Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Endorsements

Rep. Bill Ramos is running for re-election in Legislative District 5, Position 1 to continue bringing people-first leadership to the district. He first joined the Legislature in 2019 after previously serving on the Issaquah City Council and working as a transportation consultant.

Ramos is running to continue working to make our communities safer by strengthening police accountability measures, investing in public infrastructure, and protecting our local ecosystems. He is also prioritizing economic security and living affordability for the district by expanding housing options and addressing our state’s upside-down tax code.

Ramos has already made progress on these issues in Olympia. He sponsored a bill to provide law enforcement compliance audits this past session. In addition, he voted for the historic Move Ahead Washington package that will invest in increased transit access alongside much-needed upgrades to our transportation infrastructure.

Ramos faces a challenge this year from Kenneth Moninski. He has spent his career in the aviation industry, running communications and media businesses. In 2020, he ran unsuccessfully for this same position on a shallow and typically conservative platform with an endorsement from the NRA. In this election, Moninski's platform focuses on opposing efforts to strengthen police accountability in our state while cutting the funding needed to deliver quality schools, affordable health care, and good-paying jobs that ensure all of our families can thrive.​

Bill Ramos is the clear choice for House Position 1 in Legislative District 5.

Democrat Lisa Callan is running for re-election to Position 2 representing Legislative District 5 where she has served for the past three years. Before that, she was an elected member of the Issaquah School Board and worked in the private sector as both an engineer and project manager.

Callan has worked hard for positive change in Washington including improving economic security for working families and investing in our youth and public education. This year, she was named an Advocate for Affordable Housing by Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County for her work to expand housing options for all. Callan introduced two bills to protect students’ mental health and legislation to promote safety from surgical smoke for both health care workers and patients. In this race, she has earned strong community endorsements due to her consistent leadership and progressive values.

Republican Chad Magendanz is running once again for the Legislature, this time challenging Callan. He is a former Microsoft program manager who previously served as the president of the Issaquah School Board and in the state House from 2013 to 2017. Magendanz stepped down to run for state Senate in 2016, losing to Sen. Mark Mullet, and then ran again for state House in 2018 and lost to Rep. Bill Ramos.

While in the Legislature, Magendanz maintained a conservative track record, including being the sole East King County legislator of either party to vote against a transportation bill that would've reduced traffic gridlock on the I-405 corridor. Magendanz is running to cut corporate oversight laws that protect workers, consumers, and the environment. Magendanz is proud of his "A" rating from the National Rifle Association during his last campaign, which raises questions about his willingness to keep our communities safe from gun violence.

Rep. Callan is the clear choice in this race and deserves to be re-elected to Position 2 in the 5th Legislative District.

Democratic Rep. Dave Paul is running for re-election to the 10th Legislative District, Position 2. The incumbent first joined the Legislature in 2019 after working for Skagit Valley College for more than a decade.

Paul has been an advocate for working families and improving our transportation system in office. He was a co-sponsor of last year’s Working Families Tax Credit that puts cash directly into the hands of working Washingtonians. This session, he supported the Move Ahead Washington package to improve public transportation infrastructure and access. Looking forward, Paul wants to invest in giving Washington’s youth the educational and mental health resources they need to succeed.

Republican Karen Lesetmoe is challenging Paul for state house. She is a real estate broker and Navy veteran. Lesetmoe does not have a detailed agenda but she pits her campaign against the state's economic recovery programs to keep working families afloat. Lesetmoe has echoed Republican talking points about crime while ignoring the investments our communities need to be safe.

Paul has been one of the most thoughtful leaders in Olympia during his first two terms, reaching across the aisle to get things done for the district. We enthusiastically recommend Paul to continue representing the 10th Legislative District with strong community-centered leadership in the House.

Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins is running for re-election to the 27th Legislative District, Position 1. She has been a passionate and effective champion for progressive values, particularly in her fight for women, equity, and closing tax loopholes. She now serves as the first woman and LBGTQ+ Speaker of the House in Washington.

