Spokane County

In this pivotal election, Vice President Kamala Harris embodies a hopeful vision of unity, freedom, and progress for our country’s future. Harris has worked closely with President Biden to implement a broad and impressive agenda. Before that, she had a strong track record, ranging from leading the nation on recidivism reduction as San Francisco district attorney to fighting for marriage equality as California’s first woman attorney general to her hard-fought progressive victories in the U.S. Senate.

Throughout her public service career, Harris has demonstrated integrity, leadership, and tenacity in fighting for regular Americans. Her 2024 campaign priorities include ensuring American billionaires pay what they owe in taxes while alleviating the burden on middle-class families, strengthening the Affordable Care Act, restoring and protecting reproductive health care across the country, defending civil rights against the authoritarian vision of MAGA Project 2025, making housing, childcare, and education more affordable for all Americans, and more.

Joining Harris as a running mate on the Democratic ticket is Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a champion of working families and former high school teacher. Walz’s community leadership experience ranges from serving as a local football coach to representing a primarily Republican district as a Democrat in the U.S. House. Walz’s priorities are firmly rooted in his Midwestern upbringing, union membership, and Army veteran background. He worked to lower the prescription cost of insulin to $35 for many Minnesotans. Walz believes in responsible gun ownership, uplifting rural farmers, and protecting LGBTQ+ kids.

While we can continue to push Kamala Harris’ platform towards even more progressive goals, it is clear that she is the best choice to make history as our next president of the United States.

Democrat Maria Cantwell is running for another term in the U.S. Senate, where she has served the state of Washington since 2001. Before that, she served in the state Legislature and had a successful career in the private sector, leading marketing efforts for a large tech company.

In Congress, Cantwell has been a strong advocate for environmental protections and clean energy. She recently sponsored bills to protect waterways while promoting clean energy and strengthening tribal involvement in matters relating to conservation and land management. This spring, Cantwell partnered with Sen. Patty Murray to secure $28 million in funding to replace lead pipes in Washington and ensure safe drinking water across the state. In this race, she is running on a broad and detailed platform to address Washington’s most pressing issues, including protecting and restoring reproductive health access, increasing funding for K-12 and student loans, and expanding the affordable housing tax credit and other housing solutions.

Dr. Raul Garcia is the Republican challenger for the U.S. Senate seat. After initially announcing a campaign for governor, he is now running to install conservative leadership in one of Washington’s senate seats. Dr. Garcia is a Yakima-based doctor and hospital medical director who previously ran for governor in 2020. He has served in leadership positions across medical institutions, nonprofits, and small businesses. Garcia has received support from some of Washington’s most prominent conservatives.

Cantwell has been a thoughtful and hard-working advocate for the people of Washington. She has earned your vote for another term in the U.S. Senate.

Democrat Carmela Conroy is running for the Congressional District 5 seat in the U.S. House to replace retiring Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Conroy worked as a Spokane County deputy prosecutor before serving as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State. Earlier this year, she finished a term as the chair of the Spokane County Democratic Central Committee.

The top priorities she lists on her website include affordable health care, economic prosperity for all, uplifting working families, and agricultural support. Conroy wants to invest in the local economy and raise the quality of life with clean energy and rural infrastructure. She states that sourcing congressional funding for research and local responses to support family farms, timber, and urban living is essential to support the economic transition to low and no-carbon alternatives.

At the national level, she will also defend reproductive freedom and abortion access if elected. In our questionnaire, Conroy elaborated on many of her positions. She wants to see congressional action on the authoritarianism that has engulfed far-right politics with a restoration of church-state separation and greater voting access. In this campaign, Conroy has earned endorsements from labor unions, local Democratic organizations, teachers' unions, and several key elected Democrats.

Spokane treasurer Michael Baumgartner is Conroy's Republican opponent in this race. Baumgartner served two terms as a state senator for the 6th Legislative District and previously worked at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad for the State Department. Baumgartner is a very far-right candidate. In his first campaign in 2009, he proposed to ban all abortions and supported the Republican platform to withdraw from the United Nations, privatize Social Security, and eliminate the federal Department of Education. Baumgartner supports right-wing border policies as well as uncompassionate and ineffective responses to our neighbors suffering from mental illness, substance abuse, and/or housing insecurity.

