SEIU 775 Endorsements

Sen. Patty Murray has been a consistent and strong progressive voice in the U.S. Senate. She's seeking re-election to continue fighting for our basic rights and a better quality of life in Washington and beyond.

Murray was first elected in 1992 and has been a champion for veterans, working families, women, and economic opportunities for all. Before her tenure in the Senate, Murray worked as a preschool teacher, on the Shoreline School Board, and in the Washington state Senate.

During her time in Congress, Sen. Murray has worked hard to keep our communities safe from gun violence, protect abortion access at the federal level so that everyone has reproductive freedom, and expand access to affordable childcare. This year, she voted in support of the Women’s Health Protection Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, and a slate of other progressive bills that invest in working communities so that our country is a place where everyone can thrive. Murray has earned an impressive and diverse coalition of endorsements from local and national organizations, elected leaders, and unions.

Sen. Murray faces Tiffany Smiley, a triage nurse running on a MAGA Republican platform. Smiley has never held public office but she previously worked on Capitol Hill. Her Trump-inspired agenda aims to divide us while she seeks to cut funding from our most essential services and repurpose it for a needless border wall and more militarized police forces. Working Washingtonians need real solutions so that we can access the basics like gas, groceries, rent, and prescription medicine – not MAGA rhetoric and tax breaks for the wealthy.

Sen. Patty Murray is a national leader on many of the most important issues facing our country. She has earned your vote for re-election.

Rep. Suzan DelBene is running for re-election to the U.S. House representing Washington’s 1st Congressional District. Since first being elected in 2012, DelBene has been a champion for working families, small businesses, and data privacy and consumer protections. This year, she served as the chair of the moderate New Democrat Coalition, a 98-member congressional caucus that seeks to find solutions that bring Democrats and Republicans together. She brings private sector experience from her background in tech, working at Microsoft early on and then leading a number of local startups.

DelBene has been a staunch advocate for bills to help Washingtonians and the rest of our country afford stable housing, find family-wage jobs, and access quality health care. She has leveraged her tech background to balance consumer rights with innovation to create protections that benefit us all. DelBene played a key role in passing the Child Tax Credit and is leading efforts to expand it going forward in order to reduce child poverty across the country. She also recently supported the bipartisan infrastructure law which sent federal funding to Washington to upgrade public roads, ports, broadband, and more. Now, she is running to keep protecting Social Security, Medicare, reproductive freedom, and community investments that help Americans afford the basics.

Mill Creek City Council member and sheriff deputy Vincent Cavaleri is challenging DelBene in this race. He wants to expand militarized police forces and send more people to Washington’s expensive and overpopulated prisons. Instead of Cavaleri's failed positions, we need greater investments in community solutions that compassionately address addiction, housing insecurity, and mental health so that we can all thrive.

DelBene is a pragmatic and hardworking Democratic leader who will continue to make progress at the federal level if she is re-elected. She deserves your vote to represent Washington’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Rep. Rick Larsen is a moderate Democrat who is seeking his eleventh term representing Washington's 2nd Congressional District. Before serving in Congress, he served on the Snohomish County Council and worked on economic development for the City of Everett.

Larsen has been a reliable vote on House Democrats' priorities. Since his last election, he voted for both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and Build Back Better, President Biden's more ambitious effort to fund clean energy, child tax credits, and other progressive priorities. In past years, Larsen supported the Lower Drug Costs Now Act to give Medicare the power to negotiate directly with the drug companies and pass on 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.

Republican Dan Matthews, a veteran and retired commercial airline pilot, is challenging incumbent Larsen in this race. Matthews lists dozens of "areas of concern" on his website with an invitation to "let the dialogue begin" but does not list any actual policy positions. However, some of the topics he lists are consistent with the MAGA Republican agenda we see across the country this year including dangerous rhetoric about voter fraud and border policies that echo Trump's 2016 talking points.

Larsen is the clear choice for Congress from Washington's 2nd Congressional District.

Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is running to represent Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. Perez is a rural, working-class Washingtonian and co-owns a family auto repair shop with her husband. She also serves as the executive director of the Stevenson Downtown Association, which is a part of the Main Street America coalition to bring economic vitality to all communities. Additionally, Perez serves as an elected member of the Underwood Soil and Water Conservation District board.

Perez is running on a platform that champions the needs of working families and will improve the quality of life for all her constituents, particularly those in rural areas. As a working mom and small business owner, she is especially passionate about making health care and child care more accessible to all Americans. If elected, she also wants to protect reproductive freedom, represent the needs of rural residents, invest in clean energy, strengthen workers’ rights, and address the rising cost of living so that we can all afford the basics like rent, gas, and groceries.

Joe Kent is Trump’s pick to represent the 3rd Congressional District and he is running one of the most extreme, MAGA-focused campaigns in the country. Kent narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who crossed the far-right by voting to impeach Trump over the January 6 insurrection.