Jinkins consistently advocates for the wealthy to pay their share and fund the resources that our communities need to thrive. Recently, she has pledged to protect the right to abortion in Washington state since Roe v. Wade has been overturned by the conservative Supreme Court majority. In previous sessions, Jinkins sponsored bills to improve education funding and secure resources for a new health clinic in Hilltop that serves low-income patients.

Jinkins has two challengers this year: Todd Briske and Jalonnie Givens-Jackson. Web developer and Republican Briske does not appear to have community or political leadership experience. He states that he supports the ideas of the Forward Party, including ranked-choice voting, "human-centered capitalism," and tolerance. He also states that he wants to create jobs, increase nuclear power, and institute a guaranteed basic income.

Republican Givens-Jackson describes himself as a MAGA enthusiast and liberal gang member turned conservative activist. His policy points are mostly slogans: Authorize Policing, Accountability in Government, and Family Structure is Everything.

Speaker Jinkins is an integral part of progressive advocacy in the state and has worked hard to improve life for all in the district and the state. She has earned your vote for state House once again this year.

Rep. Mari Leavitt is running for re-election for the 28th Legislative District, House Position 1. Leavitt previously worked as the deputy director of Pierce County Human Services, and has also served as a PTSA board member in University Place, chair of the Pierce County Ethics Commission, and on the Mel Korum YMCA board of directors, among other community roles.

As a legislator, Leavitt is focused on improving education and advocating for veterans and military families. During her time in Olympia, Leavitt supported legislation to combat the climate crisis and passed bipartisan legislation to support military families, helping veterans qualify for commercial drivers' licenses and guaranteeing in-state residency status for members and their families pursuing higher education. She has also sponsored legislation this year to address lead in drinking water, help juveniles contacted by law enforcement secure legal representation, and support emergency shelters. If re-elected, Leavitt wants to continue her work supporting affordable housing, education, and more.

Leavitt has two challengers from the right this year. Republican Victor Hogan is a retired Army major and a current real estate firm manager and director on the Steilacoom Historical School District Board. Hogan wants to address supply chain issues and encourage competitive marketplace capitalism, the same corporate forces that keep wages low and ship jobs overseas.

Former sheriff's deputy, Marine, and current Pierce College professor Gabe Sachwitz is also running for Position 1. As of mid-July he has few concrete details available about his platform. His official voters' guide statement says that he will address crime and the cost of living, though not how he plans to address them.

Leavitt has been a strong advocate for the district and is the best choice in this race.

Firefighter and incumbent Rep. Dan Bronoske is running for re-election in the 28th Legislative District for House Position 2. Bronoske has worked as a firefighter in Pierce County and Lakewood for almost two decades. As an active union member, he has spent his time in Olympia advocating for policies that protect all workers.

Bronoske delivered on his 2020 campaign promises to support working families, address the opioid epidemic, reduce health care costs, and improve our transportation system. This year, he was the prime sponsor of a bill to protect workers and allow the state to address work-related musculoskeletal injuries. He also sponsored bills to restrict law enforcement's use and acquisition of military equipment and enhance the unemployment system for those struggling during the pandemic.

Bronoske's commitment to increased health care access and a progressive pandemic response is informed by his career as a first responder. If re-elected, he will continue to stand for workers and working families in his district and beyond.

Bronoske faces two challengers from the right. Air Force veteran Susanna Keilman joins many Republicans this year in attempting to paint accountability measures as "anti-policing." Keilman also states that she will work on tax relief by doing a performance evaluation on and auditing every state employee - which adds up to over 65,000 everyday working people, from nurses to teachers to maintenance workers - as a means to slash the budget. A faster and more effective solution would be to balance our state's upside-down tax code and have the wealthy finally pay their share, which Republicans have so far almost unanimously refused to do in the Legislature.