Conroy is the best choice for Washington’s 5th Congressional District.

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.

Democrat Denny Heck is running for a second term as Washington’s lieutenant governor. Heck is a former representative who served the 10th Congressional District from 2013 until 2021. His professional background also includes serving five terms representing Legislative District 17 in the state House, starting small businesses in his community, serving as the chief of staff to Gov. Booth Gardner, and founding one of the nation’s largest statewide public affairs networks.

Heck has fought for a number of Democratic priorities, including rebalancing our upside-down tax code, investing in public infrastructure, reducing health care costs, increasing workforce development and employment opportunities, and making college more affordable. He's running to continue fighting for affordability, health and safety, and opportunity for all Washingtonians.

Heck is running against Republican Dan Matthews, a veteran and former school board member running to deprioritize public schools in favor of private education, cut spending on social services, and roll back laws that hold corporations accountable. He is not a progressive choice and doesn't represent the needs of our communities.

We recommend Denny Heck for another term as the state’s lieutenant governor.

Democrat Steve Hobbs is running for another term as Washington's secretary of state. He first joined the office when he was appointed in 2021 and was retained by voters in 2022. Hobbs, a first-generation Japanese American, previously served as a lieutenant colonel in the Washington Army National Guard and a four-term state senator for the 44th Legislative District.

In office, Hobbs has pursued a progressive set of priorities to ensure Washington’s election integrity, making the state safe from attacks and accessible to all Washington voters. He has worked on strengthening digital security, preventing the spread of misinformation, and promoting voter outreach. Unfortunately, in the last election, he expressed concerns about implementing ranked-choice voting for fear of the fragility of public trust and the accessibility of it to non-English-speaking voters.

In this race, Hobbs’ top two priorities are to ensure our elections remain both secure and accessible for every eligible voter. While he has and will continue to pursue security measures – such as cybersecurity investments and improvement grants, Hobbs also believes it’s his job to restore community trust in him and his office. He has also taken great strides to reach eligible voters from historically disenfranchised communities, including formerly incarcerated voters.

Republican Dale Whitaker, who owns a small tax business, is also in this race. Whitaker serves as the executive director of We Believe We Vote, which claims to educate Christian voters by supporting conservatives with some of the most extreme views in the state, including strong anti-abortion stances, homophobic positions, and a belief that the Christian Bible should be the ultimate guiding text for leaders. In this race, Whitaker’s top priority is election transparency and security. Unfortunately, the greatest threat to our democratic, electoral processes has been incursions from the far-right, of which Whitaker is affiliated. Washington voters deserve a secretary of state who is above divisive, conspiracy-based politics.

Hobbs is the best choice for Washington's secretary of state.

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.

Incumbent Democrat Pat McCarthy is running for a third term as Washington state auditor. McCarthy made history as the state’s first woman auditor when she took office in 2017. Before that, she served Pierce County in the elected roles of both executive and auditor and was previously a member of the Tacoma School Board, including as board president. She serves in multiple community leadership positions including on the Asian Pacific Cultural Center Advisory Board and with the Pierce County Sexual Assault Center.

In her first two terms, McCarthy has worked hard to bring accountability and transparency to the auditor’s office. She previously launched important investigations into both white-collar crime and unemployment benefit cases and even oversaw the largest fraud case in state history pertaining to misappropriated local housing funds. Looking towards another term, McCarthy wants to prioritize public and private sector integrity, responsible resource use, and advancing the office’s technology infrastructure to serve the public better.

Spokane County Republican Party leader Matt Hawkins is challenging incumbent McCarthy in this race. Hawkins created the We The People interactive calendar, which details events in U.S. history that he deems important. He has run for elected office before including vying for the top Republican Party job in the state last year, as well as the Washington state Senate in 2018. In this race, Hawkins boasts a typically conservative platform which includes continuing to cast doubt on the security of our local elections and worsening the imbalance in our state’s tax code.

McCarthy has earned your vote for another term as Washington's state auditor.

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.