Kent is an Army veteran and a frequent Tucker Carlson Tonight show guest who lists impeaching President Biden and Vice President Harris as one of his top priorities. He is extremely anti-abortion and has called for the repeal of Roe v. Wade for years. Now Kent wants to eliminate personal decision-making about family planning in all circumstances.

He joins some of the most far-right candidates across the country who want to steal power and undermine American voters through the lie that the 2020 election results were fraudulent. He opposes Washington's popular and secure vote-by-mail system. In response to the recent FBI search of Mar-A-Lago, Kent made the disturbing statement, “we’re at war” and called for defunding the FBI. His extremism and blind loyalty to Trump are dangerous and have no place in Congress.

Perez is the clear choice in this race. She deserves your vote to represent the 3rd Congressional District and fight for working families in Congress.

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, improving infrastructure, developing small businesses, expanding health care access, reforming campaign financing, and protecting Puget Sound.

In office this term, he voted for both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and Build Back Better, President Biden's sweeping legislation to fund clean energy, child tax credits, and other progressive priorities. He also wrote the Tiny Homes for Veterans Act of 2021, which would establish a pilot program within the Department of Veterans Affairs to build tiny home villages for veterans experiencing homelessness. Now, Kilmer is running for re-election to continue helping middle-class families, creating living-wage jobs, and supporting small businesses that were hurt in the pandemic. He supported the Women's Health Protection Act and pledges to keep fighting to codify abortion rights in federal law.

Also in this race is former education researcher Elizabeth Kreiselmaier. She is running on a MAGA Republican 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 has promoted many far-right conspiracy theories, including supporting those seeking to overturn the will of the voters in the 2020 election to install Trump back in power.

Kilmer is the clear choice in this race to continue bringing steady leadership rooted in the district during these tumultuous times.

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, and this year secured $31 million in federal funding for community projects in the Seattle area, including housing, sciences, education, and the environment.

Since her election to Congress in 2016, Jayapal has resisted the Trump administration and conservative extremists 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 also introduced legislation to expand collective bargaining and provide relief to workers and businesses during the pandemic. More recently, she has called for a national women's strike in response to the Supreme Court's ban on abortion and the curtailing of reproductive freedom across the country. Jayapal is also seeking to codify a transgender bill of rights to protect our country from the erosion of trans civil rights.

Her opponent, Republican Cliff Moon, founded Moon Construction Company and is running because he believes Congress needs more "normal" people. Unfortunately, he echoes Republican Party talking points about the 2020 election, opposes stronger gun safety laws, and he supports building a divisive border wall. Moon states that he's open to exploring a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks in a move to limit the reproductive freedom nationwide. While Jayapal is seeking to broadly improve the lives of her constituents with affordable housing, upgrades to infrastructure, and expanding childcare, Moon is focused on the conservative agenda of pouring more money into militarized policing. 

Jayapal is highly experienced and responsive to her constituents, and has held more than 100 town halls during her time in Congress. As chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, she has been one of the strongest progressive advocates in Washington for the needs of all in this country. Pramila Jayapal has earned your vote as a national leader for progressive causes.

Dr. Kim Schrier is seeking re-election to her seat in the U.S. House representing Washington’s 8th Congressional District. Prior to serving two terms in Congress, she worked as a pediatrician and ran a local pediatric practice in Issaquah caring for kids and families across the region.

Schrier has consistently brought her professional health expertise and community-driven values to Congress. Unlike her Republican opponent, Schrier would support a federal law protecting reproductive freedom for all Americans. This term, Schrier supported the bipartisan infrastructure bill that will provide essential funding to improve local roads and bridges, as well as $19 million dollars for pedestrian safety projects in the 8th District alone. She also voted for Build Back Better, which would have provided funding for early education, extended the child tax credit, reduced the cost of child care, and combated climate change. If re-elected, Schrier wants to prioritize the everyday needs of working families as well as be a compelling changemaker on public health issues like affordable prescriptions, gun violence prevention, clean air, and access to healthy food.

Schrier faces a challenge from Trump Republican Matt Larkin, one of the most far-right candidates on the ballot in Washington this year. He is also one of the state's most staunchly anti-abortion candidates, calling for federal legislation to ban abortions nationwide, and even opposing certain contraceptives and Plan B options. Larkin is running on a Trump Republican platform that scapegoats our community members struggling the most. Larkin also joins some of the most extreme right-wing candidates in his refusal to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, ignoring the will of the people. 

Schrier has been a standout member of Congress working across party lines to get things done for her district. She has earned your vote for re-election.

Democrat Adam Smith is running for a 13th term representing Washington's 9th Congressional District. Prior to running for Congress, Smith worked as a lawyer, a prosecutor in the City of Seattle, and as a state senator. He represents Washington's most diverse district, which is home to 30 percent foreign-born residents and large Asian, Latino, and Black communities.

In Congress last year, Smith supported Biden's more ambitious effort to fund clean energy, child tax credits, and other progressive priorities. Unlike some of his moderate colleagues, he also sponsored both the Green New Deal and the Medicare for All Act. He previously supported the pandemic relief package and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to dramatically increase accountability and transparency. However, some progressives have criticized Smith for his more hawkish foreign policy stances. Now, he is focused on creating living-wage jobs, fighting for Medicare for All, and both protecting and expanding Social Security.

