Snohomish County

Clyde Shavers is a first-time candidate running for the 10th Legislative District, Position 1. He is a U.S. Navy veteran who previously served as both a submarine officer and public affairs officer, and now works as a reserve officer.

Shavers’ top campaign issues are addressing the housing crisis and prioritizing environmental sustainability. He has been a leader in helping people in his community access stable housing options, both at law school where he founded the Yale Coalition to End Homelessness and in Mount Vernon where he volunteered with the Skagit Friendship House. Additionally, he has focused his legal advocacy on finding climate solutions so that all American communities have access to clean drinking water, healthy forests, and safe air, now and for generations to come. If elected, Shavers also wants to work towards quality education, affordable health care, reproductive freedom, and support for veterans.

Shavers is challenging Republican Rep. Greg Gilday, an attorney and realtor who has pushed a very conservative agenda since joining the Legislature in 2021. This year, Gilday voted against legislation to protect Washington’s environment for future generations and opposed a bill to keep our communities safe from gun violence. He fought against comprehensive sexual health education for students and he wants to redirect funding away from community services that help Washingtonians afford the basics in order to further militarize and expand police forces.

Clyde Shavers is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for House Position 1 in the 10th 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.

Julio Cortes is a progressive first-time candidate running to fill the open Position 1 due to Rep. Emily Wicks’ retirement. Cortes works for the City of Everett doing communications and marketing work. He is a leader in the community, serving on the board of the Everett Arena Public Facilities District and previously working with Cocoon House to support families and children experiencing housing insecurity.

Cortes has a strong community-focused platform in this race. If elected, he wants to make the district safer and more resilient so that everyone can have a roof over their head, food on the table, and the opportunity to succeed. Cortes specifically wants to invest in small businesses, create more sustainable, living-wage jobs, and ensure that corporations and the wealthy pay their share. He believes that a key to addressing the housing crisis is investing in comprehensive wrap-around services for those experiencing homelessness in our communities. Cortes’ campaign has earned the endorsements of community organizations and local progressive leaders like Rep. Wicks herself.

We recommend Julio Cortes for House Position 1 because of his widespread community support in this race and his progressive vision for the 38th Legislative District.

Everett City Councilmember Mary Fosse is running for the 38th Legislative District, Position 2 to replace Democrat Mike Sells, who is retiring. Fosse was elected to the city council in 2021 where she has continued her advocacy for Everett’s underserved Delta neighborhood. Outside of elected office, she owns a local nursery that teaches plant workshops and she previously chaired the Delta Neighborhood Association.

During her first year on the council, Fosse championed an effort to secure more than $5 million dollars for a cleanup of the Delta neighborhood to ensure that all Everett residents have access to a clean, healthy place to live, work, and care for their families. She has also been an advocate for workers’ rights and climate action in office.

Fosse's deep roots in the district give her a unique view into the needs of the people she's running to serve. If elected to the Legislature, Fosse’s top priority will be to support working families that are getting priced out because of the increasing cost of child care, housing, and health care.

Residents in the 38th Legislative District deserve a representative who will help all Washingtonians access the resources they need to live happy and healthy lives. Mary Fosse is the clear choice for Position 2.

Claus Joens is a local high school teacher who spent two decades working in the auto industry. He chairs the Skagit County Democratic Party and works on a number of local community committees.

Joens is running on a progressive platform to make sure all Washingtonians can access the basics like living-wage jobs, quality education, and affordable health care. He also wants to make sure that legislators are actively working to tackle the climate crisis so that the Washington we know can remain our home for generations to come. Joens has made reproductive freedom a pillar of his campaign following the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Though he has a disappointing stance on gun violence prevention, Joens has earned key endorsements in past elections from major progressive organizations, elected officials, and local community leaders.

Residents in the 39th Legislative District deserve a representative who will protect democracy and make decisions based on community needs. Claus Joens is the best choice in this race for House Position 1.

Jessica Wadhams is challenging Republican incumbent Caroline Eslick for the 39th Legislative District, House Position 2. Wadhams is a community leader who has worked professionally in retail management. She co-founded the Lake Stevens BIPOC & Allies group and serves on the board of the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington.

Wadhams is running on a commonsense platform to improve public infrastructure, community services, and access to essential resources so all Washingtonians can achieve economic security. One of her top priorities is ensuring that everyone in our state can afford the prescriptions and health care services they need. For Wadhams, this means guaranteeing first and foremost that community members have the freedom to choose if and when to grow their family. If elected, Wadhams also wants to focus on bringing more living-wage jobs to the district, making corporations and the wealthy pay their share, and investing in quality education.

Jessica Wadhams has proven her commitment to making the district a better place to live and work. She is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for Position 2 representing the 39th Legislative District.

Incumbent Rep. Brandy Donaghy is running to build on her strong first term and continue to serve the 44th District. She was appointed to the House by the Snohomish County Council in late 2021 when former representative John Lovick moved to the senate.

A Navy veteran and community organizer who has been involved in emergency preparedness training, Donaghy has focused her first term on expanding emergency workers' ability to protect the community. Donaghy sponsored legislation to address safe staffing levels for health care workers, which aimed to improve health and safety for both patients and practitioners. She also supported legislation to allow EMTs to provide vaccines and testing outside of an emergency in response to a public health agency's request.

Donaghy faces a challenge from former Republican Rep. Mark Harmsworth. He served two terms in the state House before losing to Democrat Jared Mead in the 2018 election. While he was a representative, Harmsworth pushed a very conservative agenda that aimed to reduce access to health care and the freedom to vote. He voted against the Reproductive Parity Act, which required that all insurance plans in Washington that cover maternity care also cover the full range of reproductive health services, and also voted against the Washington Voting Rights Act. He also wasted taxpayer money on a politically-driven investigation into Sound Transit. If elected this year, expect Harmsworth to continue fighting against public transportation and the right for everyone to for equal treatment, whether at the doctor's office or the ballot box.

Voters rejected Harmsworth's regressive agenda in 2018 and should do so again in 2022. Donaghy will fight for our shared values and has earned 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.