Planned Parenthood Advocates Of Greater Washington and North Idaho Endorsements

Attorney General Bob Ferguson is running for governor on his impressive record as an advocate for all Washingtonians. He has served as attorney general since 2012 and has won some of the biggest and most consequential legal cases in Washington's history during that time.

Ferguson has a record of success in litigating against the Trump administration and greedy corporations. When Donald Trump attacked access to contraception, Ferguson took him to court and won. Ferguson has sued the federal government to clean up the Hanford nuclear facility more quickly and has defended the Affordable Care Act from the Trump Administration, helping preserve care for 825,000 Washingtonians. Other wins include protecting statewide water quality from Trump's pro-pollution environmental policies, securing over $1 billion from opioid manufacturers to fund treatment, and fighting back against child detention laws.

All of these wins echo Ferguson's priorities in running for governor: to continue fighting to improve health care access, protect consumers, and strengthen the rights of working families in Washington. If elected, he plans to scale up behavioral health care. Recognizing that currently "our jails are collectively our largest mental health provider," he is committed to a large number of interventions in our communities including prevention, adding more health providers, and more peer service support. He's also committed to breaking up corporate monopolies and reducing the cost of living, establishing Washington as a clean energy hub, and exploring high-speed rail infrastructure.

Republican and former U.S. Representative Dave Reichert is running against Ferguson. Reichert served Washington’s 8th Congressional District in the House for 14 years. During that time, he took some bad votes against climate protections and health care affordability and voted for a national abortion ban, among other anti-abortion votes. He also previously served as the elected King County sheriff, and worked on the prominent Green River Killer case.

While Reichert is adept at sounding more moderate than some of his MAGA colleagues, his policy positions tell the truth, particularly when speaking to friendly crowds of Republicans behind closed doors. Earlier this year, Reichert said that he opposes marriage equality, which Washington voters passed in 2012 and became the law nationwide in 2015. More recently, Reichert finally admitted that he plans to vote for Trump this November and cited his signed MAGA hat as evidence of his Republican credentials. Finally, Reichert questioned humans' impact on climate change, despite the overwhelming scientific consensus. Reichert is clearly out of step with the values of most Washingtonians.

Bob Ferguson is an accomplished progressive who leads with integrity and grit. He is the best choice to be the next governor of Washington.

Democratic incumbent Mike Pellicciotti is running for re-election to Washington state treasurer. Pellicciotti was first elected to the position in 2020. Before that, Pellicciotti served as a representative for Legislative District 30 in the state House, an assistant state attorney general, and a deputy prosecuting attorney for King County.

In public office, he has advocated for transparency and public accountability. He has never accepted corporate campaign donations and previously worked to make the Legislature’s records open for public view. As a treasurer, he has prioritized economic security and prosperity for all, especially working families and retirees. In office, he has worked to strengthen budget reserves, increase pension funds, and manage debt costs.

Republican Sharon Hanek is challenging Pellicciotti in this race. Hanek is a certified public accountant and serves as the vice chair of the Pierce County Planning Commission. Hanek has run for office unsuccessfully several times before, including losing by more than 17% statewide in her 2012 run for state Treasurer. Hanek is the founder of My Family My Choice, a far-right group aligned with Moms for Liberty that wants to ban books and promotes conspiracy theories about public schools. We can't afford to give Hanek a statewide platform for her dangerous, far-right agenda.

Pellicciotti has been a reliable Democratic leader in the Washington state treasurer’s office and he has earned your vote for another term.

Nick Brown is a former U.S. attorney for Western Washington running to protect the climate, our democracy, and Washingtonians' civil rights. Before his appointment by the Biden Administration in 2021, Brown worked as the general counsel for Gov. Jay Inslee. He also served in the US Army as a judge advocate general (JAG) officer, where he represented soldiers and the Army in legal matters, followed by working as a prosecutor. Brown has also served as chair of the attorney general’s Advisory Subcommittee on Civil Rights.

As the first Black U.S. attorney in the state's history, Brown notes that Washington is experiencing the highest number of hate crimes in 20 years. He wants to use the attorney general's office to implement laws that prosecute domestic terrorists, especially the burgeoning white supremacist movements that have threatened local leaders and committed violent hate crimes.