Also in this race is Republican Doug Basler, who has tried and failed to unseat Smith in every election since 2014. Basler is a Trump Republican who opposes reproductive freedom and the public health measures taken to fight the coronavirus. He's now promoting some of the far-right conspiracy theories that seek to deny our kids a comprehensive and accurate education.

Smith's seniority and experience make him an influential voice for us in the other Washington. He is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for another term in Congress.

Rep. Marilyn Strickland is seeking re-election to Washington’s 10th District in the U.S. House. Strickland previously served as the mayor of Tacoma and on the city’s council before joining Congress in 2021, when she became the first African American and Korean American representative from Washington. She also formerly led both the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Pierce Transit.

In her years serving the public, Strickland has been a champion for working people in Washington and beyond. She has worked to lower the cost of prescription medicine, recover social security and veterans' benefits, and make corporations pay their share. Strickland also advocated for strong investments in public infrastructure like clean water, broadband, roadways, and parks. If re-elected, she will continue to fight for reproductive freedom, accessible health care, stable housing, and voting rights.

Keith Swank is a police officer and SWAT member who joined this race on a MAGA Republican platform to undo the progress Rep. Strickland has made. Swank is stoking fears by promising that our communities will be safer if we just put more people in our overcrowded prisons and send more militarized police forces into our neighborhoods. At the same time, he wants to oppose investments in affordable health care, food and gas, rent, and education that actually make our communities safer in order to favor wealthy corporations. In this campaign, he has criticized the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, parroted Trump's conspiracy theories, and defended the fossil fuel industry which continues to prioritize profits above the health of our planet and our families.

Strickland is the clear choice in this race.

John Zingale is a first-time candidate running for the 18th Legislative District, Position 1 to bring a progressive voice to the seat vacated by Rep. Brandon Vick. Zingale is a middle school social studies teacher in the public school system. He has earned state and local awards as an educator who focuses on civic engagement and he serves on educational boards.

Zingale’s campaign priorities are based on the everyday conversations he has with students and families in the district. He is running to bring municipal broadband to the region, invest in our schools to prepare all our kids to succeed, and help local businesses thrive. Zingale also believes we need to build more affordable housing options, create more living-wage jobs, and break the cycle of generational poverty by addressing the high cost of living with community services.

Stephanie McClintock, a member of the Battle Ground School Board and chair of the Clark County Republican Party, is also vying for the 18th Legislative District seat. McClintock is running on a typically conservative platform to cut public funding that helps improve schools, transit, parks, and community services while spending more further militarizing and expanding police forces. McClintock is also campaigning on divisive rhetoric about school curriculums and wants to erase some of our communities from the history books.

Zingale is the best choice in this race and deserves your vote to bring progressive leadership to House Position 1 representing the 18th Legislative District.

Duncan Camacho is an ICU nurse and a Democratic candidate for the 18th Legislative District, House Position 2. Camacho was a paramedic before earning his nursing degree and he now works in neuro and trauma intensive care units. Camacho additionally serves in a union leadership role at his hospital and is a member of the Washington State Nurses Association.

Camacho wants to bring his background in worker and patient advocacy as well as his expertise in health care to the Legislature. His top priorities include continuing to respond to the spread of COVID-19 with science-based policy, building lasting economic security for working families, bringing living-wage jobs to the area, and investing in public education so all Washington students can thrive.

Also in this race is Greg Cheney, an attorney who previously worked as a legislative advocate for corporations before attaining his law degree. Now he is running for Legislature on a vague, typical Republican platform. Cheney claims he wants to focus on public safety but, like his conservative colleagues, his solution is to send militarized police forces into our communities instead of funding the care, security, services, and infrastructure we need.

Duncan Camacho is the clear choice for Position 2 in the 18th Legislative District and he deserves your vote in this race.

Rep. Mike Chapman is a moderate Democrat running for re-election to the 24th Legislative District, House Position 1. First elected in 2016, Chapman has fought for economic policies that create jobs in rural communities and protect the environment. In previous sessions, he was a co-sponsor of a major environmental bill to reduce state greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 and focused on quality K-12 education. This year, he sponsored legislation to expand early childhood development programs and affordable child care.

Chapman's opponent, Sue Forde, has been involved in the Republican Party for years, serving as the elected chair of the Clallam County Republican Party since 2019. She is adamant about maintaining the state's upside-down tax code, which benefits the wealthiest Washingtonians at the expense of middle- and low-income families. Like many other Republicans running this year, her emphasis on law enforcement as the solution to community needs and her desire to remove medically accurate sexual health education for students reflect a regressive agenda that would bring our state backward. Her endorsement from Jesse Young, one of the state's most extreme anti-abortion Republican lawmakers, points to a candidate who would not protect constituents' freedom to choose when and if to have a family.

