31st Legislative District

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. 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.

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.

Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson is running as an independent to bring a non-partisan voice to the secretary of state's office. Anderson served on the Tacoma City Council before running for county auditor in 2009 and winning re-election three times. As Pierce County auditor, which is a nonpartisan position, she has administered dozens of elections while also overseeing licensing and public record-keeping.

Anderson is running because she believes political parties shouldn't be involved in running elections they are simultaneously trying to win. Her campaign priorities include supporting more local races becoming non-partisan, increasing access to voting and election information, and improving election security. She wants to translate the voters' pamphlet into 10 languages, going beyond what is mandated by the Voting Rights Act. She also wants to conduct risk-limiting audits in all 39 Washington counties and "pre-bunk" rumors to increase confidence in our state's election systems.

During our interview, Anderson expressed support for ranked choice voting because she believes it will allow candidates to break through our two-party political system. This is one of the biggest points of difference between Anderson and Hobbs.

Anderson offers voters an experienced option if they are looking for a nonpartisan administrator to manage our state's elections and support ranked choice voting.

Chris Vance is challenging Trump Republican Sen. Phil Fortunato as an independent. Vance has previously served in elected office both in the state Legislature and as a member of the Metropolitan King County Council. He was the former chair of the state’s Republican party and now works for King County in communications and serves as a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center, a Libertarian think tank.

Vance is an outspoken voice against the MAGA Republican trend in the local party he used to lead. His campaign priorities include making sure all public schools have the resources they need for students to thrive and improving our transit system. Unfortunately, he also wants to direct resources away from the things that make our communities safe and strong like affordable housing, accessible health care, and clean parks, and instead use those funds to expand and militarize police forces.

Fortunato typifies the extreme Republicans Vance opposes. On the first day of the legislative session this year, Fortunato was escorted off the legislative campus for refusing to follow basic COVID-19 protections. Later, he falsely told constituents that COVID safety guidelines have caused more deaths than the virus itself, which has claimed 1 million lives. Fortunato has also promoted far-right conspiracies that seek to overturn the will of the people in the 2020 election and he recently said that the state’s equity efforts were racial “segregation.”

Residents of the 31st Legislative District deserve a representative who will put community needs above extremist ideologies and conspiracy beliefs. Though he is not a progressive, Chris Vance is the best choice in this race for state senator.

Holly Stanton is an attorney and small business owner running in the 31st Legislative District for Position 1. Stanton is a moderate Democrat and a first-time candidate who wants to strengthen community services so that we can all put food on our tables and access quality health care, housing, and schools. She would also prioritize environmental protections to build a sustainable future for generations to come. Unfortunately, Stanton also supports some more conservative policies around increasing policing instead of expanding public services and infrastructure to keep our communities safe.

Stanton is challenging Republican Rep. Drew Stokesbary, a practicing attorney at his own law firm. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Stokesbary and a few of his GOP colleagues sued Gov. Inslee over the Stay-At-Home order. While many Washington families are struggling to afford the basics like health care, medicine, housing, child care, and education, Stokesbary has opposed investments in our communities in favor of tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy. Though he claims to be interested in public safety, he recently voted against a bill to keep our communities safe from high-capacity firearms and wrongly believes that sending militarized police forces into our neighborhoods will make us safer. Stokesbary has taken some good votes, however, including supporting the Working Families Tax Credit.

Though there are no progressive candidates in this race, Holly Stanton is the best candidate to advocate for community needs in Legislative District 31, Position 1.

Carrie Wilbur is a Democrat challenging Republican Rep. Eric Robertson for the 31st Legislative District, Position 2 after making it on the ballot from a successful write-in campaign in the primary. Wilbur has been self-employed and previously worked as a caregiver. She was a co-founder and now serves as a board chair for the local nonprofit Out of the Gray, Caring for Caregivers.

Wilbur is running to make her district a place where all residents can have their needs met and thrive. She wants to fight for self-determination in reproductive health care, balancing our state’s upside-down tax code, building racial equity, addressing homelessness preventatively through affordable housing solutions, and advocating for people with disabilities. Her progressive vision also includes advocating for caregivers of disabled loved ones who lack institutional support and are rarely paid for their work.

Rep. Eric Robertson first served in the Legislature from 1994 to 1998 before switching to a career in law enforcement and then rejoining the state House in his current position in 2021. He is promoting a Trump Republican agenda that includes critiquing basic COVID safety guidelines, preventing schools from teaching age-appropriate sexual health education, and relying on over-policing to address addiction issues in our community. In the last session, he voted against commonsense gun safety legislation and updates to the state’s climate goals.

Carrie Wilbur is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote to take science seriously and put the community first.

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.

Lakewood City Council member Linda Farmer is running for Pierce County auditor. Outside city council work, Farmer is the chief communications officer for the state’s Department of Enterprise Services and previously worked for the county library system. She is an active community leader serving on the South Sound Housing Affordability Partners board and Washington’s Sex Offender Policy Board.

Farmer is running to ensure the auditor’s office operates as efficiently and transparently as possible. She wants to expand voter access through increased drop box availability, multi-language services, and civic engagement education. Farmer also wants to modernize the office so that records and license services can be as quick and efficient as possible for residents.

Farmer is running against Deryl McCarty, the former deputy county auditor. He is a conservative who has the endorsement of the Pierce County Republican Party in this nonpartisan race. McCarty’s platform is based on MAGA conspiracies of election fraud and he dangerously stokes mistrust in our democratic institutions.

We recommend Linda Farmer in this race because of her experience in public service and her support from elected leaders.

Incumbent Pierce County prosecutor Mary Robnett is running unopposed for re-election. Robnett was first elected to the role in 2018 but has spent a combined total of 28 years in the county office and attorney general’s office. Before that, she worked in emergency dispatch. Now, she serves as board president of the Sexual Assault Center of Pierce County.

Robnett is running to continue putting her experience to use to make Pierce County a safer place for everyone despite the effects of the opioid epidemic and a rise in felony cases. Though she is a nonpartisan candidate with support from both sides of the aisle and a more moderate platform, she has earned endorsements from a number of local Democratic organizations in this race.

Mary Robnett is a fair and committed public servant who will bring nonpartisan leadership as the Pierce County prosecuting attorney. She deserves your vote for another term.

 There are no progressive candidates in the race for Pierce County Council in District 1.

Republican incumbent Dave Morell is running for re-election to the seat where he has served since 2019. Morell chairs the public safety committee and has also run a few local businesses. He also previously served in the Washington state House representing the 25th Legislative District. In this race, Morell’s top priority is pouring more money into law enforcement budgets to expand and militarize police forces and send them into our neighborhoods. Morell’s platform neglects policy that really keeps us safe: community investments that help us afford rent, gas, groceries, health care services, child care, and prescription medication.

Timothy Tooker is challenging Morell as an “America First (R)” Party candidate. Tooker is a military veteran, general contractor and realtor, and vice chair of the 25th Legislative District Republicans. In August 2020 at a counterprotest for a Black Lives Matter rally, Tooker threw his neighbor to the ground and injured him when the neighbor tried to de-escalate Tooker’s aggressive behavior toward Black Lives Matter activists. Now, Tooker is running for county council in order to oppose the “onslaught of socialism” and “indentured servitude,” and remind Washingtonians that “our freedoms come from God himself!” He is a far-right candidate with no specific policy proposals on his campaign website as of late October.

While he is not progressive, we recommend Morell as the less extreme of the two candidates in this race. 
 

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.