43rd Legislative District

A host of candidates are running against Sen. Cantwell this year, though none appear to be competitive.

Dr. Raul Garcia is the leading Republican challenger for the U.S. Senate. 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. Despite his vague platform, he has already received support from some of Washington’s most prominent conservatives.

Paul Lawrence Giesick is running as a Democrat even though he self-identifies as a “Catholic, Libertarian-leaning conservative” and is campaigning on a platform indistinguishable from many right-wing candidates. A Marine veteran, Giesick has worked in aerospace, municipal administration, and production management. His platform emphasizes racist border policies, oil production, and cuts to crucial public services that Americans rely on. Giesick frequently uses religious language in his campaign and even boasts a “pledge a prayer” section.

David Tilton is running a non-partisan challenge to Cantwell. Tilton works for Microsoft as an associate manager and lacks community leadership or public service experience. He is running on a moderate platform to support local economies, invest in public education, ensure affordable health care, increase funding for militarized policing, and cut some public services.

Mel Ram, another Republican challenger for the Senate seat, is running an incoherent, spiritual, conspiracy-based campaign. She blames black mold for our nation’s social unrest and refers to a conspiracy called the “smart lie” as the reason she wants to enact massive education reforms.

Far-right candidate Isaac Holyk has some of the most extreme views in this race. He has stated that he believes the country is Christian in nature and that he does not believe in leading for “the greater good.” Recently, he came out against the Trump verdict, criticizing the fair ruling by a jury of Americans and in doing so undermining our criminal legal system. Like many MAGA Republicans, his platform consists of scapegoating people at the border, blaming Biden for economic insecurity caused by Trump policies, and promoting conspiracy theories about public education curriculums, including calling for a ban on any diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within schools.

Seattle Republican Scott Nazarino works in estate and retirement planning. Nazarino has only a vague campaign platform in this primary. He states that in order to keep our school-age children safe, he wants to bring armed guards to elementary schools – but we know that more guns do not make us safer.

Three additional candidates - Independent Thor Amundson, Independent Chuck Jackson, and "Socialist Workers" candidate Henry Clay Dennison - have minimal, unrelated, or no campaign website or information available as of mid-July. We will continue to monitor this race and update their information if it becomes available.

Perennial conservative challenger, Goodspaceguy, has also filed in this race. He regularly mounts empty, unserious challenges to seats across the state.

Cliff Moon, founder of Moon Construction Company, is once again challenging Rep. Pramila Jayapal for the 7th Congressional District seat. In his 2022 bid for office, Moon ran on a far-right platform that spread the Trump conspiracy about the 2020 election, promoted the racist border wall policy, and centered on passing a highly restrictive federal abortion ban to prevent people from accessing reproductive health care. He has not shared policy ideas in this campaign but has stoked fears and division about so-called "woke indoctrination," the migrant community, and crime.

Attorney and Democratic precinct committee officer Liz Hallock is also challenging Rep. Jayapal in this race. Hallock lacks a campaign website but proposes more centrist ideas in this race. She wants to be a global leader with a green economy, strengthen economic prosperity for all, and counter the consequences of neoliberal greed which has exacerbated social inequality. Hallock also supports more conservative border policies. She is not the best Democratic option in this race to bring a progressive vision to Congress.

Also in this race is Republican Dan Alexander, a manager at Boeing who works in defense. His website is not yet up as of mid-July, though he has shared a more moderate campaign vision in this race. Alexander offers general support for a united and strong government, a reasonable cost of living, support for the arts, mitigation of pollution, and foreign policy that prioritizes peace. However, as a conservative in this race, without any policy proposals, it is unclear whether Alexander would support progressive policy to uplift the entire community and achieve that vision.

Democrat Melissa Chaudhry is running a grassroots challenge to Adam Smith in this race. Chaudhry has a strong background in community service. She has worked on international environmental initiatives as well as local housing and sustainable agriculture projects. Currently, Chaudhry works for a nonprofit that delivers hygiene products, like baby wipes and soap, across Washington to those who need them. As a mother with a husband who is a disabled veteran, Chaudhry grounds her campaign and progressive values in personal experience.

Chaudhry is running on a platform that centers on peace, at the local and global levels. She was motivated to run, in part, by Smith’s refusal to support a ceasefire in the Middle East until February 2024 and his continued support for sending arms to Israel. By contrast, Chaudhry says she is aligned with Rep. Pramila Jayapal and would have supported a ceasefire in mid-October. If elected, she wants to defend civil rights and environmental action. Chaudhry wants to ensure all Americans can afford the basics, like shelter, groceries, gas, prescriptions, quality education, and childcare.