While we have been disappointed in some of Chapman's stances, including his previous inaction on police accountability, he far outmatches his conservative opponent with his forward-looking vision for the district. Vote Mike Chapman for the 24th District.

Rep. Steve Tharinger is running for re-election to the 24th Legislative District in House Position 2. Since 2010, Tharinger has been a progressive leader for the district, passionate about providing affordable health care options to all Washingtonians and unwavering in his advocacy for innovative policies that protect the environment.

This year, Tharinger sponsored bills to keep our communities safe by restricting ghost guns and prohibiting firearms in school board meetings. He also passed legislation to expand the paid family and medical leave program and increase youth access to behavioral health care.

Tharinger's opponent is Republican Brian Pruiett, who is making a second attempt to unseat Rep. Tharinger. Much of his platform is just rants about the governor and Democrats using an endless stream of Republican talking points. Some of his more absurd policies include producing a "polite society" by arming more people and rolling back police accountability. His plans to address homelessness and people struggling to afford rent include the helpful statement, "don't be underemployed." Notably, he also opposes increasing funding for public schools to ensure our kids have everything they need to succeed.

Like many Republicans running this year, Pruiett is trying to divide and scare on crime instead of providing our communities the care, security, and support we need. Our communities are safe when everyone, no matter what they look like or what zip code they're in, has opportunities for affordable health care, a great education, and fair wages.

Steve Tharinger's experience and ability to pass solid health and environmental protections make him the best choice in this race.

Adison Richards is a lawyer running for the 26th Legislative District, Position 1. Richards previously worked for the Northwest Justice Project, which provides free legal assistance for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, among others. Richards also volunteers extensively in the community, including the Downtown Waterfront Alliance, Harbor History Museum, Tacoma Pro-Bono, and Bremerton NAACP. He wants to bring a vision of opportunity for all to Olympia to ensure that everyone in the district, no matter what they do for work or where they live, has the tools they need to succeed.

He believes public safety should include designated first responders with mental health training as well as more robust social services to address the underlying causes of crime, including the lack of affordable housing and job opportunities. He wants to support local shellfish farming, technical schools and apprenticeships, as well as expand rural broadband and fix local transportation issues, like the Fox Island bridge.

His opponent, Spencer Hutchins, served on the Gig Harbor City Council from 2017 to 2019 and is the co-owner of a real estate company. Hutchins wants to repeal the clean fuel standard, which will improve air quality by reducing dirty transportation emissions, as well as the capital gains tax, which will make the extraordinarily wealthy in our state finally pay their share. He also wants to repeal the long-term care law, which would help the majority of residents in Washington who will eventually need caregiving for daily needs, especially seniors and vulnerable populations.

Hutchins' reactionary agenda is endorsed by a slate of conservatives and Republicans, who are pouring money into this race. Notably, the Republican is also endorsed by representatives like Reps. Jesse Young and Jan Angel, two of the state's most anti-choice legislators who have repeatedly attempted advocated for restricting Washingtonians' freedom to choose if and when to have children.

Richards is by far the best choice for Position 1 from the 26th Legislative District.

Sen. Steve Conway is running for re-election to the 29th Legislative District. He served for 18 years in the state House before moving to the Senate in 2011.

Conway is a longtime advocate for working people, including raising the minimum wage and improving access to union apprenticeships. In recent sessions, he has sponsored legislation to give first responders compensation for PTSD suffered while on the job as well as a wealth tax that would finally require Washington's extremely wealthy individuals to pay their share for the resources we all use.

His opponent is former Republican district leader Terry Harder, a perennial candidate who has run for office eight times since 2008. Harder's disjointed agenda displays some of the worst of recent conservative talking points, including MAGA rhetoric about increasing militarized police, reducing police accountability measures, and pushing fossil fuels. He also wants to repeal age-appropriate sexual health education for students, opposes changes to the tax code to make the ultrawealthy finally pay their share, and wants to reduce environmental regulations on carbon emissions. Harder's complete lack of policy details as of late October marks him as an unserious candidate for Legislature.

Sen. Steve Conway is the clear choice in this race.

Sen. Jesse Salomon is running for re-election to continue bringing progressive leadership to the 32nd Legislative District. A part-time public defender and former Shoreline City Council member, Salomon has been serving in the Legislature since 2019 where he has been a crucial voice for environmental protections, living affordability, and public education.

In Olympia, Salomon recently supported the historic Move Ahead Washington green transportation package that invests in infrastructure upgrades and expanded access to Washington’s public transit. Earlier this year, he introduced a bill to strengthen police accountability by closing a loophole that allows officers guilty of serious misconduct to return to their jobs. This came in response to the 2020 case of the Kent officer who displayed pro-Nazi insignia outside his office. Salomon is running for re-election to keep fighting climate change, addressing the housing crisis, and improving the quality of life for all local residents.

Salomon faces a Democratic challenger in this race, Patricia Weber. Weber is a retired medical doctor and former PCO for her local Democrats. She is running on a platform to get everyone the medical care they need, including mental health services. Weber also wants to make sure all Washingtonians have affordable housing, fair pay, good schools, and freedom from gun violence.

