthen the health care system and advocate for a strong economy that doesn't sacrifice the environment. Instead of forcing people with mental illnesses into prisons and using emergency rooms as the fallback for those who can't afford care, Rushing wants to see the state fund food security, break cycles of poverty, and invest in community health. She highlights the importance of local agriculture and would seek to ensure that farmworkers have adequate protections against the coronavirus as well as living wages and "humane immigration policy."

Rushing is running against incumbent Rep. Chris Corry, who has served in this position since 2019. Corry was one of the four Republican lawmakers to sue Gov. Inslee over his stay-at-home orders during the pandemic. Corry and his colleagues' assertion that "the threat has faded" is both erroneous and wildly dangerous to his constituents. Corry has also been a no vote on a wide range of progressive policies in the last two sessions, including efforts to make the state carbon-free by 2045, expand residential tenant protections, ban plastic bags, and establish a public option for health care coverage.

Rushing is the best choice in this race.

Democrat Daniel Smith is challenging Republican incumbent Sen. Lynda Wilson to represent the 17th Legislative District in the Senate. Smith has been a social worker for more than two decades and currently manages the southwest Washington office for Community Health Plan of Washington, a local non-profit. As a Democrat, he believes in the principles of "family values, community values, [and] making sure everybody has an equal opportunity for success."

If elected, Smith wants to put his career in health care to work by advocating for more social services and better mental health care, as well as more affordable housing and early childhood education. He is running to support "data-driven decisions" when guiding public health and economic legislation. When it comes to managing the threat of coronavirus, Smith is determined to make sure that frontline health care workers have all the supplies they need to stay safe and treat Washingtonians.

Incumbent Sen. Wilson has already established a long track record of conservative votes in her first term alone. Wilson has been on the wrong side of health care access and reproductive rights, and she even said that the science on whether vaccines are safe is "not settled" while her district faced a measles outbreak. Wilson also generated controversy this spring when she told The Columbian that she was storing 100 coronavirus antibody tests in her home.

The 17th Legislative District deserves better representation than Lynda Wilson. Daniel Smith has received the support of many progressive organizations and is the clear choice for state Senate.

Democrat Tanisha Harris is challenging far-right incumbent Rep. Vicki Kraft for House Position 1 representing the 17th Legislative District. Harris spent a decade working for the Evergreen School District and now works as a Court Appointed Special Advocate program specialist with the YWCA Clark County.

Harris's priorities include supporting low-income and workplace housing to tackle the state's homelessness and housing affordability crisis, reducing gun violence, and making additional investments in education. She opposes re-opening Washington schools until the science says it is safe to do so. Harris does not support an income tax but does want to rebalance the state's upside-down tax system so that everyone pays their share.

Her opponent, Republican Rep. Kraft, worked for the virulently anti-worker Freedom Foundation and has one of the most far-right voting records in the House. She spent the early months of the pandemic trying to re-open the state long before public health experts said it was safe and even joined an April rally against Gov. Inslee's state-at-home-order. In this session, Kraft was a leading opponent of comprehensive sex education and broader vaccination of students. She is zealously opposed to abortion and voted against legislation requiring insurance companies to cover all women's health care. In addition, she opposed several LGBTQ+ equality bills and the Washington Voting Rights Act.

Kraft's battle against common-sense public health standards is appalling and especially bad during a pandemic. Harris, on the other hand, has the overwhelming support of labor, reproductive rights organizations, environmental groups, and more, and is by far the best choice in this race.

Donna Sinclair is running to represent the 18th Legislative District, House Position 2. Sinclair is a public historian and history professor at Washington State University Vancouver and Western Oregon University. She was first inspired to run for office after the 2016 election and currently serves on the board of directors for the Washougal School District and as a Democratic precinct committee officer.

Sinclair's campaign focuses on bringing affordable health care, well-paying jobs, and high-quality education to the region. Sinclair is concerned about affordability in Clark County and wants to guide the county's growth while protecting the environment and local quality of life. In addition, Sinclair wants to bring a new vocational and technical school to North Clark County so that students don't have to drive all the way to Vancouver.

