Mason County

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.

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.

Progressive Julianne Y. Gale is running for the Washington state Senate in the 35th Legislative District, the seat currently occupied by the retiring Sen. Tim Sheldon. Gale currently manages the Skokomish Indian Tribe’s youth program and has previously worked as a union construction worker, teacher, and grassroots climate advocate. She identifies as a queer, American-Chinese Jew and believes both her personal and work experiences of bringing people together will allow her to represent all the residents in her district if elected.

As a co-founder of Mason County Climate Justice, one of Gale’s top political priorities is climate action. If elected, she would pursue regenerative foresting and clean water to ensure sustainable environments and jobs for generations to come. Having lost stable housing herself for a time, Gale also wants to make sure that Washington is a place where all people can access housing security and affordable health care.

Gale is running against Republican Rep. Drew MacEwen, who has represented the 35th Legislative District in the House since 2012. Now, he is running for the state Senate to prioritize the private sector while cutting funding to social services. In the last session, MacEwen voted against commonsense gun safety legislation and opposed a bill to put Washington on track with better energy code standards.

We strongly recommend Gale to represent residents of the 35th Legislative District in the state Senate with her vision for putting the community first.

James DeHart is running for Position 1 in the 35th Legislative District. DeHart has worked for a variety of state agencies in his career, including the Department of Social and Health Services and the Department of Transportation. He is also involved with community orchestras and served as the musical director for a 2019 Broadway Olympia production.

DeHart is running on a progressive platform to invest in public infrastructure including school buildings, roads and bridges, transportation, meal programs, and high-speed broadband. If elected, he will also focus on climate solutions and specifically wants to look at energy alternatives that will benefit both residents and our environment. DeHart identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and wants to make sure that people of all marginalized communities, especially Washingtonians of color, have equal access to jobs, housing, and voting.

DeHart is challenging Republican incumbent Rep. Daniel Griffey, who is running to remain in the seat he was first elected to in 2014. Outside of the Legislature, Griffey works as a lieutenant firefighter in central Mason County. Griffey voted with the majority of Republicans this year to block commonsense measures to protect our communities from gun violence and to institute environmental protections. He wants to further militarize our police, even though our communities are actually safer when we have access to good schools, jobs, and housing.

James DeHart is the clear choice for House Position 1 in the 35th Legislative District.

Former American diplomat Sandra Kaiser is running for Position 2 in the 35th Legislative District as a Democrat. Kaiser served the Department of State for almost 30 years with many presidential administrations, leading public affairs and directing U.S. embassy operations. In Washington, she has worked for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and Evergreen State College, and she currently serves as the vice president of the Capitol Land Trust board.

Kaiser is running to improve economic security for working families, invest in social services and public infrastructure, and improve our kids' classrooms. She wants to leverage her past government and communications experience with her hometown knowledge to build economic, social, and environmental sustainability in the 35th Legislative District.

Kaiser is running against Navy veteran Travis Couture. He works for a manufacturing corporation that focuses on aerospace, arms, and defense, and he previously ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Legislature. In this race, he sets himself apart with an endorsement from Rep. Jesse Young, one of the most extreme Trump Republicans in the Legislature. Though Couture claims to prioritize public safety, he opposes policies to keep our communities safe from gun violence and efforts to hold police accountable for their actions. If elected, he would cut funding for community investments that help all Washingtonians access quality schools, housing security, and affordable health care.

We recommend Sandra Kaiser for Position 2 from the 35th Legislative District. She is the clear choice to bring thoughtful leadership and progressive values to the House.

Incumbent auditor Paddy McGuire is running for re-election to continue serving Mason County in the office to which he was first elected in 2018. McGuire is a certified election administrator and has overseen many secure elections over his career. Notably, he played a leading role in the country’s first vote-by-mail presidential election when he served as Oregon’s deputy secretary of state. He also previously served as the deputy director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

McGuire saw Mason County through safe and fair elections during the pandemic and at a time of rampant right-wing conspiracy disinformation about election fraud. He also made sure that the county had its own voters’ pamphlet for the first time and he secured state funds to supplement county tax dollars to support the services of the auditor’s office. Now, McGuire wants to continue bringing integrity and consistent leadership to the office while working to keep our elections secure and accessible for all Mason County voters.

Steve Duenkel, who has worked for Boeing, is challenging McGuire this year on an “election integrity” platform to undermine democracy and deny the clear choice of the voters in 2020. Though Duenkel shared only a vague platform in his voters’ statement, he has promoted Trump’s lies about the last presidential election elsewhere and even shared a campaign goal to stop the use of machines that complete accurate, timely, and secure vote counts across the country.

Mason County voters deserve an auditor who will counter right-wing conspiracy theories of election fraud, put the truth first, and protect our democracy.

Paddy McGuire is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for re-election.

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.