We recommend Jesse Salomon for re-election to the state Senate in the 32nd Legislative District because of his proven track record of progressive law making and community advocacy.

Incumbent Sen. Joe Nguyen is running to continue bringing strong progressive leadership to the state Senate from the 34th Legislative District, where he has served since 2018. Outside of the Legislature, he has spent almost a decade at Microsoft as a senior program manager. He is running to put people over politics and keep helping Washingtonians access the resources they need to thrive.

This year, Nguyen sponsored a bill to prohibit the sale of high-capacity firearm magazines and keep our communities safe from gun violence. He also supported Move Ahead Washington, a historic policy package that will upgrade the state’s public transportation while making it more accessible for all and reducing our environmental impact. Throughout his first term, Nguyen’s priorities have included working toward environmental justice, balancing our state’s upside-down tax code, reforming our broken criminal legal system, and making sure all Washingtonians have equitable opportunities.

Nguyen faces a challenge from Republican John Potter, a paraeducator with the Highline School District and a member of the Teamsters Local 763. Potter would bring extremely conservative views to office if elected. He has a transphobic opinion of gender-affirming health services and wants to revoke our freedom to decide whether and when to grow our families by trying to ban safe, legal abortion. Potter’s approach to the housing crisis is to vilify our neighbors struggling to secure stable housing while cutting funding for the community services so many of us rely on.

Joe Nguyen has fought to make our state a place where all families and communities can thrive. He deserves to be re-elected and is the clear choice in this race.

Chipalo Street is running for 37th Legislative District, Position 2 to improve education, expand economic opportunity, and close the digital divide. He works in Microsoft's office of the CTO as a senior leader on emerging technology. He also serves on the board of the Institute For A Democratic Future, which trains up-and-coming civic leaders, and he is the co-founder of the Teacher Scientist Partnership at Technology Access Foundation Academy, which teaches a computer science curriculum in south Seattle.

Street is running on a strong progressive platform that includes supporting reproductive rights, delivering affordable housing, strengthening tenant protections, fighting for clean energy and environmental justice, expanding early education and childcare access, and strengthening laws that reduce gun violence.

In our interview with Street, he was very passionate about education with an emphasis on technology. Street believes that Washington can lead the nation in STEM education and that the Legislature can do more for students by funding free two-year college. He also spoke extensively about his experience being a small landlord and how he believes that tenants and owners should work in partnership. Street emphasized that during the pandemic he was able to keep all his tenants housed despite a third of them losing work. He supports tenant protections, rental assistance, housing vouchers, and ending exclusionary zoning in transit areas, which would bring more housing options like triplexes and duplexes.

Street's notable individual endorsements include Port Commissioners Hamdi Mohamed and Sam Cho, King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski, and Tukwila City Councilmember Mohamed Abdi, who all emphasized Street's work with small businesses, civic leadership, and his values around housing.

If you are looking for a candidate who is pushing to bridge the digital divide through education in the 37th Legislative District, Street would be a good choice.

There are two Republicans in the race for Position 1 in the 39th Legislative District. Though both are conservative, there are significant differences between them that lead us to recommend Low. 

Snohomish County Councilmember Sam Low has served on the county council since 2016 and is a former Lake Stevens city council member. Low's views on creating family-wage jobs and preserving farmland and open space have earned him the support of several unions and some Democrats. Unfortunately, if elected, Low would also join his Republican colleagues in cutting funding for community investments that provide schools with essential resources, expand affordable housing, and upgrade public infrastructure. 

Low is challenging MAGA Republican Rep. Robert Sutherland, who worked as a biochemist for pharmaceutical companies and a distillery before joining the Legislature. Sutherland has been one of the most outspoken proponents of far-right conspiracy theories in the legislature, including seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election. In addition, he opposed bills this session to prevent homelessness for those with mental health concerns and to keep our communities safe from high-capacity firearms. Sutherland was officially reprimanded for misconduct this March when he yelled expletives at a law enforcement officer while at a far-right rally dedicated to Trump’s election conspiracy theories.

While we disagree with Low on many important issues, he is the more responsible choice in this race. Vote Low for Position 1 representing the 39th Legislative District.

Sen. Jamie Pedersen is running unopposed for re-election to the state Senate from the 43rd Legislative District.

Throughout his tenure, Pedersen has proven himself to be a champion for reproductive freedom and the LGBTQ+ community. He has worked to protect the relationships between children and their non-biological parents, which culminated in the passage of the Parentage Act of 2018. This act set a nationwide precedent for protecting the rights of same-sex couples and relatives who choose to become parents. This session, Pedersen supported community safety by sponsoring a ban on high-capacity gun magazines, as well as sponsoring expanded access to free and reduced-price health care.

Pedersen has earned your vote for another term in the Senate.

