Thurston 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.

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. 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.

Kelli Hughes-Ham is a high school teacher and Democrat challenging Republican Rep. Jim Walsh for 19th Legislative District, Position 1. Hughes-Ham serves both on the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum board of directors and as an elected Democratic precinct committee officer. She has also worked on the union bargaining committee and as a building representative for the Ocean Beach Education Association.

Hughes-Ham is running on a progressive platform focused on making the district a more sustainable place to live and work for everyone. She would prioritize climate solutions to protect our ecosystems, local industries, and communities for future generations. Hughes-Ham also wants to increase affordable housing options to make sure that everyone can access a roof over their head.

Rep. Walsh has been one of the most extreme Trump Republicans since joining the Legislature in 2017. In 2021, he generated immense criticism when he wore a Star of David to protest COVID-19 vaccine rules, likening the state’s science-backed pandemic response to the Holocaust. He thinks criminalizing drugs further, rather than investing in prevention and treatment, will directly help those struggling with addiction.

Last session, Walsh voted against a slate of progressive bills including legislation to keep our communities safe from high-capacity firearms and to reduce the state’s carbon emissions. If re-elected, he will continue opposing efforts to rebalance our upside-down tax code and make corporations and the wealthy pay their share.

Residents in the 19th Legislative District deserve a representative who will take the most pressing community issues seriously and seek solutions that benefit all of us. We recommend Kelli Hughes-Ham for House Position 1.

Cara Cusack is an IT program manager who wants to protect reproductive freedom, address safety and funding for schools, and bring down the cost of housing. She believes that accessory dwelling units, affordable rentals, and programs to help new buyers qualify for mortgages are all a part of making housing affordable. She also wants to address rural health care access, expand access to foreign markets for local farmers, and provide more behavioral health programs to residents. Cusack also believes in commonsense gun safety regulations and wants to protect abortion rights, calling herself 100% pro-choice.

Trump Republican Joel McEntire is running for a second term to represent the 19th Legislative District. McEntire is a marine reservist and program mentor for Western Governors University who has made a political platform out of divisive, far-right messaging. Confusingly, he blames the city of Seattle for decisions made by his fellow lawmakers at the state level in Olympia. This year, McEntire voted against bills to make our communities safer from gun violence and to reduce our state’s carbon emissions to create a cleaner climate for future generations. Recently, he vocally criticized a commonsense bill to prohibit the sale of high-capacity firearm magazines. If re-elected, McEntire will continue to promote a conservative agenda of slashing social services and opposing progressive legislation.

Cusack is the better choice for the 19th Legislative District.

Beth Doglio is running for Position 1 in the 22nd Legislative District to highlight the need for climate action, affordable health care, and more.

Doglio was first elected to this seat in 2016 and stepped down in 2020 to run for Congress in the 10th District. During her congressional run, she expressed her support for a Green New Deal and Medicare for All, and she earned the sole endorsement of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Prior to running for office, Doglio worked as the Climate Solutions campaign director and was the founding executive director of Washington Conservation Voters.

While in the Legislature, Doglio advocated for numerous climate and environmental bills, as well as legislation to protect sexual assault survivors and increase funding for affordable housing. If re-elected, Doglio would work to make greater investments in housing for the vulnerable, uphold the ban on assault weapons, increase wages for working people, and more.

Doglio is running against Republican Loretta Byrnes. Leading up to the primary election, her campaign policies were broadly about reducing regulations on businesses, and she attributed an entire slate of social topics - the housing crisis, mental and behavioral health, and criminal reform - to an issue of “dependency.” Much of Byrnes' campaign post-primary election is focused on education, but her positions go against research on youth wellness and education experts. She does not approve of social learning, which helps kids develop healthy friendships and interpersonal skills. Byrnes also does not want universal preschool, which is sorely needed for working parents, nor does she approve of comprehensive sexual health education, which provides age-appropriate, medically accurate education about sex and healthy relationships.