Her opponent is incumbent Republican Rep. Larry Hoff, whose top three priorities are protecting the Second Amendment, improving transportation, and reducing taxes, despite an estimated budget shortfall of several billion dollars next year due to COVID. Though he believes that he is qualified to manage the state's economic crisis because of his private sector work, Hoff neglects to offer any policies for how to mitigate the public health crisis.

Sinclair is the best choice in this race and deserves your vote.

Democratic Rep. Strom Peterson is running for re-election to represent the 21st Legislative District, House Position 1. Prior to joining the Legislature, Peterson served on the Edmonds City Council for six years, where he proved to be a capable leader in Snohomish County. In Olympia, Peterson had a hand in passing several important progressive bills.

In 2018, Peterson was the primary sponsor of the Secure Drug Medicine Back Act, an innovative program to limit the usage of unused and expired prescriptions in Washington communities. In 2017, he was a sponsor of Breakfast Before the Bell, a nutrition program for hungry students. This year, Peterson sponsored legislation to prevent the solitary confinement of incarcerated youth in all but extreme cases. If re-elected, Peterson states that he would continue to prioritize education, the environment, transportation, and more.

Peterson is running against Republican Brian Thompson, who runs a fire protection engineering consultancy. He is running to roll back the recently passed comprehensive sex-ed legislation and Gov. Jay Inslee's emergency coronavirus safety measures, stating that "we are all essential." Despite campaigning for "medical freedom," Thompson is strongly anti-choice.

Peterson has a strong progressive track record. He is the best choice for House Position 1.

Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self is running for re-election to the 21st Legislative District, House Position 2. She is a counselor in the Everett School District, and an active member of the community, focusing on childhood education and strengthening health services through numerous community organizations. Since joining the House in 2009, Rep. Ortiz-Self has emerged as a progressive champion for improving the health and well-being of youth and families across Washington.

This year, Ortiz-Self was the prime sponsor on bills to increase student access to counselors and provide resources for homeless college students. Her bill to fund nonprofits in low-income communities passed this year as well. Rep. Ortiz-Self has been a member of the state’s Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee for more than six years. If re-elected, she wants to continue to fund and improve education, protect the social safety net, and invest in job creation to support economic recovery.

Also in this race is far-right Republican Amy Schaper, who states that she is running to protect our borders, promote free-market solutions, and oppose civil rights like same-sex marriage. Schaper is strongly anti-choice and led a draconian "heartbeat" petition that would "require an ultrasound before an abortion" and includes provisions to "prohibit and criminalize abortion" in some cases.

During this time of economic and health crises, the 21st Legislative District needs a representative who has demonstrated care and knowledge in protecting the district's most vulnerable residents. Ortiz-Self is the clear choice in this race.

Tara Simmons is the executive director of Civil Survival, a nonprofit organization that helps formerly incarcerated people reintegrate and become advocates for their community. Simmons made history when she became the first formerly-incarcerated person to graduate law school and be admitted to the Washington State Bar Association.

Simmons is running for the 23rd Legislative District, House Position 1 to reform our state's upside-down tax code, improve police accountability, and expand health care access, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is opposed to knee-jerk budget cuts during a public health emergency and wants to make the wealthy pay their share to invest more in communities. Notably, she is not accepting any campaign donations from corporations.

Her opponent is April Ferguson, former operations chair and data administration for the Kitsap County Republican Party. Ferguson, who has run for office and lost twice already, is running on a platform of individual liberty and opposing efforts to balance our state's upside-down tax code.

Simmons was one of the best and most inspiring progressive candidates Fuse interviewed this year. She will bring a unique voice and a passion for police and criminal justice reform to Olympia at a moment when it's needed more than ever. Simmons is the clear progressive choice in this race.

