15th Legislative District

Former Vice President Joe Biden has a long track record of public service. He represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate from 1973 to 2009 and then served as President Barack Obama's vice president from 2009 to 2017. His personal history, including losing his eldest son to brain cancer, influenced his agenda and led him to become an advocate for the Affordable Care Act, the signature policy of the Obama administration. 

After facing numerous progressive challenges in the presidential primary, Biden has shifted his platform to the left for the general election. Some of the hallmark policies of Biden's 2020 platform include supporting a public health care option and raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, as well as making huge investments in low-income housing assistance and public transit and making community college free. Biden has worked hard with progressive leaders like Sen. Bernie Sanders to unite the Democratic party under what is likely the most progressive party platform in history, though we need to continue pushing him to support bolder proposals like the Green New Deal.

California Senator Kamala Harris is Biden's vice-presidential running mate on the Democratic ticket. Harris was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 and served as California's attorney general before that. She ran her own campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination this election cycle before ultimately being selected as Biden's running mate in August. Harris made history as both the first Black woman and the first South Asian woman to be nominated for vice president by a major party. As California's first woman attorney general, Harris earned a reputation as a staunch advocate for victims and worked to pass marriage equality as well as protect the Affordable Care Act. In the Senate, Harris has sponsored progressive bills this year such as the Climate Equity Act of 2020, the COVID-19 Racial and Ethnic Disparities Task Force Act of 2020, and the RELIEF Act. Harris also gained notice for her willingness to hold former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to account during Senate proceedings.

Biden's opponent is President Donald Trump, a man whose corrupt, lawless, and destructive track record speaks for itself. The damage that Trump and his administration have done to the public and to our democratic systems will take decades to reverse. Some of the worst moments of his presidency include a catastrophic national coronavirus response, separating thousands of children from parents and locking them in cages, eliminating critical environmental protections on our air and water, stripping healthcare protections for millions, and ramming through a dangerous, conservative Supreme Court nominee to rig the nation's highest court in his favor. 

While there are legitimate concerns about some aspects of Biden's track record, there is no comparison to Trump's attacks on democratic institutions and the rule of law, his dishonesty, his constant assaults on people of color and religious minorities, and his open embrace of white supremacy. Biden is the clear choice for President of the United States.

Douglas McKinley is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse in the 4th Congressional District. McKinley is a very enthusiastic candidate who is running to change "forty years of the same trickle-down, anti-worker, pro-corporate policies that Dan Newhouse and Donald Trump are forcing on all of us." McKinley is running on a platform of raising wages, decreasing rent prices, implementing a health care system that isn't tied to employment status, and transitioning to clean energy.

His opponent, incumbent Dan Newhouse, was first elected in 2014 and previously served as the Washington Director of Agriculture and in the state House of Representatives. He is very conservative and votes with President Trump 93% of the time. This year, Newhouse continued to disappoint by refusing to support the $3 trillion relief package passed in response to the coronavirus pandemic and declining to impeach Trump on the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice.

McKinley is the best choice in the race for Congress from the 4th Congressional District.

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.

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.

Washington Auditor Pat McCarthy has been a consistent advocate for government transparency and accountability during her first term in office. Previously, she served as Pierce County executive and Pierce County auditor, where she was honored as the 2006 Washington State Auditor of the Year.

McCarthy announced that her office has opened two independent audits of the Employment Security Department. The first will investigate the delay in unemployment benefits for hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second audit will look into how criminals stole hundreds of millions of dollars through a sophisticated fraud scheme.

McCarthy is facing a challenge from Republican Chris Leyba, a detective with limited audit experience related to this role. Leyba has expressed some very conservative viewpoints during the campaign, including opposition to stronger campaign finance laws, disagreeing with basic law enforcement reforms, and supporting Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic response.   

McCarthy's experience and commitment to oversight will be valuable as the state works to emerge from the pandemic and the recession. McCarthy is the best choice in this race.

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.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has spent his entire career serving the people of Washington. Prior to running for statewide office, Kreidler was a doctor of optometry, a state legislator, and a member of Congress.

As insurance commissioner, Kreidler has been a consistent advocate for consumers and patients in overseeing insurance companies in Washington. Kreidler set up one of the first and most effective Affordable Care Act exchanges in the country, helping expand access to health care for hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians. More recently, Kreidler moved quickly to issue an emergency order requiring insurance companies to waive copays, coinsurance, and deductibles for COVID-19 testing and office visits. In addition, he forced insurance companies to allow consumers to access other health providers if they did not have an in-network option for testing.

Kreidler is opposed by Republican Chirayu Avinash Patel, an insurance agent and biochemistry student at the University of Washington. He states that he wants to model the office of the insurance commissioner based on a hybrid of the Ronald Reagan and Thomas Jefferson administrations. Patel has no campaign website and does not appear to be running a credible bid for office.