Republican and former Army captain Chris Nye served on the University Place City Council between 2011 and 2019 and is the owner of a real estate marketing service. He has almost no concrete policy details on his site, instead focusing on conservative rhetoric of "law and order" to elevate him into office.

Legislators have a responsibility to build up our communities to be a safe place for all of us - that includes ensuring affordable housing, great education, and making sure that health care is available for all. Yet under the guise of "safety," many conservatives this year are running on thin agendas that don't nearly cover the many needs of communities in their district.

Rep. Bronoske has proven that he is willing to help communities better access everyday needs and keep our neighborhoods safe with proven policy solutions. Bronoske is the best choice in this race.

Rep. Melanie Morgan is running for re-election for the 29th Legislative District, House Position 1. Morgan is an Army veteran who was elected to the Franklin-Pierce School Board in 2015 and worked with Young Life to create a mentorship group for young Black men, focusing on participation in STEM fields. Since 2018, she has been an advocate for representation and equity in Olympia where she has served as the deputy majority floor leader.

In previous legislative sessions, Morgan was the lead sponsor of legislation prohibiting race-based hair discrimination, preventing gun violence, and establishing the Washington State Office of Equity. More recently, Morgan helped ensure that $200 million was invested in the community for violence prevention programs, legal aid, and reentry support, especially for communities hurt by the war on drugs. Morgan has secured funding for a new Parkland/Spanaway homeless shelter, rental assistance, and charity care for those who need medical services but are struggling to afford them. As someone who has personally experienced homelessness, she was an important sponsor of this year's middle housing bill, which would have increased housing options around transit if passed.

Morgan has worked hard to support the needs of her constituents. She has earned your vote in the 29th Legislative District.

Sharlett Mena is running for the open 29th Legislative District, House Position 2 seat. Though she lost after a formidable run in the 2020 election to the current representative, Steve Kirby, his retirement after 21 years in the Legislature brings a new opportunity for her impressive campaign.

Mena has a deep background in both public service and community organizing. She currently serves as Special Assistant to the Director of the Washington State Department of Ecology and has also worked in the governor's office. She co-created Voter Turnup in 2021, an organization led by people of color to spur voter turnout and civic engagement. Notably, she also serves on the boards of Progreso, Planned Parenthood, and Fuse Washington, which produces this guide.

Mena wants to take bold action to combat the climate crisis equitably, reduce homelessness, invest in transportation, and increase affordable housing. She sees reforming our upside-down tax code to finally make the wealthy pay their share as a key to our state's future.

Running against Mena is Democratic precinct committee officer Melissa Knott, who unfortunately does not currently have campaign details available as of mid-July. She has experience in education as a literacy specialist and states that she will fight to put community needs over big business and stand up for working people.

Also in this race is nurse practitioner David Figuracion. He does not have elected or community leadership experience and is running on a standard conservative agenda - stoking fears of lawlessness, repealing age-appropriate sexual health education, and opposing making the wealthy finally pay their share with legislation like the wealth tax. He does not appear to have earned any significant endorsements as of mid-July.

Sharlett Mena has strong progressive credentials and is ready to hit the ground running in Olympia. She is the best choice in the 29th Legislative District.

Jamila Taylor is running for re-election to the 30th Legislative District, House Position 1. Taylor is an attorney who advocates for crime victims and has an extensive record of volunteer service. She previously served as the statewide advocacy counsel for the Northwest Justice Project where she managed a network of legal aid attorneys and has worked on youth intervention programs and other violence reduction efforts. Taylor was elected chair of the state Black Members Caucus this year, where she advocates for racial equity for all Washingtonians.

In her first term, Taylor sponsored successful bills to restrict the open carry of guns in public places like school board meetings, establish the state's first statewide digital equity plan, and create a system to locate missing Indigenous people. She was the prime sponsor of legislation that will expand scholarships for community and technical college students. She also supported increasing housing options near transit to alleviate the state's housing crisis. If re-elected, Taylor wants to work on crime and violence prevention, affordable housing access, and health care.