King County Council chair Dave Upthegrove is running for commissioner of public lands to fill the vacancy left by Hilary Franz. Upthegrove previously served in the Legislature for five terms, where he made history as the first openly gay representative from outside of Seattle. He joined the King County Council in 2013, where he has been a strong advocate for climate concerns and environmental protections. 

Upthegrove has an inclusive vision for using the office to improve the quality of life for all Washingtonians. Upthegrove wants to mitigate the damage of wildfire seasons, bring good jobs and services to rural Washington, preserve mature legacy forests, expand recreational opportunities on public lands, and center the idea of environmental justice to guide policy. While he lauds the incumbent Franz for her work on wildfire prevention, Upthegrove wants to be more ambitious when it comes to reforming forestry policies. He believes the department needs a more honest accounting of the carbon impacts of forestry and timber work, which he is well positioned to lead having managed King County's forest carbon program. Upthegrove also wants to use his experience and relationships in the Legislature to help pass laws and increase funding for the department's conservation work.

Former congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler is back on the ballot this election. In 2022, she lost her re-election primary to ultra-conservative Joe Kent and current Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. In Congress, Herrera Beutler voted with Trump more than 80% of the time, though she has received criticism from her party after voting to impeach Donald Trump following the January 6th insurrection. Herrera Beutler has overwhelmingly opposed bills that protect our environment including the 2021 Build Back Better Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, both of which contained bold policies to alleviate the climate crisis. She lacks a detailed campaign platform in this race but mentions wildfire mitigation, habitat preservation, and public land use as top issues.

The race for this open seat will determine whether our state will be a leader in fighting climate change, protecting our forests, and preventing forest fires or bow to the demands of big timber companies. Upthegrove's environmental track record in office and endorsements from Washington Conservation Action, the Sierra Club, and other environmental champions make him the clear choice in this race.

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.

There are no progressive candidates in this race to replace Republican Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber, who is leaving the seat to run for Congress in this election. 

Former Twisp mayor Soo Ing-Moody is running a more moderate campaign with some bipartisan support. Ing-Moody served as the mayor of Twisp for 13 years and received praise for her leadership during the 2014 and 2015 wildfires. She also founded the Okanogan Council of Governments where she served as the chair for nine years. Now, she works as the engagement and outreach specialist at the Washington State Department of Commerce.

Ing-Moody has a strong sense of public service and pragmatic leadership. She wants to lean on her experience as mayor to bring the legislative district together to solve the biggest challenges. Unfortunately, like others in her party, she wants to eliminate protections in the private sector that ensure profits do not come before workers' rights or the health of our local environment. 

Republican Andrew Engell is the deputy district director for Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and has worked in farming, construction, and real estate. In this campaign, he is using divisive, inflammatory, and conspiracy-based rhetoric to push a far-right agenda that does not represent the needs of district residents. If elected, he wants to focus on blocking gun violence prevention, eliminating business regulations that protect workers, consumers, and the environment, and pouring even more money into police budgets while defunding community services.

While it is clear Soo Ing-Moody will not be a progressive champion in office, we believe that she is the best candidate in this race to bring responsive leadership and integrity to House Position 1 in the 7th Legislative District.

Veteran and Springdale Town Council member Paul "Rocky" Dean is vying for the Legislative District 7 House seat left open by Republican Rep. Joel Kretz’s retirement. Dean first joined the Springdale Town Council in 2020 and has served on the utility and planning commissions. He credits his time in the Army with his interest in public service.

Dean’s top priorities in this race include supporting veterans, making health care more accessible, providing sufficient funding for public schools, and addressing the unique challenges of Washington’s small towns. His policy priorities include promoting technology and the arts programming in our schools, making telehealth more accessible for veterans and seniors, and expanding the state Department of Commerce’s open grants and loans program. In all of his ideas, he centers equity and accessibility for all Washingtonians.

Dean's opponent is Republican Hunter Abell, a Navy veteran who works at a law firm specializing in civil litigation, residential real estate, and Indian law. He identifies as a constitutionally conservative lawyer and serves as the president of the Washington State Bar Association and occasionally as a Ferry County District Court judge. Abell shared typically conservative ideas in his campaign announcement. He claims to value public safety but wants to further militarize our police while taking us backward on policies that keep our communities safe from gun violence.

