8th Legislative District

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 higher 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, pass abortion rights 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. Patty Murray is a national leader on many of the most important issues facing our country. She has earned your vote for re-election.

Doug White is the sole Democrat running for U.S. Representative for the 4th Congressional District. His platform is focused on protecting the local environment and expanding rural health care. He has worked for multinational businesses and comes from several generations of Central Washington farmers. 

White's focus would be a huge change from incumbent Dan Newhouse's conservative policies as well as the proposals of the MAGA Republicans in this race. He believes that climate change needs to be mitigated by local energy from solar and wind. White believes immigrants need a path forward to citizenship and that more must be done to secure affordable housing for all, provide a safety net for seniors and the vulnerable, and that infrastructure from waterways to broadband internet need to be modernized and rebuilt. Unlike most of his opponents, White also supports passing a law to protect reproductive freedom for all Americans.

White is broadly endorsed by many Democratic organizations, unions, and more. For his willingness to take on the district's and nation's biggest issues, like protecting water and building up communities more equitably, we recommend Doug White for Congress for the 4th District.

Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson is running as a nonpartisan candidate to bring an independent 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 as a nonpartisan candidate 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 nonpartisan, 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.

While Hobbs spoke more about using cybersecurity to protect our elections, Anderson leaned on her professional expertise to describe ways to expand our democracy. She believes, for example, that the state should redouble its efforts to reach voters with disabilities. By using a secure, expert-vetted electronic ballot similar to those used for overseas military voters, Anderson sees a path forward to reach those who don't always have access to vote.

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. She supports grants for local jurisdictions that are interested in trying ranked choice voting so that it's not unduly expensive for local governments, and so that auditors can learn more about how to manage and implement it.

Anderson offers voters an experienced option if they are looking for an independent to administer our state's elections.

John Christenson is running for House Position 2 in the 8th Legislative District. Christenson is a working civil engineer and veteran who has also served as an elected commissioner for Benton County Fire District 1 since 2020. He is the only Democrat in this race and has a history of working across party lines to make the district a better place for all residents to live and work.

Christenson is a health care advocate and worked to support the Affordable Care Act to bring better health care access and affordability to his neighbors. During the pandemic, he also volunteered his time to help with the regional response to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep our communities safe. In the fire district commissioner position, Christenson has worked to make upgrades to local fire safety infrastructure. Though he does not have a detailed campaign website as of mid-July, Christenson is running on the principles of community investment and public service to improve the quality of life in the 8th Legislative District.

Republican April Connors is a realtor and first-time candidate. Her goals for office include fighting the comprehensive sexual health education bill passed by lawmakers in the Legislature and supported by voters in the 2020 election. Connors also wants to divert funding from community investments in housing, health care, schools, and public infrastructure and use it to militarize and expand our police forces. Additionally, she has made clear that she will prioritize the corporate interests of the energy sector if elected.

Also in this race are Republican challengers Joe Cotta and Larry Stanley. Cotta is a Republican vineyard manager who does not have a background in community leadership and is running on a platform built on divisive, far-right rhetoric. If elected, he wants to strip Washingtonians of reproductive freedom and reinstate police use of force in cases where law enforcement lacks evidence to arrest. He believes in rights “given by God” above our country’s and state’s civil rights. Residents of the district deserve better than Cotta’s reactionary, nationalist stances.

Challenger Larry Stanley is a more moderate Republican who favors the idea of a basic income, some policy measures to keep our communities safe from gun violence, and bipartisan efficiency. He challenged conservative incumbent Matt Boehnke in 2020 when he registered as a candidate with “The Alliance” party. Stanley is the general manager of a Washington winery and has previously worked as a preacher, nonprofit leader, and teacher.

John Christenson is the best choice in this crowded race for Legislative District, Position 2.