26th 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.

Rebecca Parson is a progressive activist, small business owner, and former instructor at Johns Hopkins University running for Washington's 6th Congressional District. Parson also challenged Rep. Kilmer in 2020 and came in third in the primary, earning 13.5 percent of the vote. She got her start in activism as a housing organizer and has been a leader with the Tacoma & Pierce County Democratic Socialists of America and Tacoma Indivisible.

Parson is running on an extremely progressive platform that includes a Green New Deal with 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, protecting and expanding Social Security, national rent control, and Medicare for All. Possibly the boldest part of her ambitious platform is her plan to repurpose vacant homes to house people experiencing homelessness. During our interview, she said she wants the federal government to purchase many of the 11 million vacant homes. For those who don't wish to sell, she wants to make it "financially onerous to have an empty home."

When asked about how she plans to make change in our often-gridlocked Congress, Parson pointed to Rep. Cori Bush as an example of someone who is both writing legislation and making change through direct action. If elected, she would organize more direct action and use her platform to draw attention and build support for progressive issues over time.

While we struggle to see a path forward for some of her more bold ideas, she does offer an alternative to voters who are looking for a much more progressive and outspoken alternative to Kilmer.

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.

Emily Randall is one of the Legislature's strongest advocates for expanding access to health care. Prior to running for public office in 2018, Randall worked at Planned Parenthood, where she advocated for improving health outcomes for local underserved populations.

Randall has been a productive legislator responsible for writing and passing a host of bills during her four years in office. Her accomplishments include raising the minimum wage for people with disabilities, eliminating disparities in medical training, and extending postpartum health care coverage. She also sponsored legislation that would have protected health care access for families in rural areas.

Randall is running for re-election to reduce the cost of higher education and expand job training programs for graduating high school seniors. She also wants to expand access to affordable health care for Washington families.

In stark contrast to Randall's record of building consensus to pass legislation, her opponent, Rep. Jesse Young, is one of the most extreme MAGA Republicans in Olympia. Young sponsored several bills aimed at eliminating reproductive freedom long before the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. After the 2020 election, Young traveled to Arizona to promote Trump's election conspiracy that sought to overturn the will of the people. During the height of the pandemic, he promoted dangerous, anti-science lies that put lives at risk.

Beyond his radical policy positions, Young also displayed serious lapses in judgment and character while in office. In 2017, Young was banned from managing legislative staff because of "a pattern of hostile and intimidating behavior" in his office. If elected to the Senate, Young can be expected to continue pushing a radical agenda that's far out of step with the people of the 26th Legislative District.

The other candidate, David Crissman, filed late for the position, and as of mid-July has no website or campaign priorities available. His official voter's guide statement says that he is an Army veteran with no community or political experience, but "anything's got to be better than my current job."

As abortion and health care come under attack by conservatives both federally and at the state level, it is imperative that senators continue to expand coverage and make sure that health care is accessible for all. We strongly recommend a vote for Sen. Emily Randall in the 26th Legislative District.

Adison Richards is a lawyer running for the 26th Legislative District, Position 1. Richards works for the Northwest Justice Project, which provides free legal assistance for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, among others. Richards also volunteers extensively in the community, including the Downtown Waterfront Alliance, Harbor History Museum, Tacoma Pro-Bono, and Bremerton NAACP. He wants to bring a vision of opportunity for all to Olympia to ensure that everyone in the district, no matter what they do for work or where they live, has the tools they need to succeed.

He believes public safety should include designated first responders with mental health training as well as more robust social services to address the underlying causes of crime, including the lack of affordable housing and job opportunities. He wants to support local shellfish farming, technical schools and apprenticeships, as well as expand rural broadband and fix local transportation issues, like the Fox Island bridge.

His opponent, Spencer Hutchins, served on the Gig Harbor City Council from 2017 to 2019 and is the co-owner of a real estate company. Hutchins wants to repeal both the long-term care law, which would help the majority of residents in Washington who will eventually need caregiving for daily needs, especially seniors and vulnerable populations. He also wants to repeal the low carbon fuel standard, which aims to clean up our air by reducing dirty transportation emissions, as well as the capital gains tax, which will make the extraordinarily wealthy in our state finally pay their share for the resources we all use. Hutchins also promises to strengthen transportation - specifically, mostly highways - without noting the historic investments that the Legislature just made into public transit, ferries, carbon reduction, free fares for kids, walking, biking, and more.