Conservative Mark Greene, who identifies as both a populist and semi-isolationist, is running on a reactionary platform that does not address the pressing issues facing residents of Washington’s 9th Congressional District. His platform, though not well organized, reflects far-right views. Greene wants to institute a national abortion ban with only critical health exceptions for the mother, construct Trump’s massive border wall and increase deportation, cut nearly all foreign aid, and abolish the Department of Education.

Paul Martin is another Republican challenger for Smith’s seat. Martin is a tech professional who has worked in telecommunications software engineering and for Boeing’s IT department. He is running in reaction to Smith’s long incumbency on a far-right platform that doesn’t represent the views of Congressional District 9 residents. Martin holds transphobic views, supporting fear-mongering bathroom and sports team policies and implying the misguided idea that gender is a matter of a chromosome binary. If elected, he would provide even more funding for militarized police while expanding our overcrowded prisons by denying people second chances outside of incarceration. Martin is not a progressive choice.

Challenger David Ishii, who is running as a "Bipartisan" candidate, has no campaign website or information available as of early June. We will continue to monitor this race and update Ishii's information if it becomes available.

State Sen. Mark Mullet is a conservative Democrat who would be a step backward for Washington. For example, his votes were part of the reason that rent stabilization failed in the Legislature this year, denying Washingtonians the safety of more stable, affordable housing. Mullet also voted against the progressive capital gains tax, which taxes the ultra-wealthiest Washingtonians to fund education and early learning. Mullet's stances against bills like the wealth tax and the Climate Commitment Act make it clear that he would prioritize the powerful few over working families.

Former U.S. House Representative Dave Reichert is the leading Republican in the crowded gubernatorial race to replace retiring governor Jay Inslee. Reichert served Washington’s 8th Congressional District in the House for 14 years, where 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.

Another Republican in the race for retiring Gov. Inslee’s seat is Semi Bird, a recently ousted Richland School Board member. Bird has served in a number of leadership positions including as a senior advisor to the ambassador of Bangladesh, a former chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Energy, and as the executive director of a consulting firm.

Last August, Bird was recalled from the Richland School Board after his controversial vote to defy Washington’s indoor mask mandate during the height of the pandemic. In this race, he has defined himself as a “constitutional Christian conservative” and made concerning comments about the role of religion in government. Bird is in favor of expanding our overcrowded criminal legal system, further militarizing our police, allowing far-right groups control over public education, and eliminating policies that keep neighbors dealing with substance abuse safer. If elected, he would not represent the values or needs of average Washingtonians.

Heck faces several opponents this year, none of whom appear to be running competitive campaigns.

Republican Bob Hagglund is an IT professional with data science credentials. Previously, Hagglund joined some of the country's biggest MAGA conservatives in lying about the results of the 2020 elections in an effort to illegally install Trump as president. He has spent most of this campaign criticizing elected Democrats rather than offering his own ideas for improving the office. He has an identical platform to Rep. Mike Kelly, who is running for a state Senate seat. Like Kelly, Hagglund has shared transphobic and misogynistic rhetoric about protecting the so-called “very essence of womanhood.” Hagglund is not a leader and his views do not represent our state’s values.

Navy veteran and retiree Patrick Harman is also in this race. Harman previously ran an unsuccessful bid for Oak Harbor mayor in 2019. Now, he is running in support of typically conservative fiscal policy with more moderate social positions, including supporting reproductive freedom and commonsense gun safety policy. However, he has no detailed campaign information or website as of mid-July.

Republican Dan Matthews is a veteran and former school board member running to deprioritize public schools in favor of private education, cut spending on social services, and limit regulations on businesses and corporations.

Democratic challenger David Griffin has a minimal campaign website that promises to support government transparency, "embrace change" in leadership, and support reproductive rights. He lists no elected or community leadership experience.

Hobbs is facing a challenge from fellow Democrat Marquez Tiggs, a finance professional and veteran. In a volunteer capacity, Tiggs has been involved in community organizations such as POCAAN Seattle, which delivers social services for people of color. The pillars of his campaign include community empowerment, voter education, election security, and strengthening public trust in the electoral process. Tiggs’ ultimate goal is to build an inclusive, secure democracy where everyone’s voice can be heard and counted. In comparison to Hobbs, Tiggs appears to lack a track record of community leadership and strong endorsements in this race.