Rep. Larry Springer is seeking re-election to the 45th Legislative District, Position 2 in the state House. Before joining the Legislature in 2005, Springer served on the Kirkland City Council, including four years as mayor. Outside of elected office, he runs a local wine shop and serves in a number of volunteer capacities including on the board of Hopelink, which provides emergency services for those who need them most in Kirkland.

Springer has advocated for community investments in Olympia so that we can all access the basics like housing stability, a quality education, and health care. His priorities this past session included providing support for small businesses, protecting salmon and our ecosystems, and investing in stable housing. Springer made progress on these issues and also voted to protect our communities from high-capacity firearms and to better balance tenant rights with landlord powers.

Far-right candidate John Gibbons is challenging Springer in this race. Gibbons previously ran for House Position 1 in 2020 when he wrongfully blamed the hardships many of us have faced due to the recent economic downturn on the “poor decisions” of working Washingtonians. Now, he is running to cut funding to the community services that are helping residents put food on the table, make health care accessible, and create more housing stability. Gibbon's campaign priorities also include stripping Washingtonians of reproductive freedom, divesting from essential public transit while funneling even more money to militarize policing in our communities, and repealing our state’s comprehensive sexual health curriculum, which has been approved by the Legislature and voters.

The voters deserve a representative who will stay in touch with the most pressing issues in our communities instead of getting distracted by conspiracy theories and divisive ideologies. Rep. Larry Springer is the clear choice for House Position 2 in the 45th Legislative District.

Claudia Kauffman is a former state senator from the 47th Legislative District. She is running for the Legislature again to uplift the need for early learning, affordable housing, climate action, and more. Kauffman currently serves as the Intergovernmental Affairs Liaison for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe where she oversees the tribe's legislative agenda on a local, state, and federal level, and she is the founder of Native Action Network. A member of the Nez Perce Tribe, if elected again to the Legislature, Kauffman would be one of a very small number of Indigenous lawmakers, alongside incumbent Rep. Lekanoff and potentially candidate Chris Stearns.

In our interview with Kauffman, she pointed out how the district's history of swinging between red and blue is an open opportunity for someone with her experience to win the seat. She wants to see the Housing Trust Fund increased, and would help teachers earn higher pay alongside opening more slots for early learning. Removing salmon culverts and cleaning up superfund sites on the Duwamish River are high on her environmental agenda and Kauffman wants to see more transit-oriented housing. On public safety, she believes that there should be more communication between police and the community.

Kauffman's opponent in this race is Kent City Council member and Republican Bill Boyce. He has just a few points on his agenda available on his site, including repealing the state's long-term care program. Boyce's desire to cut back on health care is unfortunate. According to NPR, about 70 percent of those over the age of 65 will need long-term care for everyday needs like bathing and dressing, not to mention people of any age who require a caregiver.

Despite his campaign's promise that he will fight regressive taxes, Boyce makes no mention of making the wealthy finally pay their share. The Republicans in Olympia he hopes to join have voted against a capital gains tax and other measures aimed at making corporations and extraordinarily wealthy individuals pay what they owe our communities, and Boyce would likely vote similarly if elected.

As the district recovers from the pandemic, our communities need greater investments in transit, housing, and the environment. Kauffman is by far the best choice in this race.

Auburn City Council member Chris Stearns is running for Position 2 in the 47th Legislative District to lead on protecting the environment, expanding economic opportunity, and protecting the civil rights of all who live in the district. He is the first Native American elected to the Auburn City Council and has a comprehensive record of leadership, including serving as a previous chair of the Seattle Human Rights Commission, Democratic counsel for the Committee of Natural Resources in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first director of Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of Energy.

In our interview with Stearns, he spoke on issues not covered by any other candidates this year, including addressing undertreated behavioral health issues like gambling addiction and the serious environmental impacts of climate change on Indigenous nations, tribes, and reservations. He also stated that he would be in favor of legislating to help flip the state's regressive tax code, which disproportionately impacts low- and middle-income people more than the wealthiest. However, we were somewhat disappointed that he would not have supported the missing middle housing bill this year, which would reduce the cost of housing by allowing more density near transit hubs.

If elected, Stearns would be one of only two Indigenous lawmakers in Olympia, along with Rep. Debra Lekanoff. If you're looking for a candidate with experience in city government as well as environmental protection, Stearns would be a good choice.

Rep. Amy Walen is running unopposed for re-election to the 48th District, House Position 2. Walen previously served five years on the Kirkland City Council before becoming the mayor from 2014 to 2019.

In the House, Walen has promoted gun responsibility, affordable housing, and small businesses. This session, Walen sponsored bills to improve community safety by restricting ghost guns and banning carrying guns in public places like school board meetings. She was also a sponsor of the wealth tax, which if passed would have finally made the extraordinarily wealthy in our state pay for the resources that everyone needs and uses, like education, transportation, and more.

Walen is running to continue working to fix Washington's upside-down tax code to ensure that families with lower incomes don't pay more than the wealthy, as well as build communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. She has earned your vote for another term in the state House.