Hutchins' reactionary agenda is endorsed by a slate of conservatives and Republicans, who are pouring money into this race. Richards is by far the best choice for Position 1 from the 26th Legislative District.

Nursing home administrator Matt Macklin is running for representative in the 26th Legislative District to build healthier communities and advocate for workers.

He notes that the fragile and underfunded systems of health care and housing buckled under the strain of the pandemic, and believes that the Legislature can do more to retain skilled workers, including more fair reimbursement for mid-level providers. He also believes that investment in broadband internet and green energy would help grow the economy in the right direction. Macklin wants to see training centers for trade jobs, including health trades but also electricians, teachers, and more.

His opponent is Republican incumbent Michelle Caldier, who has stood in opposition to progressive policies more often in recent years. In 2022, she opposed legislation to expand access to reproductive health care and opposed commonsense gun safety legislation, including prohibiting the sale of high-capacity gun magazines. In past years, she voted against prohibiting discrimination based on immigration status or citizenship and she opposed automatic voter registration, which makes it easier for eligible citizens to vote.

Macklin is the best choice in this race.

Paul Andrews is the current Kitsap County auditor running for a second term in office. Andrews worked as a data analyst for more than two decades before joining the auditor’s office. Additionally, he has served on a number of community boards and is a current member of the Washington State Association of County Auditors board.

Andrews is running to continue bringing transparent and reliable leadership to the auditor’s office. He is proud of how the office managed elections safely through the pandemic and has since both opened a new voting center and also added a handful of secure ballot drop boxes to increase voter turnout. If re-elected, he wants to keep building accessibility, equity, and security in the auditor’s office to strengthen democratic systems in our communities and deliver high-quality financial and licensing services to the county.

Also in this race is Republican Mike Simpson, an Army veteran and former Bremerton City Council member. Simpson has stoked some conspiracy theories about a ballot error that caused a special election for his council seat last February. Now, he is running without a campaign website on a platform that is full of blame and conservative rhetoric but lacks real suggestions for how the auditor’s office can best serve the county.

Paul Andrews deserves your vote to be re-elected as Kitsap County auditor.

Lakewood City Council member Linda Farmer is running for Pierce County auditor. Outside city council work, Farmer is the chief communications officer for the state’s Department of Enterprise Services and previously worked for the county library system. She is an active community leader serving on the South Sound Housing Affordability Partners board and Washington’s Sex Offender Policy board.

Farmer is running to make sure the auditor’s office operates as efficiently and transparently as possible. She wants to expand voter access through increased drop box availability, multi-language services, and civic engagement education. Farmer also wants to modernize the office so that records and license services can be as quick and efficient as possible for residents.

Also in this race is Deryl McCarty, the former deputy county auditor. He is a conservative who the county Republican Party backs in this nonpartisan race. McCarty’s platform is influenced by MAGA conspiracies of election fraud and dangerously stokes mistrust in our democratic institutions.

The final candidate in this race is Damon Townsend. He is the president of the Rapids Park Association and has worked in elections administration in the county for the last 8 years. On July 29, the Tacoma News Tribune reported that Townsend resigned from the Pierce County auditor's office in 2019 "after being put on notice he was to be suspended for conduct unbecoming a county employee."

We recommend Linda Farmer in this race because of her experience in public service and her support from elected leaders.

Gig Harbor City Council member Robyn Denson is running for Pierce County Council in District 7. She is campaigning to fill Derek Young’s seat when he leaves the council this year because of term limits. Denson has been an active and effective council member in Gig Harbor. She is also a small business owner who works in real estate, hosts a local radio show, and has served on a number of community boards focusing on schools, parks, and equity.

Denson has worked hard to build equitable economic opportunity in the county. One of her top priorities is addressing the housing crisis, where she plans to draw on her experience as a nonpartisan housing analyst in the state House to implement real solutions. Denson is also running to protect our environment, bring municipal broadband to the region, invest in public transit, and increase access to mental health resources.

Denson is the clear choice for Pierce County Council, District 7 in this crowded race.