45th Legislative District

John Wilson, the current King County Assessor, is running for King County Executive. During his campaign, Wilson stated that he would fight for "safe and thriving communities," citing his experience as King County Assessor.

In 2025, Wilson was accused of stalking and harassment by a former domestic partner. This was an alarming and serious allegation, which led to the current King County Council calling for Wilson's resignation. He continues to deny the allegations and remains firm in his campaign. John Wilson is not fit to be King County Executive.

Amiya Ingram is also running for King County Executive. Ingram has worn many hats professionally, from serving as a government military researcher to founding her own athleisure brand. While Ingram's campaign includes some progressive ideas, it also features other proposals that lean more moderate or conservative. She is a proponent of establishing more housing shelters that offer wrap-around services to address the housing crisis and help those struggling with addiction.

Rebecca Williamson is also running for King County Executive. Williamson's campaign website is linked to The Militant, which is a weekly socialist newsletter. As of late June, they do not have a detailed campaign website available, and their platform is unknown.

Bill Hirt is running for King County Executive. Hirt has run for various offices around Washington state, primarily to criticize light rail. Bill Hirt is not a serious candidate for King County Executive.

Don L. Rivers is the final candidate running for King County Executive. While he has a campaign website, it appears to be down as of mid-May, making his platform unknown. We will continue to monitor this race for updates.

Three other candidates are running for this open seat on the Kirkland City Council: Catie Malik, Gina Madeya, and Clayton Barnes.

Malik has a wide range of professional experiences, including working in financial and healthcare administration and management. She was also an active volunteer for the Kiran Anjali project, providing funding for educational opportunities, self-defense training, and mental health resources for at-risk girls in India.

Malik previously ran for Kirkland City Council in 2023 and received the endorsement of the King County Republican Party. At the time, our partners at The Urbanist said, "Malik’s main plank on her website is to raise fears about Permanent Supportive Housing at the former La Quinta Inn. Additionally, Malik said in 2023 that she would support ordinances to criminalize homelessness.

Malik takes a more conservative approach to solving the issues outlined in her campaign. For example, she heavily emphasizes the need to improve streets for car-dependent families and seniors, but only briefly mentions making improvements to biking and public transit. In the conversation around affordable housing, she is cautiously supportive of housing density options so long as those plans "preserve single-family neighborhoods." Malik's policy positions and public statements make it clear she is not a progressive choice for Kirkland.

Gina Madeya is also running for Kirkland City Council, Position 3. Madeya serves on the Kirkland Planning Commission and is the Federal Political Coordinator to Senator Maria Cantwell. Gina Madeya, a current real estate agent, is also a member of the LGBTQ Real Estate Alliance.

Madeya's campaign has a range of priorities, including responsible urban planning and public safety. While her platform shows support for representation and inclusivity, it lacks a detailed policy proposal, making it unclear what she would implement if elected to office.

Clayton Barnes is running for Kirkland City Council, Position 3. As of late June, Barnes does not have a detailed campaign website available and their platform is unknown. Barnes is endorsed by the 48th District GOP, which indicates a more conservative platform.

There are two other candidates running for Kirkland City Council, Position 7: Susan Kuehl Pederson and incumbent Jon Pascal. 

Pascal is a former transportation commissioner and Kirkland planning commissioner who has worked on the city's Transportation Master Plan and other infrastructure improvements. In his current campaign, Pascal said he would continue advocating for "streamlining the approval process for affordable housing projects." However, Pascal raised skepticism for and voted against the Kirkland Comprehensive Plan, which included future plans for anticipated housing development. 

Susan "Sue" Kuehl Pederson previously ran as a Republican for Commissioner of Public Lands in 2020 and 2024, losing both times. She also ran unsuccessfully in 2016 as an "Independent GOP" candidate for the state Senate in Southwest Washington. In her last campaign, she received numerous nominations from county GOP groups across the state. In a debate in 2020 against Hilary Franz, Kuehl Pederson said she's "cautious about saying climate change is human-caused." Pederson does not have a campaign published yet for this election. However, it is reasonable to assume that she would continue to champion Republican positions if elected. 

We recommend Kurt Dresner for Kirkland City Council, Position 7, because of his proven track record as a progressive leader in the local community.
 

Lea Ellis is running for Redmond City Council, Position 2. Ellis is an Air Force and National Guard veteran and a small business owner. She is running a conservative campaign and openly opposes "low-barrier housing" while neglecting to offer any specific policy proposals. She is endorsed by the 48th District Republicans and is out of step with the values of Redmond residents.

Two other candidates are running for Redmond City Council, Position 4: Elinor Krits and Kay Asai.