Democratic Rep. Steve Tharinger is running for re-election to the 24th Legislative District, House Position 2. Since 2010, Tharinger has been a strong progressive leader for the district. He currently co-chairs the Joint Legislative Executive Committee on Aging and Disability and is a member of the Dementia Action Collaborative.

Tharinger is passionate about providing affordable health care options to all Washingtonians and has been unwavering in his advocacy for innovative policies that protect the environment. If re-elected, his priorities would be investing in ports and parks, strengthening health care, and recovering from the impacts of the pandemic. Rep. Tharinger recently spoke out in favor of protecting a fully funded and functioning postal service so that rural residents in his district can continue to receive medicine, pay bills, and vote by mail with confidence.

Tharinger is running against retired Army officer Brian Pruiett. Pruiett opposes fixing our upside-down tax code, despite the fact that low- and moderate-income residents pay a far higher tax rate than the wealthy. Pruiett recently made a statement offering unconditional support for law enforcement in all parts of Washington state, vowing that he will "not listen" to Washingtonians protesting for racial justice even within his own district.

In this time of health and economic uncertainties, the 24th Legislative District needs steady, progressive leadership that protects working people and the vulnerable, not just businesses' bottom lines. Tharinger is by far the best choice in this race.

Puyallup mayor and local small business owner Julie Door is running for state Senate in the 25th Legislative District. Prior to being elected as mayor this year, Door served on the council for seven years, where she supported the purchase of the Van Lierop farm to create a new park, implemented a Safe Routes to Schools initiative, and worked on securing adequate shelter for people experiencing homelessness in inclement weather. She was the community services chair of the Puyallup Kiwanis Club and is a board member of the South Sound 911 Board, among other community involvement.

Door became mayor at the beginning of the year, navigating Puyallup through the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic by swiftly declaring a state of emergency so that the city could access additional resources. If elected, she will build on that public health experience to expand health care access including mental health treatment. Door will also push for living-wage jobs in the district and promote more equity and investment in the classroom.

Door is running against Republican Rep. Chris Gildon. Gildon is one of several Republican legislators who criticized Gov. Inslee's stay-at-home order and supported leaving re-opening decisions up to local governments despite the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the state. This year in the House, Gildon voted against creating a statewide Office of Equity, requiring greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced to zero by 2050, and reducing transportation pollution.

As a lifetime resident of Puyallup with a keen grasp of the issues in the 25th District, Door will represent her constituents well in the Legislature. Door is the best choice in this race.

Firefighter and veteran Brian Duthie is vying for the 25th Legislative District, House Position 2. The seat is currently held by Rep. Chris Gildon, who is moving on to run for state Senate this year. Duthie has significant community experience including his role as a board member of the Washington State Council of Firefighters Burn Foundation.

Duthie is campaigning to strengthen K-12 education by reducing class sizes, adding more special education resources, and making sure teachers are fairly compensated. He believes that the state will only begin economic recovery when the dangerous spread of COVID-19 is also addressed, and he relies on health experts and medical professionals to inform his approach to public health policy. If elected, Duthie will focus on health care affordability and reducing traffic congestion in Pierce County.

Duthie's opponent is Puyallup City Councilmember Cyndy Jacobsen. Jacobsen is running on a very conservative platform including support for defunding Planned Parenthood, opposition to marriage equality despite it being the law since 2012, and cutting investments in our transportation system that would reduce traffic and create thousands of jobs. In addition, she wants the state to re-open before public health experts say it is safe to do so and she has amplified dangerous conspiracy theories about the coronavirus. 

Washingtonians need leaders who will listen to health care professionals and science when creating pandemic policy. Duthie is the best choice in this race and deserves your vote.

Joy Stanford is challenging Republican Rep. Michelle Caldier for the 26th Legislative District, House Position 2. Stanford was a substitute teacher who has worked in the district with underserved and elderly populations, helping them gain access to health care. She challenged Caldier for this seat in 2018 and only narrowly lost.

