22nd 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.

Rep. Marilyn Strickland is seeking re-election to continue serving 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. Strickland has broad support in this race including endorsements from news publications, progressive organizations, community groups, and elected leaders across Washington and the country.

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.

Maria Siguenza is running for office to center the needs of marginalized people and communities in state decision-making. After starting in a call center for the Health Care Authority, she moved up to a position as an agency director in the governor's cabinet. Aside from directing the State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, she also serves on the Poverty Reduction Work Group and the Social-Emotional Learning Advisory Committee.

As a first-generation American from a working family led by a single mother, Siguenza wants to represent those in the district who are living paycheck-to-paycheck. When addressing the climate crisis, she wants to center low-wage workers and communities of color that stand to be the most affected. In our interview with her, she stated that her top three priorities would be helping small businesses, supporting education, and a holistic approach to homelessness. She would support her district mate Rep. Bateman's middle housing bill, which would expand housing options near transit. Siguenza would also work to expand apprenticeship and employment programs.

Rep. Jessica Bateman is running for re-election to the state House after a standout 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 of the 'middle housing' bill, which sought to improve affordability by expanding housing options near transit. She was also a sponsor for accountability on ghost guns and prohibiting open carry in government buildings where city councils and school boards meet.

Bateman has two opponents this year - one Democrat and one Republican. Democrat Kevin Young also ran for this position in 2020. He has no website and very few policy details available for this year as of mid-July, but in his previous campaign, he supported universal health care and encouraged community oversight of the police. Republican Kate Plager is running on a vaguely conservative platform that lacks detail. 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 housing affordability bill was one of the most important pieces of legislation debated during the 2022 session. While it came up a few votes short, her leadership - particularly as a new legislator - was very impressive and filled a much-needed gap on this critical issue. We're excited to see what she can accomplish in her second term in the state House. Jessica Bateman has earned your vote.

Steven Drew is the Democratic incumbent running for re-election to 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 as an Independent on a more Republican platform to cut funding to the office’s services and functions. Kolar has never held public office, lacks a campaign website, and shared little about qualifying experience in his voters’ guide statement. 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 state, county, and city levels.

Sal Militello is a Republican challenging Hall for the auditor position. He runs his own IT consulting firm and is campaigning on a vague and typical conservative platform in this race. Militello’s website is not functional as of mid-July.

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

Democrat Tye Menser is running for re-election as Thurston County commissioner for 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, criminal justice 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 justice 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 justice 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.