Taylor has three Republican opponents this year. Casey Jones states that he is a Federal Way police commander with 23 years in law enforcement who, unsurprisingly, wants to increase prosecution. Unfortunately, law and order is the only campaign agenda point on his website. This doesn’t speak to an interest in the majority of work that a legislator needs to do to keep their communities healthy and whole, including protecting our water and air, supporting great education, addressing the housing crisis, and more.

Republican Janis Clark is a perennial candidate who has run for many offices over the years, including Tacoma City Council, legislative representative, and mayor of Tacoma. She was removed from the Pierce County Charter Commission in 2005 after a court record of a military court-martial conviction was discovered. Though she has a bare-bones agenda available on her site, noting that she will support military families and pour more money into policing, Clark's failed 2020 run for the 30th Legislative District showed that she would support a very conservative agenda if elected.

Finally, Iraq veteran Paul McDaniel characterizes poverty and people struggling in the community as "moral decay." He promises to combat this by pouring more community resources into law enforcement, rather than connecting people with the health, job, and housing resources they need to thrive.

The 30th District doesn't need more abrasive and divisive rhetoric. As we begin to recover from the pandemic, the district needs someone who can bring together communities and write legislation that works for everyone. Taylor has shown that she is a progressive and capable legislator, and she has earned your vote in the 30th Legislative District.

Environmental advocate Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon is running for re-election to Legislative District 34, Position 2. Fitzgibbon worked as a legislative staffer and served on the Burien Planning Commission before joining the Legislature in 2010.

Fitzgibbon’s top focus is the environment, and he is running for re-election to build on his impressive track record of success. Fitzgibbon played a leading role passing clean fuels legislation that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lead to cleaner air. In addition, he supported legislation to cut plastic bag pollution, reduce gender pay disparities, and improve gun safety laws.

This session, he also passed bills to streamline the permitting process for salmon recovery projects, increase the construction of affordable housing, and expand coverage of paid family and medical leave. His other priorities in office include addressing mass incarceration and inequities in our criminal justice system, expanding voting rights, and investing in public transportation.

Software engineer and Republican Andrew Pilloud is running to roll back progressive victories in Olympia. He does not have elected experience but volunteers with a robotics program. Pilloud's policy details are not comprehensive. He mentions mental health and addiction as the drivers of homelessness without addressing the cause that local housing experts have pointed to for years: the lack of affordable housing options. Pilloud also makes vague statements about criminals and a confusing statement about abortion that implies that he does not fully support the freedom of Washingtonians to decide for ourselves whether and when we have children.

Rep. Fitzgibbon has been one of the most effective progressive legislators in Olympia and has earned your support for another term.

Democrat Liz Berry is running unopposed for re-election to the 36th Legislative District in House Position 2. Berry is the former director of the Washington State Association of Justice, which advocates for the legal rights of patients, consumers, and injured workers. She also previously served as the president of the National Women's Political Caucus and on the board of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington.

Berry had a prolific first session as a legislator on many progressive priorities this year. She sponsored successful community safety initiatives to restrict untraceable ghost guns and to prohibit carrying guns in certain settings like school board meetings, which is especially notable for Berry as the former legislative director to Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Berry also sponsored the creation of an alert system for missing Indigenous people. If that weren't enough, she worked to flip the state's regressive tax code with a wealth tax and supported important legislation to expand housing options near transit.

Berry has had a successful first term and deserves your vote.

Rep. April Berg is running for re-election to the 44th Legislative District, House Position 2. She is a former small business owner, director at the Everett School District, and a planning commissioner for the City of Mill Creek.

Berg's progressive accomplishments in the Legislature include working to reduce the cost of living for families, providing COVID relief, and modernizing the transit systems that get us to school, work, and play. As an advocate for youth, Berg has sponsored legislation to eliminate the lunch co-pay for hungry students and make menstrual products free in public school bathrooms.