In our interview with Brown, he identified his top three priorities as strengthening the operations of the office, holding local jurisdictions accountable for upholding the law, and enforcing environmental protections. He emphasized his work with the attorney general's office as a special assistant attorney general and said that he would strive to build a more representative office and ensure they resolve problems with legal standards that led to the office receiving a fine last year. One of Brown's biggest accomplishments as an attorney was helping write Initiative 1639, Safe Schools and Safe Communities, which makes it illegal for anyone under 21 to own a semi-automatic rifle. He later defended the law against the NRA. Building on that success, Brown wants to continue to enforce laws against deadly weapons and defend the state against voter suppression, wage theft, and more. Brown also wants to enforce environmental laws strictly and uphold strong consumer protections by, for example, pursuing the ongoing investigation on monopolistic practices by landlords and rental companies to keep prices inflated.

Republican and Pasco attorney Pete Serrano is running to bring a conservative agenda to the attorney general's office. Serrano is the board president and general counsel of an organization that fights commonsense gun laws and public health mandates, and he was recently elected mayor of Pasco. He states that while he disagrees with these laws he will follow the state Constitution, but the Seattle Times also reported that he intended to remain "actively engaged" with the organization in a Facebook video on the organization's page. If elected he promises to "Make Washington Safe Again" and make the office more transparent. Serrano is not a progressive choice in this race.

Brown is the clear choice in the race to be Washington's next attorney general.

Incumbent Chris Reykdal is running for a third term in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Reykdal has been a strong champion for public education as superintendent, during his six years in the Legislature, and in 14 years on local school boards and leadership positions at educational institutions.

The superintendent's office provides resources and guidance on language access, student safety, school district budgeting, and student needs to Washington's 295 public school districts and six state-tribal education compact schools. In office, Reykdal has worked to reduce learning gaps, raise educator salaries, increase free meal access, and expand dual and tribal language learning programs.

In our interview, Reykdal acknowledged that the pandemic and declining birth rates have affected enrollment rates in public schools. Despite this challenge, he was proud that districts have made gains in other areas like retaining teachers of color. He identified the decrease in state funding, relative to inflation, as a fundamental challenge facing public schools. He reiterated his commitment to advocating for the Legislature to increase funding per student and allow districts to fund special education. He also expressed his commitment to keeping schools public, rejecting vouchers, and improving mental health support for students. This year, OSPI offered legislation to increase paraeducator pay to attract and retain these critical classroom supports. Finally, he cited his experience running a large state agency for the last eight years as a key strength compared to his less experienced opponent.

Gig Harbor School Board member David Olson is challenging Reykdal on a reactionary right-wing platform. Like many conservative school board directors, he welcomes conservative, politically motivated censorship that would block access to books and multicultural programming. Olson also wants to employ strict guidelines in our schools that penalize students who are struggling the most. According to The Seattle Times, he told the Washington Republican Party convention "that if every high school graduate opted for the skilled trades instead of pursuing a four-year degree, universities 'could all go bankrupt and that would save America.'" Olson's extremism and conspiracy theories are completely disqualifying for someone looking to lead our state's public education system.

Reykdal has strong support from educators across the state and has earned your vote for re-election.

State senator and attorney Patty Kuderer is running for Washington insurance commissioner. She has served the 48th Legislative District since 2015 when she was appointed to the state House before being appointed to fill the Senate seat vacancy in 2017.

Kuderer has been one of the most active sponsors of progressive bills in the Legislature. This year, she was the primary sponsor of a successful bill to ensure Narcan is available in Washington schools. As a secondary sponsor, she helped to pass a slate of progressive bills, including ensuring that valid ballots are not unduly rejected, limiting the ability to bring firearms to public places like zoos, transit stations, and libraries, and aligning state and federal financial aid programs. Kuderer is now campaigning for insurance commissioner on a progressive platform that includes exploring universal health care, reducing auto insurance costs, expanding cancer screening for firefighters, and improving access to climate change insurance for homeowners and businesses.

