Community leader Ronni Batchelor is the non-Republican option in this race to represent the 8th Legislative District in the state Senate. Batchelor is running without a party preference and has never held elected office. Currently, she works as a first responder for mental health crisis response and as a peer support specialist for the Lourdes Health Network.
As of late October, Batchelor has no campaign website and only a vague platform that emphasizes expanding affordable housing for all, investing in mental health resources, and generally making health care widely accessible. Her background in affordable housing advocacy, addiction and mental health services, and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community demonstrate that she is focused on making Washington less divided, with a higher quality of life for all of us.
Representative and former Kennewick City Council member Matt Boehnke is running for the state Senate this year to fill Sharon Brown’s seat. Boehnke, who joined the state House in 2019, also works as the cyber security director at Columbia Basin College. This past legislative session the Republican lawmaker voted against a slate of progressive bills, including ones to ban the sale of high-capacity firearm magazines and to set new, state net-zero carbon goals.
In a low-information race without significant endorsements from partners and other organizations, we are cautious about making a strong recommendation but believe Ronni Batchelor is the better choice for the state Senate seat in the 8th Legislative District.
Community leader Ronni Batchelor is the non-Republican option in this race to represent the 8th Legislative District in the state Senate. Batchelor is running without a party preference and has never held elected office. Currently, she works as a first responder for mental health crisis response and as a peer support specialist for the Lourdes Health Network.
As of late October, Batchelor has no campaign website and only a vague platform that emphasizes expanding affordable housing for all, investing in mental health resources, and generally making health care widely accessible. Her background in affordable housing advocacy, addiction and mental health services, and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community demonstrate that she is focused on making Washington less divided, with a higher quality of life for all of us.
Representative and former Kennewick City Council member Matt Boehnke is running for the state Senate this year to fill Sharon Brown’s seat. Boehnke, who joined the state House in 2019, also works as the cyber security director at Columbia Basin College. This past legislative session the Republican lawmaker voted against a slate of progressive bills, including ones to ban the sale of high-capacity firearm magazines and to set new, state net-zero carbon goals.
In a low-information race without significant endorsements from partners and other organizations, we are cautious about making a strong recommendation but believe Ronni Batchelor is the better choice for the state Senate seat in the 8th Legislative District.
Because of a Tim Eyman initiative, the Legislature is required to submit any bill it passes that closes tax loopholes or raises revenue to a non-binding advisory vote. The Legislature had a historically productive 2022 session, resulting in several advisory votes appearing on the ballot. We hope the Legislature will change the law to remove these meaningless measures in the future.