Berg prioritized community safety this year by sponsoring bills to ban ghost guns. In addition, she took action to protect residents and elected officials by restricting guns in certain locations where harassment is likely to occur, including school board meetings and near ballot drop boxes. Her impressive record of accomplishments includes needed transportation and infrastructure upgrades. She also supported the landmark transportation bill that will have a big impact on Snohomish County. The bill not only funds free rides for kids on public transit but also will fund projects like the Snohomish Teen Center and the Mill Creek Library rehabilitation.

Berg's opponent in this race is Republican Ryne Rohla, an economist in the state attorney general's office. While some of his policy positions should be commended, including offering training for workers for a green economy, his platform largely skews very conservative. Notably, he opposes balancing our upside-down tax code by making the wealthy pay their share to our communities. His proposal to arrest people for being homeless if they refuse shelter, or "go to prison until you change your mind," as he puts it, is as ineffective as it is heartless when there is nowhere near enough shelters or low-income housing available.

During these challenging times, we need leaders who offer thoughtful solutions based on evidence, not more divisive political rhetoric. Berg is the clear choice in this race for state House.

Rep. Vandana Slatter is running unopposed for re-election to the 48th Legislative District, House Position 1. Prior to running for the Legislature, Slatter was Bellevue's first Indian-American city council member.

Slatter has served on the boards of several organizations and nonprofits, including the Children's Institute for Learning Differences, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington, Global Social Business Partners, and the Cancer Center at Overlake Hospital Foundation.

In the Legislature, Slatter has focused on education and equity issues, working on legislation benefiting homeless youth, fully funding schools, and providing health care access. This year, Slatter sponsored legislation restricting ghost guns and improving public safety by banning the carrying of guns in places like school board meetings. She was also a sponsor of the missing middle housing bill, which would have expanded housing options near transit.

Rep. Slatter has earned another term in the House.

Rep. Amy Walen is running unopposed for re-election to the 48th District, House Position 2. Walen previously served five years on the Kirkland City Council before becoming the mayor from 2014 to 2019.

In the House, Walen has promoted gun responsibility, affordable housing, and small businesses. This session, Walen sponsored bills to improve community safety by restricting ghost guns and banning carrying guns in public places like school board meetings. She was also a sponsor of the wealth tax, which if passed would have finally made the extraordinarily wealthy in our state pay for the resources that everyone needs and uses, like education, transportation, and more.

Walen is running to continue working to fix Washington's upside-down tax code to ensure that families with lower incomes don't pay more than the wealthy, as well as build communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. She has earned your vote for another term in the state House.

Incumbent Rep. Monica Stonier is running for re-election to House Position 2 in the 49th Legislative District. She became the first person of color to serve the district when she assumed office in 2017 and she is now the House majority floor leader. Outside of the Legislature, Stonier works in Evergreen Public Schools as an instructional coach.

Currently chair of the Working Families Caucus, Stonier has long prioritized public education investments, workers’ rights, financial literacy education, and health care access for Washington’s children. This year, she sponsored bills to help reduce barriers for small businesses to succeed and to provide free meals to more than 92,000 Washington students. If re-elected, Stonier will continue fighting climate change and the housing crisis while working towards a future where all Washingtonians can thrive.

Marine veteran and former union member Jeremy Baker is challenging Stonier in this race. Baker is running on a divisive platform to cut community funding that helps working Washingtonians afford groceries, gas, rent, and prescription medication and instead put even more funds towards militarizing and expanding police forces. In the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned, Baker wants to follow the lead of the most conservative states and take away the right for Washingtonians to choose whether and when to grow our families.

Rep. Stonier is a true progressive and the clear choice in this race. She deserves your vote for the 49th Legislative District 49 in Position 2 in the state House.