Republican state Senator Phil Fortunato is also running for the commissioner position. Fortunato was first elected to serve the 31st Legislative District in Olympia in 2016 as a representative before being immediately appointed to an open Senate seat. Outside public service, his professional background is in erosion control and stormwater management. In the Legislature, Fortunato was the primary sponsor of many far-right bills, including legislation to strip abortion rights for some Washingtonians and to oppose commonsense gun safety policy. If he's elected insurance commissioner, Fortunato wants to remove regulations that keep health care costs lower. He is vehemently opposed to universal health care policies that would allow all Washingtonians, regardless of income status, to access the care and medicine they need.

We recommend Patty Kuderer for Washington insurance commissioner because of her strong background in public service and clear vision for the office.

Rep. Marcus Riccelli is running unopposed to replace retiring Sen. Andy Billig in the 3rd Legislative District, state Senate seat. Riccelli has served this district in the state House since 2013, where he has distinguished himself as a progressive advocate for helping meet residents' basic needs, rebalancing our tax code, and finding creative policy solutions that benefit all Washingtonians. Outside of the Legislature, he works as a community relations manager for the Community Health Association of Spokane.

Riccelli has consistently sponsored progressive legislation to fight for a better Washington for all. This past session, he helped to pass bills to streamline voter address changes, protect abortion and reproductive health care providers from harassment, and make it easier for working families who are eligible for food assistance to access early learning and childcare programs. He was also the primary sponsor of legislation to reduce the costs of health care and prescription medicine so that all residents can access the care they need, not simply the care they can afford. In this race, he is campaigning on a progressive platform emphasizing housing solutions, workforce development, reproductive freedom, affordable health care, and public education investments.

Riccelli has earned your vote to represent the 3rd Legislative District in the state Senate.

Natasha Hill is running for Legislative District 3, Position 1 to fill Rep. Marcus Riccelli's seat. Hill is a civil rights advocate who has worked with Spokane Community Against Racism (SCAR) and serves as the editor of Black Lens, a relaunched monthly newspaper focused on Spokane’s Black community and local justice issues. Much of her advocacy work is based on her experience growing up low-income on Spokane’s North Side area, where she witnessed the need for all communities to access the basics like affordable health care, good wages, stable housing, and high-quality educational opportunities. Recently, Hill was involved in a potential case against the city of Spokane on behalf of SCAR to protect free speech and the right to peaceful protest. 

In this race, Hill wants to bring grassroots, personal, and legal advocacy to the state House to represent and uplift all Spokane residents. If elected, she would prioritize fighting the fentanyl crisis, creating well-paying jobs, and protecting public schools. 

Hill's opponent is Republican Tony Kiepe, an insurance sales agent. Kiepe has unsuccessfully run for Spokane City Council three times, and in his 2019 campaign, he explicitly ran as a non-progressive option. In this race, he is running with typical conservative priorities including promoting book bans and censoring multicultural curriculums in our schools, opposing the widespread community call for police accountability, and criticizing affordable health care policy.

Natasha Hill is the best choice for House Position 1 representing the 3rd Legislative District.

Rep. Timm Ormsby is running unopposed for re-election to Legislative District 3, Position 2. Ormsby was first elected to the state House in 2003 and also serves as the president of the Spokane Regional Labor Council. He is a strong labor advocate with an impressive track record on community issues during his tenure in office.

This past session, Rep. Ormsby was the primary sponsor of bills aimed at fortifying workers’ rights and economic security across income levels. He helped pass several progressive bills as a secondary sponsor, including legislation to strengthen commonsense regulations on firearm dealers, to enable professional licensing regardless of immigration status, and to expand wage discrimination protections in the Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act. Despite lacking a detailed campaign platform as of mid-October, Ormsby is a reliable Democratic vote.

Vote Ormsby for House Position 2 representing the 3rd Legislative District.

Democrat Miguel Valencia is running for retiring Republican Sen. Mike Padden’s seat. Valencia is a current law student at the Seattle University School of Law. He also works as a paralegal for both a Spokane law firm and the Washington Army National Guard. Previously, he worked for Spokane County as a judicial assistant.

Valencia’s platform centers on strengthening electoral democracy while securing the basics – including good wages, housing, health care, and education – for all Washingtonians. If elected, he wants to fund universal daycare and pre-K, support unions, and eliminate special interests from politics so that only community needs are at the forefront of decision-making. The rest of Valencia’s detailed and thoughtful campaign priorities range from eliminating the “Pink Tax” (where basic necessities marketed to women cost more than counterparts), protecting the wages and workers’ rights of truckers, investing in free and affordable higher education, and supporting our unions.

