46th Legislative District

Melissa Taylor is running for Position 2 in the 46th Legislative District to work on affordable childcare, equitable education funding, and public safety. She is the treasurer of the King County Democrats and has worked with Persist PAC on a unique policy of contributing to candidates to offset childcare costs associated with campaigning. Taylor has also served on the board of League of Women Voters and the Olympic View and Jane Addams PTA, as well as Indivisible and several other organizations.

Taylor discussed a wide range of progressive policies during our interview. She discussed how as a victim of violent crime, she knows that the best path forward for public safety is not performative punishment but addressing the root causes of crime. Rather than see her story be co-opted as a narrative for more militarized police in our communities, she believes that community investment is the best solution. She believes universal basic income, available and affordable housing, and a public health approach to gun violence would make communities safer and more whole. Taylor also sees climate action, flipping the state's upside-down tax code, and affordable child care as big priorities if elected.

Her years of leadership in Democratic and progressive organizations have earned her many endorsements from elected officials and progressive organizations, notably in labor. Taylor is a good choice if you're looking for a candidate with institutional knowledge and a long track record of progressive activism.

Darya Farivar is running for the 46th Legislative District, Position 2 to bring a keen eye to the intersection of policy and marginalized experiences. She is the public policy director with Disability Rights Washington, an organization that provides free services to people with disabilities and protects and advances the rights of people with disabilities statewide. Farivar has also served as co-chair of the Seattle Women's Commission, policy chair of the State Special Education Advisory Council, and is currently a board member of Peyvand, which supports Iranian students at UW.

A focus on disability rights runs through Farivar's campaign, from her priorities in housing, criminal justice reform, health care, and more. In our interview, Farivar stated that she wants to build up diversion programs and ensure accessible housing units for people experiencing homelessness, noting that 40 percent of homeless people report having a disability. Farivar also makes the interesting point that disabilities cut across partisan lines and she would be willing to work across the aisle to move forward legislation that works for everyone. She wants to see investments in robust mass transit, including infrastructure to get people to the district's three light rail stops, and would be very supportive of transit-centered housing.

Farivar is also one of two candidates of color in the race, and if elected states that she would be the first Middle Eastern woman serving in Olympia. As the daughter of refugees, she wants to establish a commission for Middle Eastern affairs to help the Legislature work in unison with Middle Eastern communities.

If you're looking for a candidate whose experience would center underrepresented voices and ensure truly accessible services and housing for all, Farivar would be a good choice.

Pediatrician Dr. Lelach Rave is running for office to bring mental health, youth and family health, and education to the forefront of the Legislature's agenda. She is the legislative chair for the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and has spent years in Olympia advocating for policies like paid family leave, feeding kids through Breakfast After the Bell, and creating the Washington Vaccine Association.

Rave is one of two physicians running for Legislature this year alongside fellow 46th District candidate Nancy Connolly. Her approach to a physician joining the House is a bit different from Connolly's. Because of her pediatric focus, Rave highlighted the need to support both kids and parents in this burgeoning mental health crisis. She noted that we can accelerate hiring much-needed mental health staff statewide by lowering the administrative burden on health care workers, especially lower-paid staff. She was also the only candidate in our interviews to discuss the importance of special education, noting that the state is behind by millions of dollars in funding special education, and that special needs kids fell even further behind than neurotypical kids in the pandemic.

Outside of her health-related policies, Rave wants to see additional investments in the Housing Trust Fund, more low- and middle-income housing, reduction of fossil fuels, and more.

Rave emphasized that with the retirement of Eileen Cody, there are no physicians in the Legislature. Rave is a good choice if you are looking for a candidate with the experience and drive to advocate for community health care for children and families. 

Dr. Nancy Connolly is running to prioritize the district and state's need for better mental health care access, housing-first solutions to homelessness, and more affordable housing. Connolly has worked as a primary care physician for 20 years and has the unique experience of providing care for people experiencing homelessness in downtown Seattle, Renton, and Shoreline. She also serves on the board of Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness and on the policy committee of Healthcare is a Human Right - Washington.

Connolly notes that the retirement of Rep. Dave Frockt means the House needs more mental health advocates. Like Farivar, Connolly says that there is a great need for point-of-engagement services; providers need to meet people where they're at or offer more distributed sites rather than only centralized ones. Connolly wants to see more investment in peer navigators and care managers.

Connolly says that there should be no detention without rehabilitation services. However, we have some concerns about her emphasis on pouring more money into a law enforcement system she herself describes as "egregiously inequitable and extremely ineffective." While most of the other candidates articulated specific ways that law enforcement needs to be accountable, Connolly offered less specific paths forward on this critical issue. Connolly joined her peers in pledging to support any reasonable legislation that would finally balance our state's upside-down tax code and would support bold action to address climate change.

Connolly is a good choice if you're looking for a candidate new to politics with medical expertise and direct experience with people experiencing homelessness.

Nina Martinez is running to leverage her experience in building safe and equitable communities for the benefit of all. She is the board chair of the Latino Civic Alliance, an organization that supports equity for Latinos through opportunities in career paths, livable wages, and education. Martinez has spent over a decade working with legislators and in the community to pass legislation like I-940, which requires law enforcement to receive violence de-escalation, first aid, and mental health training. Martinez has also served on several of Gov. Inslee's task forces, including Independent Investigations of Police Use of Force, Hate Crime Advisory Working Group, and Agricultural Labor Rights.

In our interview with Martinez, she was the most outspoken about community safety from gun violence. Like fellow candidate Rave, Martinez mentioned the need to support parents and noted that when dealing with gun violence, parents need social services and programs to work effectively with their kids. She said the Legislature also needs more creative workforce programs, like apprenticeships, as well as a nuanced approach to housing that reflects the needs of everyone, whether they're evicted, not able to sustain their income, or any other situation. Martinez was surprisingly critical of some incumbent Democrats when it came to workers' rights, despite significant legislation moving forward in recent years.

As one of two women of color in the race, Martinez wants to ensure that the voices of the Latinx community, especially farmworkers, are heard in Olympia. Martinez would be a good choice if you are looking for an activist voice who has worked to support police accountability and would prioritize apprenticeships in Olympia.