Kreidler has earned your vote for re-election to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

Democrat Jack McEntire is running for 15th Legislative District, House Position 1 against incumbent Republican Rep. Bruce Chandler, who has held this seat since 1998. McEntire has served as vice-chair of the Yakima County Democrats. He is running to bring affordable health care to all, stating that "health care is nonpartisan and immigration status doesn’t factor in." McEntire also wants to advocate for improved higher education and vocational training for all, not just for the wealthy.

In office, incumbent Chandler has done a poor job of providing policy solutions to struggling working families and has opposed progressive economic reforms like raising the minimum wage and ensuring equal pay protections for women. This year, Chandler voted against bills to prohibit race-based hairstyle discrimination, introduce comprehensive and age-appropriate sex education in schools, and establish a Washington State Office of Equity.

While this is somewhat of a low-information race with no endorsements and few concrete policy details available, we believe McEntire is the best choice.

AJ Cooper is challenging Republican Rep. Jeremie Dufault for the 15th Legislative District, House Position 2. Cooper is the chair of the 15th LD Democratic Central Committee and an educator. She also serves in several community organizations, including Progresso Latino, the Central Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and as secretary of the Community SEEDS Executive Board.

Cooper is running to advocate for health care reform, expanded rural internet access, and improved protections for small businesses. Her campaign is also focused on environmental stewardship including safeguarding Yakima Valley's water supply. If elected, Cooper pledges to combat systemic racism and reform Washington's upside-down tax system from "top to bottom."

Cooper is opposing former Selah City Council member and incumbent Jeremie Dufault. With an anticipated budget shortfall of several billion dollars coming up, Dufault's refusal to balance our state's upside-down tax code and make the wealthy pay their share will lead to billions in cuts to essential services. This year in office, he voted against establishing a state Office of Equity, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of citizenship or immigration status, and introducing age-appropriate sex education in schools. In addition, Dufault has fought changes to ensure workers earn overtime pay, calling them a "backdoor minimum wage increase."

Cooper will advance progress priorities in the House if elected. She is the best choice in this race and deserves your vote.

Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis is running to retain Position 3 on the Washington State Supreme Court. Montoya-Lewis was originally appointed to the state Supreme Court in December 2019 by Gov. Inslee to replace Justice Mary Fairhurst. As a member of the Pueblo of Isleta tribe and the first Native American justice in Washington - and second in the nation - to serve on a state Supreme Court, Montoya-Lewis believes that representation on the bench matters.

Previously, Montoya-Lewis served on the Whatcom County Superior Court and as chief judge for a number of Indian tribes. She has spent much of her career on juvenile justice work and as a staunch advocate for communities who have historically been excluded from representation in the judicial system. In her short tenure on the court, Montoya-Lewis has been a thoughtful and engaged member who has earned the support of many respected judicial leaders and other progressive organizations. However, some progressives have expressed concern about a decision she wrote recently where she sided against nurses who had been deprived of guaranteed workplace protections. 

Also in this race is Judge Dave Larson, a Federal Way Municipal Court judge who also ran for a state Supreme Court seat in 2016. Larson was heavily supported by corporate PACs in his previous campaign and he espouses a conservative judicial philosophy focused on a narrow interpretation of the law.

Raquel Montoya-Lewis deserves your vote in this race.

Associate Chief Justice Charles W. Johnson is running to retain his seat in Position 4 of the Washington State Supreme Court. As the longest-serving justice on the court, having sat on the bench for nearly three decades, Johnson has proven time and again his judicial integrity, accountability, and impartiality.

During his time on the state Supreme Court, Johnson has consistently supported civil rights and equitable representation. He co-chaired the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission for 24 years and also served as co-chair for the 2004 Task Force on Civil Equal Justice Funding. On the bench, Johnson has opposed bias in judicial proceedings, joining the rest of the state Supreme Court this June in an open letter vowing to "administer justice and support court rules in a way that brings greater racial justice to our system as a whole."

Johnson is running unopposed for re-election to Position 4. With a commitment to justice for all Washingtonians, he has earned your vote.

Justice G. Helen Whitener is running to retain her position on Washington's Supreme Court. She was appointed to the Supreme Court this April by Gov. Jay Inslee. Prior to her appointment, she served on the Pierce County Superior Court, the Pierce County District Court a Pro Tem judge, and the City of Tacoma Municipal Court, after working for 14 years as a prosecutor and defense attorney.

Whitener has been rated as "exceptionally well-qualified" by a wide slate of bar associations and has earned an endorsement from every current Supreme Court Justice as well as several past justices. Notably, she is the first Black woman to sit on the state's Supreme Court, and as an immigrant from Trinidad and an openly gay justice, she brings new perspectives to the state's highest court. While serving on the bench, she has made a point to continue to interact with the community, teaching a civics course at Tacoma's Lincoln High School.