Valencia is challenging real estate professional and Republican Rep. Leonard Christian. He first joined the Legislature in 2022 after defeating fellow Republican and incumbent Rob Chase, who is now running for the other seat in this district. Christian also served in the state House in 2014 when he was appointed to fill the remainder of Larry Crouse’s term. In the past year, Christian has voted along party lines to the detriment of community needs. He recently took bad votes to oppose greater access to reproductive health care, human rights and dignity in our state’s private prisons, and funds to cover basic needs for Washington students. In this race, Christian is casting blame on Seattle progressivism and the Democratic party for all issues facing the district while providing no solutions of his own. Residents deserve a leader who will dig into the real issues we face like affording the basics of rent, groceries, medicine, and childcare, rather than descending to empty partisan scapegoating.

Valencia is the progressive choice for state Senate from the 4th Legislative District.

Democrat Ted Cummings is running for Legislative District 4, House Position 2 to protect democracy and the constitutional rights of those who live in the district. He has served as a union leader, financial secretary for the Union Steel Workers Local 338, and as the vice president of the Washington State Labor Council as well as a board member for his regional labor council. Cummings challenged far-right Rep. Matt Shea for a seat in the state House in 2018, and though he lost that race, he is in the running again this year to prevent a backslide into regressive politics.

If elected, Cummings wants to ensure that elections remain fair and secure, oppose book bans and other hate-based movements, and promote affordable housing. He also wants to improve health care and abortion at the state level so that all Washingtonians can access the care they need. He takes inspiration in his campaign from those who have stood up against fascism, even when standing alone.

Cummings is running against Republican Rob Chase, who served one term in the state House from 2020 until 2022 before losing his re-election bid to Leonard Christian. Chase has also recently worked with the U.S. Census Bureau as well as Phoenix Protective Corps in security. In this race, he's running a far-right campaign that does not reflect the needs of the entire 4th Legislative District. Chase has promoted a number of conspiracies ranging from QAnon to COVID-19 falsehoods to the lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Re-electing him would be a dangerous setback for all of Washington.

We recommend Ted Cummings for House Position 2 in the 4th Legislative District because of his commitment to providing all Washingtonians with the opportunity to thrive.

Democrat Steven McCray is challenging conservative incumbent Mike Volz in this race for Legislative District 6, Position 1. McCray serves as an elected Spokane County water commissioner. He lives with a disability and has been appointed to Gov. Inslee’s Committee for Disability Issues & Employment. McCray has stood in solidarity with striking union workers, campaigned for Democratic issues as a student, and supported diversity, equity, and inclusion in his community.

McCray is running for state House on a community-forward platform to improve the quality of life for residents of the 6th LD. He specifically wants to invest in our public schools, ensure that health care services and prescriptions are affordable for all, and create good-wage job opportunities.

Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Volz is running for his fourth term in Legislative District 6, Position 1. Volz is an Army veteran with a professional background in business consulting. Outside of elected office, he currently serves as Spokane County’s deputy treasurer. In Olympia, Rep. Volz voted against bills to protect human rights and dignity in Washington’s private prisons, funds to cover basic student needs in our local schools, and assistance programs to help families stay on their feet. Volz has previously had a contradictory stance on gun violence prevention by avowing support for reform but opposing gun safety legislation when given the chance.

McCray is the best choice to represent community needs in this race for House Position 1 in the 6th Legislative District.

Democrat and Army veteran Michaela Kelso is challenging Republican Jenny Graham for Position 2 representing the 6th Legislative District. Kelso has served as the state committee chair for the local Democrats and previously ran for the Legislature in 2022 on a community-centric platform. She spent more than a decade as a linguist and interrogator for the Military Intelligence Corps.

Kelso has long been a staunch advocate for progressive reforms to raise the quality of life for all Washingtonians. Her priorities include making medicine and health care affordable for all, balancing our tax code to ensure everyone pays their share, and creating public education opportunities. Kelso also supports affordable housing and services to support our neighbors dealing with substance abuse and addiction.