Paul “Rocky” Dean is the best choice for state House from District 7 because of his community vision and strong endorsements from our partner organizations.

Democrat Patrick Miller is challenging Rep. Mary Dye for Legislative District 9, Position 1. Miller is a cybersecurity consultant and a part-time station lieutenant with Spokane County Fire District #3. He hopes to leverage his public service experience and professional background in problem-solving to be a community asset in Olympia.

Miller is running to protect the values of the American Dream, and his campaign pillars are respect, representation, and sustainability. He wants to nurture the local business community and agricultural sector in the district. If elected, Miller also wants to invest in key community resources such as health care, childcare, and quality education. He hopes to be a strong listener who can effectively respond to the needs of his district.

Incumbent Republican Rep. Mary Dye first joined the Legislature in 2015 and works in the agriculture industry outside of public office. During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Dye joined other extremist Republicans to encourage Washingtonians to defy Gov. Inslee’s science-backed public health policy. In office, she has staunchly opposed environmental protections and has wrongfully blamed cities and urban density as the cause of the climate crisis. She was a recent "no" vote on providing assistance programs for struggling Washington families, increasing reproductive health access, and covering basic student needs.

Miller is the clear progressive choice for Legislative District 9, House Position 1.

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.

Chris Jordan is running unopposed for re-election to the Spokane County Commission representing District 1. Previously, he was a managing attorney in the Spokane division of the state attorney general’s office where he specialized in child safety cases. He also worked with Columbia Legal Services to pass bipartisan legislation to support children and families experiencing housing insecurity. His other community leadership experience includes volunteering with Spokane River Cleanup and West Central Dinner Table.

Jordan has always been a strong advocate for youth. In 2014, he helped pass the Homeless Children Education Act to ensure our students can be safe and reach their full potential. In his first term on the commission, he was proud of his work to improve transparency and create a new Superior Court Judge position for Spokane. Now, Jordan is running again on a platform to invest in affordable childcare, strengthen the county’s middle class, alleviate traffic congestion in the region, and take action on the climate crisis to safeguard the local environment for generations to come. He has strong progressive endorsements from community organizations, local and state elected officials, and the district Democrats.

Jordan has earned your vote for Spokane County Commission from District 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.

Sal Mungia is an awarded and experienced local attorney running for retiring Justice Susan Owens’ Position 2 on the state Supreme Court. Mungia is a partner at a Tacoma- and Seattle-based firm where he works in trial and appellate law primarily focused on injury law and medical malpractice. He has a long history of leadership and service including, among other experiences, as the former president of the Washington State Bar Association, former chair of the Equal Justice Coalition, and a cooperating attorney with the ACLU of Washington.

Mungia’s career has been strongly community-oriented. He has done significant pro bono legal work while working to improve our criminal legal system. Now, he has earned wide and impressive support in his bid for the court including from sitting Supreme Court Justice Yu and Chief Justice González.

Federal Way Municipal Court Judge Dave Larson is also in this race. Before joining the Municipal Court, Larson worked as a trial attorney. Larson is the endorsed candidate by Washington state's MAGA Republican Party, known for its far-right positions and aggressive opposition to abortion access. Progressives are backing Mungia in this race.

We recommend Sal Mungia in this race to bring trusted, just, and community-minded leadership to Washington’s Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Steven González is running unopposed for re-election to Position 8 on the Washington Supreme Court. González was first appointed to the bench in 2012 and was chosen by his peers to serve in the chief justice position in 2021, making him Washington’s first chief justice of color. Before becoming a judge, González’s law career ranged from international business law and terrorism prosecution to civil rights pro bono work. He serves on the board of the Washington Leadership Institute to provide opportunities and support for legal professionals from backgrounds and identities that have previously been excluded from legal spaces.

In his leadership role on the state’s top court, González has sought to make the legal system a place for justice and dignity for all Washingtonians. He worked to make our courts more accessible to non-English speakers. González has received bipartisan support in past races but consistently received support from some of the state’s top progressive leaders. González has been ranked highly by some of the state’s most progressive bar associations including QLaw, Latina/o Bar Association of Washington, Washington Women Lawyers, and more.