Krits is an immigrant and earned her degree in Computer Science in 2022. She currently works as a software engineer at Microsoft. Her campaign priorities include affordable housing, managing the cost of living, improved transportation, and community development. Krits is supportive of some progressive solutions, such as developing affordable housing units for moderate- and low-income residents. She also wants to encourage residents to shop locally at farmers' markets to support small businesses and advocate for more transit stops in Redmond. While we appreciate many of her positions, she lacks the depth of experience and endorsements of Stuart.

Asai is running a conservative campaign, as evidenced by her endorsement from the 48th District Republicans. Her campaign prioritizes parental and property rights, rejecting "nonessential projects that divert critical resources from public safety." She also shows full support for funding and empowering the police, fire, and EMS departments without offering any support for alternative policing solutions. Asai is not a progressive choice in this race.

Vijay Beniwal is also running for Redmond City Council, Position 6. Beniwal is the Chief Product Officer at CricCenter AI, a platform designed for cricket fans and players. Beniwal has been a Redmond resident for almost 25 years and started small businesses in the city. He was previously considered as a replacement for Rep. Vandana Slatter in the state House earlier this year.

Beniwal's campaign is centered around inclusive growth, supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs, affordability, public safety, and fiscal responsibility. However, his campaign website lacked detailed policies he would support or implement if elected. Some of his language also suggests that he may be more moderate-leaning than his opponents in this race.

Yang is facing two opponents in this race: Karthik Seetharaman and Michael Boyer.

Seetharaman has two degrees in engineering and currently works as a Director of Software Development at Amazon. His priorities include fiscally smart decisions, emergency preparedness, and drawing small businesses to operate in Sammamish. Some of his proposals lean conservative, like his opposition to the increased housing units in the town center. He also said he would eliminate spending that "doesn't provide value to residents," however did not expand on what these eliminations would include. Due to his more conservative stance on some issues, we cannot recommend Karthik Seetharaman.

Michael Boyer is running for Sammamish City Council, Position 5. As of late June, they do not have a detailed campaign website published. We will continue to monitor this race for updates.

Aiya Kravi is also running for Lake Washington School Board Director. She held a career in consulting and served as a PTSA Board Member, with experience in real estate investment. Her priorities include promoting healthier food options, after-school programs, and career counseling to support post-graduate success. Kravi proposes expanding access to after-school programs and removing barriers like language, gender, cost, transportation, and special needs.

The third candidate in this race is Susan Hughes. a conservative running for Lake Washington School Board Director. Her campaign website remains vague and lacks concrete policy solutions she would implement if elected. In a survey administered by the King County GOP, Hughes echoed far-right talking points about transgender youth athletic participation. She also promised to look for school programs to cut to save money in the district, which would undermine educational opportunities for local students. Susan Hughes' priorities are out of touch with the needs of families in the Lake Washington School District.

Two other candidates are running for the Lake Washington School Board representing District 4.

Incumbent director Mark Stuart is seeking another term on the Lake Washington School Board in District 4. Stuart first joined the school board in 2014 and does public relations and advertising outside of elected office.

Stuart was censured by his colleagues last year for violating Board Policy and the Code of Conduct. As a result, he is prohibited from serving as the school board’s legislative chair or on any of the school district committees. Stuart is now running on a platform that emphasizes bettering communication between district residents, school families, and board members. He also aims to enhance anti-discrimination and equity throughout the school district. Unfortunately, Stuart's conduct makes it clear he's not the right person to pursue these goals or continue representing the community in school district decision-making.

Kim Martin is a hospitality professional, small business owner, and district parent. She has volunteered for her PTSA, and has children who have been part of public, private, co-op, and homeschooled education locally. More than policy recommendations, Martin’s platform is centered on relationship-building: between parents and educators, schools and their surrounding communities, and families and the district leadership. While Martin has some laudable campaign priorities, she lacks the endorsements and community support of Richter.

Conservative candidate Brian Travis has run for this Northshore School Board, District 1 seat in both 2017 and 2021. In past campaigns, Travis has expressed strongly anti-union, homophobic, and antiquated views, including opposing support for queer and trans students. He opposes multi-cultural and inclusive programming, preferring instead a colorblind, less inclusive approach. Northshore students, parents, and staff deserve school board leaders who are in touch with the real challenges facing the school district, rather than getting caught up with MAGA distractions that seek to sow division.

Lynda Schram is running for Northshore School Board Director, District 5. Originally from New York, Schram studied physics in school and obtained a teaching certificate. She is running a conservative campaign, saying, "Our kids aren't losers - we are failing them." She consistently echoes conservative anti-trans talking points that are meant to divide us. Lynda Schram's dangerous rhetoric is not representative of the Northshore School District.