Kelso is challenging far-right Republican and incumbent Rep. Jenny Graham, who is running for her fourth term. Outside of public office, Graham is a professional cosmetologist and esthetician. Graham is an extremist who has spread QAnon-related conspiracies, including claiming that Democrats are “possessed by demons” and promoting dangerous lies about vaccines. In office, Graham voted against an abortion shield law that protects Washington state health care workers when they provide abortion care to patients from Washington and from out of state. She also opposed bills to maintain assistance programs for working families and to fund basic student needs across the state.

Michaela Kelso is the best choice for Legislative District 6, Position 2.

Dr. Pam Kohlmeier is challenging Joe Schmick in this race. Kohlmeier has earned degrees from both medical school and law school. She has worked in emergency medical care and also taught in Eastern Washington’s Masters in Public Health program. Additionally, Kohlmeier has held numerous community leadership positions including on the board of both Spokane’s National Alliance on Mental Illness chapter and a nonprofit that focuses on interrupting the cycle of abuse in families.

In this race, Dr. Kohlmeier’s top priority is to improve our health care system. Specifically, she wants to ensure that Washington’s rural communities can access the care they need. She recently lost a child to suicide and feels strongly that our mental health services and care must be widespread and accessible to all.

Rep. Joe Schmick, a staunch conservative voice in the Legislature since 2007, is running for another term in the 9th Legislative District, Position 2. Schmick has worked in farming and for Farm Bureau organizations at local, state, and national levels. In office, Schmick has shown a strong bias towards agricultural business interests and has taken votes that don’t support the needs of the Legislative District 9 community. Last year, he opposed bills to establish a free lunch program for Washington students, to require the state’s private prisons to respect human rights and dignity, and to protect consumer data privacy.

Dr. Pam Kohlmeier is the best choice in this race.

Former Snoqualmie City Council member and Democrat Jim Mayhew is running for departing Republican Brad Hawkins’ 12th Legislative District Senate seat. Republicans have held the seat Hawkins is vacating for more than half of a century. Mayhew’s professional background is in the corporate world, where he spent most of his career as an accountant at a large consulting firm before serving as the CFO of a locally based company.

On the city council, Mayhew established himself as a pragmatic, moderate voice for community needs. He prioritized public transit, community services, and affordability in Snoqualmie. He is particularly proud of his work partnering with the private sector to increase the number of affordable housing units in a major development and sponsoring legislation to create the Community Center Expansion in Snoqualmie.

Now, Mayhew is running to bring Democratic leadership and representation to the purple district, which is currently led exclusively by Republicans. His priorities in this race include investing in education and housing, protecting abortion rights and reproductive freedom in our state, and uplifting our economy in the areas of workforce development, clean energy markets, and local supply chains. Mayhew also wants to carefully manage public resources and services in order to ensure all Washingtonians can meet basic needs, including addiction recovery treatment, affordable housing and emergency shelter, and mental health support.

Mayhew's opponent is Republican Rep. Keith Goehner, who has served in House Position 1 for the district since 2018. Goehner has led with typically conservative priorities such as cutting investments in community services and infrastructure, eliminating police accountability measures, and prioritizing business interests. His voting record in office includes recent opposition to bills that would protect consumers’ private data, create greater access to reproductive health care, and protect crucial services for youth who are either experiencing homelessness or are in the foster system. He is not a progressive choice, and will not advocate for community needs if he is elected to the state Senate.

Mayhew is the best choice for state Senate from the 12th Legislative District.

Maria Beltran is running for the newly formed 14th Legislative District's Senate seat. A community organizer since the age of 19, she has worked in the office of U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier and campaigned for state Rep. Debra Entenman. Beltran is the youngest board chair to serve for the nonprofit group OneAmerica, which organizes immigrant and refugee leaders for civic engagement, political advocacy, and more. As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Beltran is running to improve the lives of all in the district.

In our interview, Beltran stated that affordability in all its aspects is one of the biggest problems she's aiming to tackle. She wants to lower the cost of housing by diversifying the housing market with more housing types, prioritizing faster construction, adding more transitional housing, and providing more direct assistance to people who have become unsheltered. Beltran wants to see more effort made to reduce gang and gun violence by providing after-school programs, support for the formerly incarcerated, and programs that serve victims of domestic violence. Her pragmatic and forward-leaning platform has earned her the endorsement of many legislators, local elected officials, labor unions, and community advocates.