We recommend Justice Steven González for another term in Position 8 on Washington's Supreme Court to continue bringing just and experienced judicial leadership to our top court.

Justice Sheryl McCloud is running unopposed for re-election to Position 9 on the Washington Supreme Court. McCloud is a former public defender who has served on Washington’s top court since 2013. She co-chairs the court’s Gender & Justice Commission and serves as the liaison to the state bar's Council on Public Defense. On the bench, Justice McCloud’s top areas of attention include constitutional and individual rights, and she authored the 2017 opinion barring a private business open to the general public from refusing to serve a gay couple. She was the founding member of the Washington Appellate Lawyers Association.

In this election, her focus is on protecting constitutional rights. She has been rated “Exceptionally Well Qualified” by a number of the state’s top bar associations, including the King County Bar Association, QLaw, and the Washington Women Lawyers. These organizations ensure that our justices are treating all Washingtonians fairly and protecting constitutionally outlined civil rights.

Justice McCloud deserves your vote to continue bringing fair and experienced leadership to the state Supreme Court.

Judge John Cooney is running unopposed for another term on the Court of Appeals in Division 3, District 1, Judge Position 1. Before joining the appellate court in 2023, Cooney served on Spokane’s District and Superior Courts. He also previously worked as a trial attorney at his own firm, gaining valuable experience on the other side of the bench. As a former adjunct law professor and civic education instructor, Cooney has also dedicated his time to mentoring the next generation of legal and judicial leaders.

On the court, Cooney has made it a priority to bring balanced and unbiased decision-making to his courtroom. He has long promoted therapeutic and alternative courts while reflecting thoughtfully on the need to reconcile second chances with the importance of victims’ rights.

Judge Cooney is a respected, seasoned voice on the Court of Appeals. He has earned another term in Division 3, District 1, Judge Position 1.

Judge Marla Polin is running for re-election to the Spokane Superior Court, Position 8. Polin joined the court in 2022 where she has been a solid leader as the presiding family law judge. Previously, she operated her own statewide law firm where she gained impressive expertise in civil litigation.

Polin is renowned for her impartiality and dedication to delivering fair and just rulings. In her re-election bid, she has earned broad, bipartisan endorsements from various local stakeholders outside of the legal world, including elected officials, law enforcement, and community leaders. Polin has been rated Exceptionally Well Qualified from a number of local, independent bar associations. Her widespread support in this race is indicative of the strong job she has already done on the superior court and what an asset she can be to our community if she stays in the role.

Also in this race is Brandon Casey, a civil attorney and arbitrator. Casey was involved in a local legal clinic and helped instruct legal education programs. While an effective lawyer, some local judicial leaders raised concerns about whether Casey has the appropriate temperament to be a sitting judge who must remain open-minded to a number of different positions and viewpoints.

Judge Marla Polin has earned your vote for another term in Position 8 on the Spokane Superior Court.

Incumbent Tim Fennessy is running for another term on the Spokane County Superior Court in Judge Position 11. In this position over the last eight years, Fennessy has demonstrated legal expertise, a commitment to fairness for all, and an ability to listen actively. Earlier this year, his peers elected him presiding judge of the superior court. Before serving on it, Fennessy spent more than three decades in private practice in Spokane.

Fennessy has presided over a range of diverse cases in his tenure on the court where he has built experience in serving Spokane residents competently and compassionately. He has received the highest rating possible from the Washington State Veterans Bar Association and has strong endorsements from other judicial leaders.

Also in this race is Andrew Van Winkle, a senior staff attorney for the Washington State Court of Appeals. Van Winkle also serves as a pro tem commissioner for the Spokane County Superior Court. A few years ago, he created Chelan County’s first alternative court, a drug court focused on healing more than punishment, and he also serves as chairman of the Spokane Behavioral Health Advisory Board. Van Winkle wants to bring his prosecutorial background and Police Guild experience to the superior court to modernize court functions while ensuring impartial accountability and justice for all Pierce residents.

Tim Fennessy deserves your vote for another term in Spokane Superior Court, Judge Position 11.