Stanford has previously worked in housing services and the health care industry, and she hopes to use these experiences to address affordable housing and health care access with creative approaches. She is campaigning to keep infrastructure projects on budget and ensuring health care access for all, and will work to fix Washington's upside-down tax code. In response to recent protests for racial justice, Stanford said she supports increasing funding for non-police appropriate crisis responders such as mental health professionals.

Incumbent Michelle Caldier has built a career on opposing progressive policies. She voted against automatic voter registration, which has been proven to strengthen democracy by making it easier for eligible citizens to vote, and opposed legislation to expand access to reproductive health care. This year, she voted against prohibiting race-based hair discrimination and discrimination based on immigration status or citizenship. Caldier also voiced strong opposition to the comprehensive and age-appropriate sexual health education bill this year.

Joy Stanford will bring progressive priorities to Olympia. She is running a strong campaign and deserves your vote.

Democratic Sen. Jeannie Darneille is running for re-election in the 27th Legislative District. Darneille has been a strong advocate in her 12 years in the House and six years in the Senate, particularly for families who are struggling to make ends meet. She is a champion of women, people with disabilities, formerly incarcerated individuals, health care access, and expanded economic opportunities for all.

This year, Darneille sponsored legislation requiring schools to incorporate curriculum on local tribal history and voted to prohibit discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status. She is running to reform the justice system and spoke out recently on the need for better public health in Washington prisons. If re-elected, Darneille will continue to fight for improved education, increased health care access, and gender and racial parity.

Also in this race is Republican Kyle Paskewitz. Paskewitz is the executive director of Parentalink, a nonprofit organization. He is anti-choice and opposes greater investments in our communities during the economic downturn. Earlier this year, Paskewitz's campaign social media proposed that Washington state should recklessly re-open before it was safe to do so, and he has since promoted anti-mask rhetoric on his personal social media.

Darneille is a strong advocate with the support of a number of progressive organizations. She deserves your vote in this race.

Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins is running for re-election to the 27th Legislative District, House Position 1. Jinkins was the first lesbian to serve openly in the state Legislature, where she helped pass marriage equality. She now serves as the first woman and LBGTQ+ speaker of the House in Washington. In office, she has been a passionate and effective champion for progressive values, particularly in her fight for women, equity, and closing tax loopholes.

Jinkins has sponsored bills to improve education funding and secured resources for a new health clinic in Hilltop that serves low-income patients. She consistently advocates for a capital gains excise tax on the wealthy that would fund schools. This year, Jinkins voted in support of bills to establish comprehensive and age-appropriate sexual health education, to prohibit discrimination based on immigration status or citizenship, and to establish the Washington State Office of Equity. To confront the detrimental effects of the coronavirus pandemic in Washington communities, Jinkins wants to reduce tuition costs, provide job training, introduce a public option to increase health care access, and work to guarantee affordable housing.

She is being challenged by Democrat Ryan Talen, a registered nurse. Talen is running to restructure Washington's electoral system, proposing "proportional representation with ranked-choice" as an alternative. However, Talen doesn't have a strong campaign presence.

Jinkins is an important progressive leader in our state. She is the obvious choice in this race and deserves your vote.

T'wina Nobles is challenging Republican Sen. Steve O'Ban for the 28th Legislative District Senate seat. Nobles is the president and CEO of the Tacoma Urban League, an organization that helps underserved communities navigate difficult economic times. She has worked in education for 15 years as an instructor, the University Place School Board Director, and a PTA leader.

If elected, Nobles wants to increase pay for teachers, reduce class sizes, and work to make schools more inclusive and equitable. She knows more needs to be done to ensure families in the 28th are healthy and safe, which she believes includes gun violence prevention, addiction recovery and mental health resources, and better health care access. Nobles is also running to fix our upside-down tax code and fight for better wages and affordable housing for working people.