She is running against Richard S. Serns, a school superintendent who filed for office just weeks after passing the bar exam this spring. While he has no experience as a lawyer or judge, he states that his history of working with public records requests and privacy laws is preparation enough to serve as a justice.

Whitener is the clear choice for State Supreme Court Justice, Position 6.

Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens was first appointed to the state Supreme Court in 2008 by Gov. Christine Gregoire after many years of public service and was unanimously elected by her colleagues in 2019 to serve as the 57th Chief Justice of the state's highest court. She spent a decade serving students on the school board and mentored at-risk high school students as well as students at Gonzaga University. Stephens is also the first woman from Eastern Washington to serve on the Supreme Court. She has been rated "exceptionally well-qualified" by numerous legal groups and endorsed by a number of progressives.

Stephens is running unopposed this year and has earned your vote.

Judge Dave Petersen is running for a seat on the Superior Court serving Benton and Franklin counties. Petersen is currently a Municipal Court Judge for the City of Pasco as well as a Pro Tem judge for the Superior and District Courts of Benton and Franklin counties. Before that, he practiced as a deputy prosecutor for Franklin County and as a private attorney working on family law.

Judge Petersen is running to bring equity to the bench by focusing on eliminating racial bias in courtrooms, reconsidering fines which unfairly punish low-income Washingtonians, and investing in therapeutic courts to better address underlying mental health problems and create a safer community for all. He serves on the board of the Benton Franklin Legal Aid Society. Petersen has earned the endorsements of many local, judicial leaders.

Petersen is running against Senator Sharon Brown, a Republican legislator and local business attorney. Brown was first elected to the Senate in 2013 where she has represented the 8th Legislative District since. She serves as the Senate Deputy Republican Leader and has consistently voted against progressive legislation such as bills to establish a Washington State Office of Equity and to reduce state greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. Before running for the Legislature, she worked as a Pro Tem mayor, City Council member, and business lawyer in the Tri-Cities area.

Petersen is the best choice in this race.

Judge Elisabeth Tutsch is running to retain her seat on the Yakima County Superior Court for Department 2. Tutsch has served in this position since this April when Gov. Inslee appointed her to fill Judge Michael McCarthy's seat after his passing. Before that, Tutsch was the Yakima County Superior Court commissioner, appointed by the judges of the court.

Tutsch's entire career has been centered in Yakima, including the 20 years she spent in community legal services and her work in 2004 to help found Rod's House for homeless youth. In 2010, Tutsch was elected President of the Yakima County Bar Association. Throughout her career, she has sought justice for all Washingtonians, especially the most vulnerable. If retained, Tutsch hopes to bring experience, ethics, and equality to the bench.

Also in this race is Bronson Faul, City of Selah Municipal Judge and Assistant City Attorney in Yakima. Faul has worked as a prosecutor in Yakima at the city and county levels. He is running to be "tough on crime" and has the support of the Yakima Valley Fraternal Order of Police. Faul lists his work as a Republican Party precinct committee officer under his community service.

Yakima deserves an impartial judge for Department 2 on the Superior Court. Tutsch has proven her ability to promote a fair court and she should be retained in this election.

Jeff Swan is challenging incumbent Judge Douglas Federspiel for Department 3 on the Yakima County Superior Court. Swan has worked as a defense trial attorney representing clients in need for 25 years in Yakima. In this role, he has built a favorable reputation with the bench and seen firsthand how residents interact with their justice system.

Swan wants to leverage his knowledge of the court system to make the court more accessible and efficient for the residents it serves. He believes that the responsibility of the judge is to be a "servant leader," upholding the laws that safeguard equality for all. The Washington Women Lawyers gave Swan a judicial rating of "exceptionally well-qualified" and the Washington State Veterans Bar Association rated him "well-qualified."

Federspiel is seeking re-election to the Superior Court where he has served for nearly 8 years. Previously, Federspiel was a judge for the Yakima District Court for two years. On the bench, he has worked to "strictly apply the law and the Constitution and its enumerated rights."

Swan will bring valuable experience and unique insight to the bench. He is the best choice in this race.

Judge Blaine George Gibson is running to retain his seat in Department 4 on the Yakima County Superior Court. Gibson has been on the bench for nearly 16 years where he has seen the full range of cases and developed positive relationships with attorneys and other judges. Before joining the Superior Court, he was an attorney for 26 years and is considered an expert in the area of legal ethics.

Gibson has served as a committee member, trustee, and president of the Washington State Superior Court Judges’ Association. He was born and raised in Yakima and is highly respected across the state. In this race, Gibson has earned the endorsement of Associate Chief Justice Charles Johnson of the Washington State Supreme Court as well as the support of many other elected judicial leaders.

Gibson is being challenged by Scott Bruns, a Yakima County Superior Court public defender who has spent 35 years as a trial attorney in Yakima and around the state. Bruns wants to bring judicial integrity to the bench but does not seem to be running a serious campaign.

Gibson deserves your vote for re-election.