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.

Damon Townsend is running without party affiliation – what he calls “No Labels” – in this race. Townsend previously worked as Pierce County’s elections specialist and supervisor before resigning in 2019 after a “disruptive” personnel dispute where he displayed unprofessional conduct. In 2022, he ran to earn the county seat back but was unsuccessful. This election cycle, he has set his sights on the state’s highest elections position, campaigning on a platform to improve confidence in Washington elections, increase office transparency, improve voter privacy, and strengthen contingency planning for election emergencies.

Republican and Pasco attorney Pete Serrano is running to bring a conservative agenda to the attorney general's office. Serrano, the board president and general counsel of an organization that fights commonsense gun laws and public health mandates, was recently elected as 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.

Patrick DePoe, the tribal relations director for the state’s Department of Natural Resources, is running to become the first Native candidate to win a statewide position. DePoe is a member of the Makah Tribe who grew up on the Neah Bay reservation. In addition to his DNR job, he works with a number of groups at the intersection of environmental sustainability and Indigenous land use, including the Northwest Indian Fish Commission, the Environmental Justice Council, and the Pacific Fishery Management Council. DePoe has also served on the Makah Tribal Council, including as vice chairman.

In this race, DePoe is running to manage public lands in a way that maximizes environmental sustainability while balancing building a stronger economy of well-paying jobs. He believes he can build a widespread climate coalition to engage all community stakeholders in efforts towards a green future. DePoe also wants to improve forest health while preventing and fighting increasingly dangerous wildfire seasons. Finally, he is committed to being a representative for rural communities who often serve as the frontline of environmental issues in our state. However, DePoe lacks Upthegrove’s experience in elected office as well as his demonstrated track record of writing and passing environmental legislation.

Also in this crowded race is state Senator Kevin Van De Wege. Van de Wege served five terms in the House before joining the Senate in 2016. Before that, he served as a firefighter and paramedic. His voting record makes it clear he would not be a progressive choice in this race. Van De Wege broke ranks with his party to vote against the critical 2021 Climate Commitment Act, which enables the state’s Department of Ecology to make headway on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and engages an environmental justice approach to make sure no community is left behind in climate mitigation, among other key policies. As a hindrance, rather than a leader, on addressing climate change within his own party, Van De Wege is not the best choice to take the bold action our communities need from the next public lands commissioner.

Firefighter and ecologist Allen Lebovitz is another Democrat in this race who is running to lead the public lands office with core values of sustainability and respect for the land. Lebovitz has worked for the state’s Department of Natural Resources in a number of roles since 2011, including aquation restoration ecologist and most recently wildland fire and forest resilience liaison. His experience spans policy, science, and frontline work to protect our public lands from environmental degradation, wildfires, habitat loss, and climate change.

Lebovitz is running with a progressive, sustainable vision for the office. If elected, he wants to invest in fire-resilient forest management techniques, ensuring public lands benefit all Washingtonians equitably, strengthening rural economies, and valuing healthy forests above time volume. His goals for office revolve around effective crisis management and a strategic, optimistic plan for a sustainable future.

Redmond City Council member Jeralee Anderson is another Democrat in this race. Anderson first joined the city council in 2018, and she also co-founded and serves as president of a globally recognized nonprofit focused on helping to make our transportation systems more sustainable. Her training is as a civil engineer, and her work has been recognized at many levels including as one of President Obama’s White House Transportation Champions of Change.

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 Pérez. In Congress, Herrera Beutler voted with Trump more than 80 percent 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 which, both 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.

Also in this race is Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson, a retired environmental and power analyst who has worked for Seattle City Lights and the Grays Harbor Public Utility District. Pederson previously ran for this seat in 2020. Despite the growing climate crisis and the need to build a sustainable Washington future, Pederson’s focus lies in criticizing the Democratic incumbent and prioritizing revenue from the sale of timber from public forests.

Gig Harbor School Board member David Olson is running on a reactionary platform. Olson wants to increase special education budgets, engage parental intervention, and double down on letter grade systems. Like many conservative school board directors, he wants to expand local control of curriculums and schools. Olson wants to employ strict guidelines in our schools that penalize students struggling the most.

Former Vashon School Board member John Patterson Blair is also in this nonpartisan race to challenge Reykdal. Blair previously ran for the state superintendent position in 2016 on a platform centered on individualizing Washington student experiences. As of mid-July, he lacks a campaign website and he previously failed to attend a community campaign event for candidates in this race.