Doglio's work as a progressive leader in many areas during her previous two terms in office would be an asset to the district. Beth Doglio is the clear choice in this race.

Rep. Jessica Bateman is running for re-election to the state House after an outstanding first term of supporting housing solutions and Washington families. Before her election to the House in 2020, Bateman served on the Olympia City Council, on the city's planning commission, and as deputy mayor.

This year Bateman was the prime sponsor for the "middle housing" bill, which sought to expand housing options near transit. She was also a sponsor for accountability on ghost guns and prohibiting open carry in local government buildings where city council and school district board meetings take place.

Bateman's challenger Republican Kate Plager is running on a vague agenda, one that is both conservative and lacking any deeper knowledge of the district or policy details. She states that she will reduce "wasteful" spending and continue to provide the same level of services, without evidence of what is wasteful or would be cut. Like other Republicans this cycle, she references being a law and order candidate in a fear-driven attempt to garner votes without a foundation of what she would improve for the community.

Bateman's strong work on community safety, housing, and more has made her one of the rising stars in the Legislature. Rep. Bateman is by far the best choice in this race.

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.

Democrat Steven Drew is running for re-election for Thurston County assessor. Drew’s work in this role has been recognized by the Washington State Association of County Assessors and the International Association of Assessing Officers. Before being elected to the assessor’s office in 2011, he worked as an insurance adjuster and small business owner. In 2018, Governor Inslee appointed Drew to the South Puget Sound Community College Board of Trustees.

In the assessor’s office, Drew worked to eliminate a backlog of appeals that had been left by the predecessor and finally have the office begin meeting statutory deadlines. If re-elected, he wants to expand on equity, accessibility, and efficiency while continuing to meet the needs of the county with timely services.

Intercity Transit employee Dave Kolar is challenging Drew for the assessor position. While he's running as an independent, his plan to cut funding for the office’s services and functions makes it clear he's actually more of a Republican. Kolar has never held public office and shared little about his qualifying experience. He is supported by local conservatives in this race.

Steven Drew has delivered quality public services in his time as the county assessor, and he deserves your vote for re-election in this race.

Democrat Mary Hall is seeking re-election as Thurston County auditor, where she has served since 2013. The Office of the Secretary of the State named her the 2020 Auditor of the Year and she serves on the National Association of Election Officials board. Before joining Thurston County’s auditing office, Hall worked as an elections manager for Pierce County and as the president of an imaging and document management software company.

Hall oversaw safe and fair elections through the height of the pandemic and right-wing misinformation campaigns about election security. She is a trusted community leader who has focused on safeguarding our democracy both by ensuring election security and by expanding voting access. If re-elected, Hall also wants to continue making the auditor’s office as efficient and accessible for Thurston residents as possible. She has earned a number of progressive endorsements in this race from elected officials at the city, county, and state levels.

Hall faces a challenge from Republican precinct committee officer Sal Militello. He runs his own IT consulting firm and is campaigning on a vague conservative platform of promising undisclosed cuts to spending. Militello’s website lists no policy details as of late October.

Mary Hall is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for another term as Thurston County auditor.

Democrat Tonya Moore is challenging incumbent Democrat Linda Enlow for Thurston County Clerk. Moore works for the Thurston County Superior Court where she has been a court operations manager since 2018. If elected, Moore will become Thurston’s first Black woman elected as county clerk. She is a community leader who serves on a number of diversity, equity, and inclusion committees and also volunteers with SafePlace of Olympia, a local resource for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Moore wants to use her extensive court experience to make sure that all Thurston County residents have equal access to justice in the criminal legal system, regardless of mental or physical wellness, income, language, or any other social factor. Her progressive vision and proven track record have earned her many key endorsements in this race from community leaders, elected progressives, and local organizations.

Incumbent Linda Enlow is seeking a third term as the county’s clerk. Since assuming the role in 2015, her goal in office has been to improve efficiency and she wants to focus on modernizing the office if re-elected. Before her clerk work, she served as a business analyst for the Washington Administrative Office of the Courts.

