25th 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.

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.

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.

Jamie Smith is challenging conservative Rep. Kelly Chambers for Position 1 in the 25th Legislative District. Smith is an executive board member and former teacher’s union representative for the Puyallup Education Association and has spent almost two decades as a teacher in local high schools. She is also a running coach in the school district and a regional curriculum trainer.

Smith is running to counter conservative rhetoric that divides our district and to increase the quality of life for everyone. Her campaign priorities include tackling the housing crisis, investing in students and education, helping Washingtonians access the health care they need, upgrading transit and public infrastructure, and protecting our environment. In this race, Smith has earned the endorsements of progressive leaders, local unions, and community organizations.

Chambers was first elected to the Legislature in 2018 and owns a vineyard outside of her legislative work. She has been endorsed by far-right extremists in past races and was a staunch opponent of commonsense safety measures during the height of the pandemic. This year, she voted against legislation to protect our communities from gun violence, including opposing a bill to prohibit guns at election offices.

Residents in the 25th Legislative District deserve a representative who will invest in public needs and respect community health. We recommend Jamie Smith to represent the 25th Legislative District in Position 1.

Cameron Severns advanced from the primary election as a Democratic write-in candidate challenging Republican Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen in the 25th Legislative District. Severns works in financial advising and real estate and he serves as a board member at South Hill Church, where he also leads an addiction-recovery ministry.

Severns is running on a more moderate platform that emphasizes the values of problem solving and bringing the district together. If elected, he wants to fight for reproductive freedom, renters protections and legislation to keep people housed, and a community response to public safety. He promises to engage diverse community stakeholders and foster mutual respect in order to create a higher quality of life in the 25th Legislative District.

Rep. Jacobsen joined the Legislature in 2021 after serving on the Puyallup City Council and teaching at Pierce College Puyallup Campus. She is running on a conservative platform opposing basic freedoms such as marriage equality and access to reproductive health care. Jacobsen advocates for “biblical citizenship” based on her church’s far-right views. This session, she voted against a slate of progressive bills such as new gun safety measures and environmental protections.

Cameron Severns is the best choice in this race for 25th Legislative District, Position 2.

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. 
 

Democrat Marty Campbell is seeking re-election to continue serving District 5 on the Pierce County Council. Before joining the county council in 2019, Campbell served on the Tacoma City Council, including time as the city’s deputy mayor. He has run two small businesses and previously chaired the Crystal Judson Family Justice Center, which provides support for survivors of abuse and sexual violence.

If re-elected, Campbell wants to continue fighting for affordable housing, community safety, electric public transit, and essential services for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. He fought for federal small business support to help with the pandemic recovery and has been a strong advocate for investments in stable housing options in the county. He believes adding mental health professionals to law enforcement responses will make our communities safer. His vision is for everyone in the county to have access to stable housing, reliable public transportation, and living-wage jobs.

Republican Nancy Dailey Slotnick is challenging Campbell in this race. Slotnick is an Army veteran and owns a consulting business with her husband focused on security and risk assessment. She is running to cut the county budget, which will undermine working people’s access to prescription medications, health care services, food, and rent. However, she also lists giving more funding to law enforcement as her top priority in this race.

Marty Campbell is the best choice for District 5 on the Pierce County Council.

Gig Harbor City Council member Robyn Denson is running for Pierce County Council in District 7. She is campaigning to fill Derek Young’s seat when he leaves the council this year because of term limits. Denson has been an active and effective council member in Gig Harbor. She is also a small business owner who works in real estate, hosts a local radio show, and has served on a number of community boards focusing on schools, parks, and equity.

Denson has worked hard to build equitable economic opportunity in the county. One of her top priorities is addressing the housing crisis, where she plans to draw on her experience as a nonpartisan housing analyst in the state House to implement real solutions. Denson is also running to protect our environment, bring municipal broadband to the region, invest in public transit, and increase access to mental health resources.

Denson is running against Air Force veteran and human resources manager Paula Lonergan. Her campaign platform mirrors that of many Republicans running this year. She blames the county’s issues on our neighbors who are struggling the most and would rather cut social support services than make investments in our communities so we can all thrive.

Denson is the best choice for Pierce County Council, District 7.

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.

Dee Sonntag is running for Tacoma Municipal Court, Position 1. Sonntag currently works as a lawyer with the Pierce County Department of Assigned Counsel in the felony division. Sonntag previously worked in the Seattle City attorney’s office, and outside of official public service, she is a co-founder and co-director of Lawyers Against Systemic Racism.

If elected, Sonntag would bring progressive, compassionate leadership to the criminal legal system. She has worked to improve the Felony Drug Court Program and believes that treatment and prevention approaches make our communities safer. In this race, Sonntag is endorsed by the county Democrats, a handful of local unions, and a number of progressive leaders.

The other candidate in this race is Reed Speir, an administrative law judge for the state Office of Administrative Hearings. Speir is in favor of investing in pretrial diversion and therapeutic courts to reduce costly and unnecessary incarceration as well as working to make the court more accessible to all community members, particularly through expanded hours.

Dee Sonntag would bring progressive and just leadership to the Tacoma Municipal Court. She deserves your vote to serve as a judge in Position 1.

Auburn city prosecutor Sergio Flores is running for judge in Tacoma Municipal Court, Position 3 to bring his experience in prosecuting and his community values to the bench. Previously, Flores worked as a Tacoma City prosecutor and earlier as the King County director to Senator Patty Murray. His experience as a gay Latino immigrant has guided his belief in the importance of courts and our legal system to ensure that we all have a fair chance to thrive.

Flores is running with a judicial philosophy built on collaboration, compassion, and accountability. He was a co-founder of the Auburn Community Court and one of his top campaign priorities is to invest in diversion and therapeutic programs and preventative social services that strike at the root causes of crime in our community. In doing so, he hopes to reduce costly and ineffective incarcerations for non-violent offenders while strengthening our community and giving people a second chance. Flores is endorsed by an impressive number of progressive and judicial leaders in this race.

The other candidate in this race is Steve Krupa, a civil legal aid and veterans project attorney with Northwest Justice Project. In addition to his work as an attorney, Krupa also serves as a pro tem judge for the court. He is running to bring that experience to the bench. Though he agrees with his opponent on the importance of diversion programs and alternative courts, he has not shared as clear of a platform for the community as Flores.

We recommend Sergio Flores in this race because of his progressive vision of justice and community safety.