Democrat Rep. Sharon Wylie is running for re-election to Position 1 representing the 49th Legislative District. She has been a community advocate in the Legislature since joining in 2011. Previously, Wylie worked for Clark County as a government relations officer and ran a small business. Outside of the Legislature, she is a member of the state’s Economic Development Finance Authority and Arts Commission.

Wylie’s top legislative priorities include making our health care system more accessible and affordable for all, investing in small business support and community economic recovery, and expanding housing options. This session, as first vice chair on the House Transportation Committee, she was proud of the successful work on the Move Ahead Washington transportation package, which will make a historic investment in accessible and climate-friendly transit infrastructure. If re-elected, Wylie will continue fighting to reduce poverty, develop sustainable and healthy communities, and build a Washington where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.

Republican Park Llafet is challenging Wylie for the House seat on a conservative platform. Llafet works in sales at a piano company and says he serves in a number of leadership positions for organizations. In this race, he wants to cut funding for some of the things that make our communities more resilient, including education, health care, food security, and housing, and instead funnel more money into militarizing and expanding police forces. Llafet also joins other anti-education Republicans in favor of rewriting the history books to exclude some of Washington’s diverse communities and provide an inaccurate curriculum to our students.

Rep. Wylie is a lawmaker who prioritizes community needs. She is the clear choice in this race and deserves to be re-elected to Position 1 in the 49th Legislative District.

Leesa Manion has worked as the chief of staff of the King County prosecuting attorney’s office for the last 15 years. She is now running for King County prosecutor to provide consistent leadership to the office and support important reforms to the criminal legal system. If elected, she would be the first woman and the first person of color in this role. Outside of the prosecutor's office, Manion has served several leadership roles, including on the boards of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, and as co-founding partner of Choose 180, which offers coaching and diversion programs to keep youth out of the juvenile justice system.

Manion's top priorities include tackling the backlog of 4,500 cases filed during the pandemic's work halt, increasing funding for reforms like mental health court, and intervening in gun violence before people become victims or offenders. High on her agenda is continuing to prosecute violent crimes while addressing racial disparities and providing culturally responsive care to victims.

In our interview with Manion, she offered compelling insights about the prosecuting attorney's office and how she would manage it if elected. She spoke of her experience building a well-functioning team and solid working relationships throughout the legal system, as evidenced by the fact that she earned the endorsement of SEIU 925, the union that includes public defenders. She also spoke about the need to apply racial justice principles to better reflect the values of the community, and invite the community to public listening sessions or possibly convene community advisory boards. Finally, Manion committed to spending more time going to monthly police and sheriff meetings to build relationships throughout the county.

We recommend Manion for her impressive platform and extensive track record of results, as well as the broad support of many progressive and Democratic organizations.

Vicky Dalton is seeking re-election to remain the Spokane County auditor, a role she has served in for more than 20 years. She oversees election integrity and voter protection, recording and vehicle licensing processing, and county financial services.

Since assuming the position in 1999, Dalton has proven her commitment to transparency, integrity, accountability, and efficiency in office. She has exceptional credentials, leading the state on a number of auditing commissions and committees. She also serves the community as a member of the Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners board.

Dalton faces a challenge from MAGA Republican Bob McCaslin. He is a state representative for the 4th Legislative District and is retiring from the Legislature to run for the auditor seat. McCaslin’s campaign platform is full of conservative rhetoric and shares his intention to cut community investments if elected. In 2020, McCaslin joined Trump-aligned extremists casting doubt over the election results. He supported a petition to audit the results in Spokane County, which demonstrated a lack of understanding of the roles and responsibilities of an auditor. While in the Legislature, McCaslin frequently partnered with disgraced former Rep. Matt Shea on legislation.

In a time of rampant right-wing lies about election fraud, we need consistent, proven leaders like Vicky Dalton to protect our elections and uphold voter rights. She has earned your trust and your vote for Spokane County auditor.

Pastor and former Clallam County deputy prosecuting attorney Deb Conklin is running for Spokane County prosecutor. Conklin also formerly chaired the Spokane Office of the Police Ombudsman Commission.

If elected, one of Conklin’s priorities will be to make sure that the prosecuting attorney's office is not overcharging people in our community. She correctly points out that this leads to further crowding in jails and prisons, costs more, and makes our system less just. She wants to restore integrity and transparency to the office after some controversies in its recent history, including questions about current prosecutor Larry Haskell’s potential racial bias.

Her opponent is incumbent Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell, who is running for a third term. Haskell previously served on the Airway Heights City Council and the Cheney School Board. If re-elected, Haskell wants to continue to push his extremist ideologies and use the office to put pressure on the Legislature to increase law enforcement budgets in order to send militarized police forces into our neighborhoods. This year, Haskell’s wife was exposed as having used multiple racial slurs on social media and identified herself as a “proud white nationalist” – beliefs that Haskell minimized and have no place in our communities, especially not in our legal system. Haskell and Spokane City Councilmember Mike Fagan were also spotted at an extremist fundraiser for theocratic secessionists. To make matters worse, multiple legal experts professionals have publicly spoken out against his policies while in office, including the reduction in referrals to therapeutic courts, his lobbying for the removal of the words "racial equity" from criminal legal reform goals, and his resistance to citizen oversight of the criminal legal system. 