In this close race between two Democrats, we recommend Tonya Moore because of her more progressive vision and the support she has earned from some of our partner organizations.

Jon Tunheim is running unopposed for re-election as the prosecuting attorney in Thurston County. Tunheim began serving as the county prosecutor in 2010 but he first joined the prosecutor’s office more than thirty years ago.

This past term, Tunheim focused on creating diversion programs and alternatives for low-level offenders while navigating the office through the challenges posed by the pandemic. His campaign priorities include modernizing the office, addressing systemic inequities, and ending the cycle of crime by offering greater support for people re-entering their communities after serving their time. He is dedicated to delivering compassionate and equal justice that strengthens our communities.

We recommend Jon Tunheim for another term serving Thurston County as the prosecuting attorney.

Derek Sanders is challenging incumbent John Snaza to be Thurston County sheriff. Sanders currently serves as the county’s deputy sheriff and he previously worked as a Lacey police community service officer. Outside of professional experience, Sanders believes that as a survivor of domestic violence and homelessness as well as a person of color, he has the compassion and insight to best address community needs from the sheriff’s office.

Sanders wants to build trust with the public while bringing accountability and justice to Thurston. One of his top priorities is ensuring that policing in the county is fair, and he will listen to community input and work on equity in the sheriff’s office to achieve that. Sanders is supported by progressive leaders, community organizations, and local labor unions in this race.

Navy veteran and incumbent Sheriff Snaza, who has served in the position since 2011, is running for re-election. He faced a recall effort last year after failing to enforce COVID safety protocols in the office and suffering four virus outbreaks in the county jail, endangering those behind bars and his own staff. Snaza also faced criticism for allowing officers to display the thin blue line flag on their patrol cars, which references a reactionary, conservative faction that pits itself against the racial justice movement. Finally, Snaza has failed to cooperate with some deadly use of force investigation protocols passed by voters. His leadership does not make the community safer and Thurston residents deserve more from their sheriff.

Derek Sanders is the clear choice in this race for sheriff of Thurston County.

Democrat Jeff Gadman is running for re-election as Thurston County treasurer. Gadman previously served on the Lacey City Council for six years before he was appointed as county treasurer in 2017. He is an active union member and serves on the board of directors for the Thurston County Food Bank.

As treasurer, Gadman has worked to build community trust and confidence in the office while safeguarding public revenue. He is committed to improving the quality and efficiency of services from the office if re-elected. Gadman has received endorsements from a wide swath of the community including retired public servants, elected officials, and county residents.

Also in this race is Jeff Curry, who also goes by “Cowboy.” Curry works for the Tumwater School District, runs a farm, and is an active union member. He is running without a party affiliation in this race but appears to have conservative values.

Gadman is the clear choice in this race and has earned your vote for another term as the Thurston County treasurer.

Democrat Tye Menser is running for re-election to the Thurston County Commission from District 3. Menser is an attorney, chair of the Thurston County Board of Health, and commissioner with the Thurston County Water Conservancy board. He was elected as county commissioner in 2018 and has been a champion of climate action, legal reform, and small business support since then.

As a commissioner, Menser has helped pass a Climate Mitigation Plan, invested in affordable housing, and created more criminal legal diversion programs. His re-election priorities include protecting our natural environment for generations to come, ensuring residents can access stable housing, creating solutions outside of policing and prisons to address social issues, and continuing to help small businesses rebound from the pandemic. Menser has earned impressive and widespread support in this race including endorsements from local unions, elected progressives, and community organizations.

Republican Vivian Easer is challenging Menser. Easer serves on the Washington State Emergency Management board and has worked in emergency preparedness and within the criminal legal system. She is running on a conservative platform to cut funding from essential community investments in housing, education, and health care while pouring more money into militarizing and expanding police forces in our neighborhoods.

Menser has earned your vote for Thurston County Commission in District 3 to continue bringing sustainable, community-focused leadership to the county.

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.