Skagit County

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.

Progressive Jason Call is challenging Larsen for Congress in Washington's 2nd District. He is a high school math teacher who serves on the board of Whole Washington, which seeks to provide universal health care to everyone in the state. Call got his start in activism by protesting the first Iraq War and worked his way up to running for Congress. In 2020, he came up just 1 percent short of qualifying for the top two general election contest with Larsen in this relatively safe Democratic district.

Call is running on a sweeping platform that includes Medicare for All, free college, ending student debt, a Green New Deal, and a housing guarantee to help end our housing insecurity crisis. When it comes to public safety, Call supports banning assault rifles and wants to end the transfer of military equipment to police forces. He was proud to be named a Green New Deal champion and refuses to take any money from corporate PACs.

Beyond Larsen's failure to sponsor key legislation, Call is quite critical of the way Larsen has led the Aviation Subcommittee of the Transportation Committee. Rather than prioritizing aviation, Call believes we need to transition rapidly to using more high-speed rail and transit to fight climate change.

During our interview, Call acknowledged that many of his policies would require substantial structural changes to become law. He told us that he wants to use his candidacy - and if elected, office - as a platform to build grassroots support for progressive policies. His long-term goal is to build support for electing enough progressive senators to eliminate the filibuster and expand the Supreme Court.

While Call faces a challenging race against a longtime incumbent, he provides an alternative for those looking for bolder progressive leadership than Larsen.

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.

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.

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.

Rep. Debra Lekanoff is running unopposed for re-election to Legislative District 40, Position 1. Lekanoff is currently the only Native American woman in the Washington Legislature. She formerly worked for the Swinomish Tribe as the governmental affairs director and now serves as vice chair of the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee.

Lekanoff is running to keep fighting to protect our ecosystems for future generations while advocating for investments in public infrastructure and economic recovery. This session, she was the prime sponsor of historic legislation that created the country’s first alert system for missing Indigenous women. Lekanoff also supported the historic Move Ahead Washington transportation bill that will make public transit in Washington more accessible and environmentally friendly.

She is a strong progressive who will prioritize the environment, tribal representation, and community economic security. Lekanoff deserves re-election so she can continue building a future where all Washingtonians can prosper.

Rep. Alex Ramel is running for re-election to Position 2 in Legislative District 40. Ramel has been a strong progressive leader in the Legislature. The incumbent and environmental organizer previously served on the board of the Whatcom chapter Washington Conservation Voters and now works as a climate policy advisor for an environmental nonprofit.

Ramel’s top legislative priorities include fighting climate change, making housing more affordable, preventing gun violence, investing in community-first economic recovery, and making sure all Washingtonians can afford the health care they need. One of his environmental accomplishments this session was helping to pass the Move Ahead Washington transportation package that will invest in accessible and climate-friendly transit infrastructure like electric vehicle charging stations and zero-emissions ferry technology.

Beyond the transportation package, Ramel prioritized keeping our communities safe by restricting ghost guns, banning carrying guns in places like school board meetings, and creating an alert system for missing Indigenous people. He also sponsored important policies that we hope will move forward in the years to come, including a wealth tax on extraordinarily high earners and expanding housing options near transit.

Ramel faces a challenge from Trevor Smith, a moderate Democratic and the political director of a labor union whose workers install and manage natural gas infrastructure. Unfortunately, Smith's challenge represents a push by conservative corporations and fossil fuel interests to stop Ramel from fighting carbon pollution by promoting alternatives to natural gas like electrification. So far, corporate and conservative PACs and people have spent $150,000 backing Smith's campaign to oust Ramel.

Ramel has been a champion for fighting climate change and protecting our clean air and water. We hope the Legislature follows his lead and continues to fund training for workers to pivot to cleaner sources of fuel. But with a conservative Supreme Court hobbling the EPA's ability to regulate pollution, this is no time to stop climate action. 

Ramel has been an outstanding advocate for progressive causes and is the clear choice to continue serving the 40th Legislative District.

Democrat Sandy Perkins is running for re-election for Skagit County auditor, a position she has held for six years. Before that, Perkins spent two decades as a certified fraud examiner. She also formerly chaired the Skagit Elder Alliance and offers community education about fraud protection.

Perkins is running to strengthen public trust in local election proceedings and to build on her successes in making the office run more efficiently. She will leverage her knowledge of the office, her 15 years of cyber security experience, and her community leadership to make our elections safer while discrediting misinformation about election fraud coming from MAGA Republicans like her opponent. She is by far the more qualified candidate in this race and her candidacy has support from local elected progressives.

Eric Hull is a former Boeing engineer and scientist for Hitachi who is running on a vague conservative platform. Hull has never held public office and says he learned about the county auditor’s responsibilities during this campaign.

Sandy Perkins has done an impressive job in the county auditor’s office and she deserves your vote for another term serving Skagit County.