40th 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.

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.

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.

Sen. Liz Lovelett is running for re-election in the 40th Legislative District. She was appointed to the state Senate last year and successfully ran to retain the seat previously. Lovelett is a fifth-generation Anacortes resident who previously served on the Anacortes City Council. She has prioritized environmental conservation and played a key role in passing legislation protecting orcas and the Salish Sea.

In the Senate, Lovelett has sponsored legislation requiring schools to incorporate curriculum on local tribal history and establishing regulations for facial-recognition technology. Lovelett is running for re-election on a strong platform that includes prioritizing increased affordable housing and expanded services for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Lovelett wants to expand the social safety net while not adding to the tax burden of low-middle income families by reforming Washington's upside-down tax code so that everyone pays their share.

Lovelett is running against Republican Charles Carrell. Before running, Carrell served as a Snohomish County sheriff's deputy, later suing the department over a public records request. He does not have a strong campaign presence.

Lovelett is the best choice in this race and has earned your vote.

Rep. Debra Lekanoff is running for re-election to the 40th Legislative District, House Position 1. Lekanoff has spent more than two decades as a public servant in the 40th Legislative District and her community, including her work as the Government Affairs Director for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. She is running on a re-election platform of protecting the Salish Sea for future generations, improving educational opportunities, and sustainably rebuilding the economy.

This year, Lekanoff sponsored legislation to strengthen safety requirements for oil tankers, which is particularly important for protecting the Salish Sea. She also worked to provide protective gear to frontline food producers and farm workers in order to ensure that grocery stores remain stocked and workers remain safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Lekanoff is the only Native woman in the state Legislature and has numerous endorsements from our progressive partner organizations and elected officials.

Lekanoff is running unopposed for re-election. As a staunch advocate for public health and environmental protections, she deserves your vote.

Incumbent Rep. Alex Ramel is running to retain House Position 2 in the 40th Legislative District. Ramel is an environmental organizer who played an important role in the campaign to reject the Cherry Point coal export terminal. He also helped found the “Community Energy Challenge” that has created jobs and helped homeowners and local businesses save money through energy efficiency improvements. As the former President of the Kulshan Community Land Trust, Ramel understands the need to prioritize funding for affordable housing in the Legislature.

Ramel was sworn into the House at the beginning of this year and has already sponsored bills to prohibit race-based hair discrimination, increase incentives for building affordable housing, and establish a scenic bikeways program across the state. He believes that health care is a basic human right and has prioritized the fight for health care access in his campaign. Ramel wants to center Washingtonians in the state's economic recovery approach, focusing on the issues of livable wages and employment opportunities.

Ramel is running against Republican Russ Dzialo, the former treasurer of the Whatcom County Republican Party. Dzialo is opposed to taking action on climate change and has expressed concerns about redirecting police funding to social services.

Ramel will fight the crises Washington now faces with progressive solutions. He is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote.

Mark Lundsten is challenging incumbent Republican Rob Wesen to represent District 1 on the Skagit County Board of Commissioners. Lundsten has served Skagit County as a planning commissioner since 2017, where he learned about and helped decide key land-use issues facing the district. He has worked as a commercial fisherman in Alaska and has a strong labor background as a former president of the Deep Sea Fishermen’s Union.

Lundsten is running to make progress on water security, affordable housing, racial justice, and climate change. He is committed to repairing the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic after the immediate health threat is under control. Lundsten wants to preserve the environment of Skagit Valley and has served on the Sound Defense Alliance board for the last two years. 

Wesen has served in this position for more than 10 years and has prioritized strict budgeting over investments in our community. Before that, Wesen worked for the Washington State Dairy Federation and served as president for the Skagit County Farm Bureau.

Lundsten is the most progressive 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.

Elizabeth Yost Neidzwski is running for Position 3 on the Skagit County Superior Court. Yost Neidzwski currently serves as the senior deputy public defender for Skagit County and the vice president of the board of Northwest Justice Project, a statewide legal aid organization. She has also participated in the JustLead Washington mentorship program with the Washington State Bar Association.

Yost Neidzwski is running to make sure that the court system offers equitable access to justice for all Skagit residents. In her years as a public defender and law clerk for the county, she has developed a keen sense of the struggles facing the community and common barriers to justice. In this race, Yost Neidzwski has earned the support of a number of state Supreme Court justices and the endorsement of every other judge on the Skagit County Superior Court bench with whom she would serve if elected.

Yost Neidzwski is facing Tom Seguine, a former prosecuting attorney for Skagit County who now runs his own firm. Seguine has served as an attorney in the area for 30 years where he has seen a variety of cases.

Yost Neidzwski will value equity, access, and justice on the bench. She deserves your vote in this race.

James Erb is running for Whatcom County Superior Court, Judge Position 2. Erb has spent the last 10 years in the Bellingham City Attorney's Office and tried nearly 50 jury trials as a prosecutor. He also represented the Nooksack Indian Tribe in both state and tribal court. In this race, Erb has been endorsed by members of the county's Superior Court as well as justices on the state Supreme Court.

Erb is focusing his campaign on finding ways to safely reduce and prevent incarceration as well as to provide equal access to justice to everyone. He has been rated "Well Qualified" for the position by a number of minority bar associations including the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington, the QLaw Association of Washington, and the Washington State Veterans Bar Association.

Also in this race is Evan Jones, a training deputy for the Whatcom County Prosecutor's Office. Jones has worked in the Bellingham City Attorney's Office as well as in the district, juvenile, and superior court systems. He is heavily endorsed by Republicans who have helped him raise campaign funds.

Erb's experience and support from local progressive advocates make him the best choice in this race.

Judge David Freeman is running to retain his seat on the Whatcom Superior Court in Position 4. Freeman was originally appointed to the seat by Governor Inslee earlier this year in order to fill the spot left by Justice Montoya-Lewis, who joined the state's Supreme Court. 

Before joining the Superior Court, Freeman worked as a judge pro tem serving all Whatcom municipalities and as a Pro Tem commissioner for the Superior Court. He has earned the support of many judicial leaders in the county. Additionally, Freeman has been rated "Exceptionally Well Qualified" by a number of minority bar associations including the Loren Miller Bar Association, the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington, and the QLaw Association of Washington.

Jim Nelson is challenging Freeman in this race. Nelson has spent more than 31 years as a practicing attorney across Washington, including work as a prosecutor for Snohomish and Skagit Counties. He believes in impartial and independent judicial decision-making.

Freeman is a great judge with strong community support and the experience needed to serve Whatcom residents well on the bench. He has earned your vote to be retained.

Christine Grant is challenging incumbent Jeffrey McClure to become the first woman commissioner of Public Utility District (PUD) 1 of Whatcom County. Grant is a first-time candidate who has spent 12 years becoming an industry expert, consulting for rural electric cooperatives, utilities, and government agencies. She also serves on the board of directors for Spark Northwest.

Grant is running to modernize the policy objectives of Whatcom's PUD. Specifically, she wants to build long-overdue infrastructure for accessible and widespread internet, guarantee affordable electricity, and integrate sustainability and stewardship into PUD projects. Grant has earned a number of notable endorsements from progressive organizations and leaders.

Incumbent commissioner and architect Jeffrey McClure has held a position on the Whatcom Public Utility District since 2008. McClure has been a diligent member of the Whatcom PUD. However, as we face a climate crisis and the economic opportunity that it presents, we need bold and innovative leaders to keep our county competitive and our rates low.

Christine Grant will fight for the progressive change that Whatcom needs from its public utility district. She is the best choice in this race and deserves your vote.