In this race with no progressive candidate, we recommend Deb Conklin for Spokane County prosecuting attorney because of her support from our partner organizations and her focus on preventative solutions to community safety.

Chris Jordan is a managing attorney in the Spokane division of the state attorney general’s office and is now running for Spokane County Commission in District 1. Jordan specializes in child safety cases as an attorney and worked with Columbia Legal Services to pass bipartisan legislation to support children and families experiencing housing insecurity. His other community leadership experience includes volunteering with Spokane River Cleanup and West Central Dinner Table.

Jordan is running on a platform to invest in child care, strengthen the county’s middle class, alleviate traffic congestion in the region, and take action on the climate crisis to safeguard the local environment for generations to come. By expanding access to the basics like rent, groceries, gas, and prescription medications, he will work to make the county a place where everyone can build a healthy life.

Jordan is running against Republican Kim Plese. She previously owned a small business that offered printing and marketing services. She is running for commissioner on a conservative platform that disregards much-needed community investments in health care, housing, and schools in favor of putting more funding towards larger, militarized police forces.

Chris Jordan is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for Spokane County Commissioner, District 1.

Amber Waldref is running for Spokane County commissioner in District 2 to make the county a place where everyone can thrive. She served on the Spokane City Council for two terms and founded Priority Spokane, a data-driven organization that aims to increase local high school graduation rates and decrease family homelessness. She also currently serves on the Spokane Housing Authority board and the Spokane County Human Rights Task Force.

While on the city council, Waldref was a leader on several important issues, including boosts for small businesses, working to clean up the Spokane River, and the ballot campaign to create the new all-electric rapid transit City Line. The former councilwoman now wants to bring that energy to the county level to protect the environment, empower youth, collaborate regionally on homelessness, and more.

She differs from her conservative opponent in her proactive approach to safety, stating that a new jail is both incredibly expensive to the community and doesn't necessarily reduce crime in any way. Waldref would prefer to see innovative community programming to reduce crime and invest in kids and adults. She points to programs like the Carl Maxey Center and the Spokane Regional Stabilization Center as two ways to address racial disparities in the legal system and keep our communities safe.

Waldref is running against Michael Cathcart, who has served on the Spokane City Council since 2020. Previously, he was an aide for the very conservative Republican Sen. Michael Baumgartner, who voters may remember for his anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion stances. As former executive director of the pro-business Better Spokane, Cathcart's campaign coffers and agenda are flooded with big developer money. He takes a conservative and hypocritical stance on issues like the possibility of a new jail, stating that "jail is going to make you a better criminal" but also advocating for building an expensive new one.

Waldref is experienced and ready for the challenge of bringing progressive leadership to the commission. Vote Waldref for Spokane County Commission, District 2.

Justice Mary Yu is running unopposed to continue serving on the state Supreme Court. Yu was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2014, elected by voters to the seat later that year, and re-elected in 2016. Before joining Washington’s highest court, she spent 14 years as a trial court judge in King County Superior Court and earlier as the deputy chief of staff to former King County prosecutor Norm Maleng.

Yu has an unimpeachable reputation and has been rated “exceptionally well qualified” by a number of key bar associations. On the court, she has been a voice for equal justice and upholding the rights of all. Now, she is running with endorsements from all of her fellow justices as well as a number of retired justices from the court.

Justice Yu deserves your vote to continue serving as one of Washington’s state Supreme Court justices.

Justice Barbara Madsen has served on the state Supreme Court for 30 years and is running unopposed for re-election this year. She was only the third woman to serve on the court when she was first elected in 1992. During her time on the court, her fellow justices elected her the 55th chief justice of the court – a position she held for 7 years.

Having spent her career in both prosecution and public defense, Madsen has extensive knowledge of the criminal legal system and a passion for serving her community. Her re-election has been endorsed by each of her fellow justices and a wide range of other judicial leaders and community organizations.

Justice Madsen has served the state with fair and equal justice. She deserves your vote to remain in her seat on Washington’s Supreme Court.

Justice G. Helen Whitener is running unopposed for re-election to Position 6 on Washington’s Supreme Court. Whitener became the first Black woman to serve on the state’s Supreme Court in April 2020 when she was appointed to fill a vacancy by Gov. Inslee. Later that year, she won her election to fill the remainder of the term. Prior to joining the Washington Supreme Court, Whitener served on the Pierce County Superior Court and worked as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney before becoming a judge.

Justice Whitener is both a Trinidadian immigrant and openly gay, and has worked to be a representative voice for justice for all in the state’s highest court. In this race, she has earned the endorsement of each one of her fellow justices as well as some retired justices. Whitener has been rated as "exceptionally well-qualified" by a number of bar associations and has done an exceptional job since joining the court.

Whitener is an important voice on the State Supreme Court and deserves your voice to continue serving as a justice in Position 6.