Incumbent Sen. O'Ban is a far-right conservative who has previously sued the state to prevent Washingtonians from having access to birth control at some pharmacies. Likewise, he has fought against equality for the LGBTQ+ community, including leading the opposition to marriage equality. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, O'Ban pushed to re-open the economy long before public health experts said it was safe to do so. This year, he opposed establishing the Washington State Office of Equity and voted against prohibiting discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status.

Nobles is the clear progressive choice and would make a great state senator. In this tight race to unseat a conservative, Nobles deserves your vote.

Rep. Mari Leavitt is running for re-election for the 28th Legislative District, House Position 1. Leavitt was recently appointed to the State Legislators’ Task Force on Military and Veterans Affairs. She has been a hard-working leader who represents the district well.

This year, Rep. Leavitt supported legislation to combat the climate crisis and passed bipartisan legislation to support military families. She also supported legislation to prohibit race-based hair discrimination. In this race, she is campaigning to strengthen the social safety net for seniors and families, create affordable housing, and support small businesses. If re-elected, Leavitt will continue to advocate for her constituents and pass bipartisan legislation.

Leavitt faces a challenge from Kevin Ballard, a Republican who served on the DuPont City Council. He has repeatedly used his social media presence to call on Gov. Inslee to re-open Washington before public health experts declare it safe to do so. Ballard, who was the co-chair of Ben Carson's 2016 presidential campaign in Pierce County, strongly opposes abortion and supports defunding Planned Parenthood. 

Leavitt is the best choice in this race and deserves your vote.

Rep. Melanie Morgan is running for re-election for the 29th Legislative District, House Position 1. Morgan is an Army veteran who was elected to the Franklin-Pierce School Board in 2015 and worked with Young Life to create a mentorship group for young Black men, focusing on participation in STEM fields. Since 2018, she has been a strong advocate for representation and equity in Olympia where she has served as the deputy majority floor leader.

This year, Morgan was the lead sponsor on legislation to prohibit race-based hair discrimination. In addition, she supported gun safety legislation as well as the bill to establish the Washington State Office of Equity. Morgan has spoken out about the need for racial justice, drawing on her experience on the governor-appointed Equity Task Force, and wants to move forward with an equitable lens, including proposing legislation to make Juneteenth a paid holiday in Washington. Morgan is also campaigning to increase voter engagement, access to affordable housing, and public transportation in her district.

Morgan is facing a challenge from Republican Koshin Mohamed Fidaar, an Army veteran and Executive Director of the Somali Community Services Coalition. He claims the district has a high crime rate but fails to offer thoughtful solutions to address it. Fidaar has also not addressed our state's upside-down tax code, which currently asks working families to pay up to six times more of their income in taxes than the wealthiest.

Morgan is a strong progressive voice in Olympia. She is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote.

Rep. Jesse Johnson is running to retain his seat in 30th Legislative District, House Position 2. Johnson previously served as a member of the Federal Way City Council before being appointed to the Legislature in January. He also works as a staffing analyst in workforce planning and development for Highline Public Schools and has sponsored multiple bills to support at-risk youth.

This year, Johnson sponsored legislation to prohibit race-based hair discrimination and supported gun safety legislation as well as a bill to establish a student loan program for undocumented students. He is running a strong re-election campaign promoting equitable access to quality education for every student, affordability for working families and seniors, and improving services to help homeless and housing-unstable individuals. Johnson wants to prioritize safety and public health as he reaches out to small business leaders in his district about re-opening after the coronavirus pandemic. In June, he stated his interest in developing police reform legislation to increase the accountability of law enforcement.

Johnson faces a challenge from Republican Jack Walsh. Walsh owns an ice cream shop in Federal Way and has twice led advisory vote campaigns to prevent retail marijuana shops from expanding to the city. Walsh falsely and insensitively claims that commercial interests are the victims of the housing crisis, and his proposed solution is to criminalize our neighbors experiencing homelessness and divert funding away from addiction recovery and mental health resources.

Johnson is a strong and effective progressive legislator. He deserves your vote.