Beltran is running against incumbent Sen. Curtis King, who has served the 14th Legislative District since 2007 and is currently the ranking Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee. Unfortunately, King has spent his tenure in the Legislative voting against priorities that make our communities safer and healthier. He opposed commonsense gun safety laws that require background checks and firearm safety programs for buyers. King also defended oil companies and opposed efforts to make big companies pay for their pollution.

Beltran is the clear choice for state Senate from District 14.

Democrat Kari Isaacson is running for the state Senate seat representing the 16th Legislative District. Isaacson is the chair of the Walla Walla County Democrats. She has a law degree and has served in executive leadership including as vice president of the UnitedHealth Group and as the CEO of large foundations.

Isaacson is running a practical, progressive campaign to raise the standard of living in the 16th Legislative District for all residents. She wants to support intergenerational wealth building for the working class so that hard work leads to economic opportunity. Isaacson believes that the foundation of a strong community includes access to affordable childcare, education, health care, and substance abuse treatment. If elected, she also wants to improve economic growth and public safety.

Isaacson is challenging incumbent Sen. Perry Dozier, who has pursued a conservative agenda in his first term in office. He voted against bills that create antitrust protections, expand access to childcare and early learning, and fund county hospitals. Dozier, who works as a wheat farmer, has also voted against many climate protection bills. He joined only six other Republicans to vote against a bill that would expand housing and food assistance to homeless and foster care youth.

Isaacson is the best choice for state Senate representing the 16th Legislative District.

Dr. Linda Gunshefski is an ophthalmologist from Walla Walla who is challenging incumbent Republican Mark Klicker as a Democrat. She has served as an elected precinct committee officer for the Walla Walla County Democrats and has also served on the Walla Walla YMCA's board of trustees.

Gunshefski is running to support robust medical care, education, and housing for all in the district. As a medical professional, she notes the decline in the availability of services and wants to represent the need for greater access in the Legislature. She also wants to protect reproductive freedom, public education, and workable climate solutions that will prevent the ever-increasing threat of wildfire season.

Rep. Klicker has favored tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy while opposing investments to help working families in Washington access high-quality education, health care, living-wage jobs, and housing security. He has opposed action to fight climate change, despite the devastating impacts of record heat and droughts on local families and agriculture. During this legislative session, he also published opinions against capping rental increases and limiting move-in fees. Outside of the Legislature, Klicker operates a real estate company focused on selling farm and forest land as investment opportunities.

Gunshefski is the better choice for Position 1.

Moderate Democrat Molly Marshall, a retired member of Washington’s Air National Guard, is challenging Republican Al French for the Spokane County Commission, District 5 position. After spending 30 years in the Air Force, Marshall transitioned to community advocacy work, co-founding the Citizen Action for Latah Valley Coalition to ensure development is safe for the community. She has also served the community as an elections office worker and on the Spokane Community Assembly Land Use Executive Committee, among many local volunteer positions.

Marshall is running to ensure Spokane is safe and healthy for generations to come. Her top priorities include addressing "forever chemicals" such as PFAS, preventing and mitigating wildfires, investing in transit infrastructure, and strengthening public safety. While Marshall supports the construction of a new jail, she also believes in the need for prevention and judicial reform to address issues in our criminal legal system. She connects the issue of road infrastructure with mitigating the consequences of wildfires by emphasizing the need for better and more effective evacuation routes.

Marshall is challenging longtime Republican incumbent Al French, who has been in this office since 2010. French also previously served on the Spokane City Council and is the chair of the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. French has faced criticism recently for his opposition to cleaning up the local water supply. In early 2020, local officials called on French to support cleaning up poisonous PFAS that's poisoning the drinking water of thousands of community members in West Plains and Airway Heights. Unfortunately, he intervened twice in two years to block state funding to study how to solve the issue. In addition to his consistently conservative voting record, French has clearly lost touch with the families in the district he's supposed to represent.

This race is particularly important because a win by Marshall could flip control of the commission after many years of Republican control. Molly Marshall's longtime record of public service and thoughtful approach to policymaking make her the clear choice for Spokane County Commission representing District 5.