Bill Boyd is the other Democratic candidate in this race. Boyd has worked in insurance for more than three decades and has spent nearly all of his industry experience at his own company, Boyd Insurance Brokerage. He is highly involved in his community as a church leader, youth sports coach, and league treasurer. Boyd is campaigning to expand health care options and take climate change into account in insurance coverage. However, he supports privatizing the workers’ compensation program, which the voters opposed in 2010 because it would undermine benefits for working people and their families.

Republican state Senator Phil Fortunato is also running for insurance commissioner. Fortunato was first elected to represent 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 health care and medicine they need. He is not a progressive choice in this race.

Democrat Chris Chung has no campaign website as of mid-July. His official voters guide statement is very vague and offers Washingtonians no real insight into how he would run the office. Fellow Democrat John Pestinger is a veteran who has worked for five years as a project manager in the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

Insurance professional Jonathan Hendrix is running without a party preference in this race. Hendrix recently finished an eight-year stint with Premera Blue Cross and has previously worked for Aetna and United Dental Care. He believes his experience in the industry will allow him to better prioritize customer service. Unfortunately, he also supports deregulation of the industry. We know that left unregulated in the pursuit of profit, the insurance prices for customers soar while service quality declines. Washingtonians need a strong leader who is unafraid to hold private insurance corporations accountable.

Deer Park mayor Tim Verzal, who is running without a party preference, and Republican Justin Murta have no campaign website or information available as of mid-June. We will continue to monitor this race and update their information if it becomes available.

Democrat Andrea Suarez is the founder of We Heart Seattle, a problematic right-leaning group that has dehumanized people experiencing homelessness without offering real solutions. There's an entire website dedicated to the harm that the nonprofit has done, claiming that with all their $1.5 million in charitable donations, Suarez's group has invaded people's privacy by posting their photos on social media without consent, destroyed homes and belongings, and provided no long-term solutions. Former We Heart Seattle president Kevin Dahlgren, who used the nonprofit to post videos of homeless people and encampments to criticize progressive local leaders, was indicted on charges ranging from identity theft to stealing property. Suarez is indeed not a licensed social worker or case manager. When asked about licensing by KIRO News, Suarez replied, "I don’t know, did Jesus Christ have a license?”

If elected, Suarez states that she wants law enforcement officers to receive more training, protect reproductive rights, and promote affordability. Suarez's right-leaning values on some important issues would be a significant step backward for the progressive 43rd Legislative District.

Also in the race is Democrat Daniel Carusello, who runs a political commentary blog and identifies himself as a "pragmatic progressive" working to move policy forward collaboratively. He works in experience management, though his website has not listed any community leadership or elected experience.

Carusello's top priorities include increasing funding for infrastructure, education, and the environment. He wants to pass new recycling incentives and bipartisan education policy on digital safety and financial literacy. If elected, he would pursue progressive tax policies that make the wealthiest pay their share. He also wants to take on the affordable housing crisis by easing restrictions and reducing permitting times for developers, though not as ambitiously as his fellow candidate Shaun Scott. He lacks the breadth of endorsements and community support that Scott has earned.

The other candidate in this race is Democrat Stephanie Lloyd-Agnew, who has no candidate website available as of late June. In her official voter's guide statement, she states that she has served as vice president for the Coalition of Labor Union Women for Washington and Missouri, and wants to continue Rep. Chopp's work on housing and behavioral health.

Federal Way Municipal Court Judge Dave Larson is also in this race. Larson has spent 16 years as a judge, and 23 years before that as a trial attorney. He claims to have bipartisan support and wants to serve as a “balance” if elected. Yet unfortunately, Larson perpetuates fears of rising crime rates as a reason for his candidacy even though judges are meant to be impartial arbiters and the state’s highest court deals more with large cases that affect all Washingtonians rather than individual instances of nonviolent crime. He has not listed any endorsements as of mid-July but it is clear that progressives are backing Mungia in this race.

Tacoma attorney David Shelvey is also in this race. Shelvey has practiced in the areas of family law, estate planning, and taxes, and most recently worked as a tax preparer at H&R Block. On his resume, he lists many degrees including PhDs supposedly earned in a year or less. He lacks judicial leadership experiences in professional or service capacities, and his campaign website shares somewhat scattered thoughts about various legal precedents. He stated in that interview that he decided to run for the Supreme Court after initially setting his sights on a local judicial seat because he was inspired by one of the court’s recent cases defending the rights of some of Washington’s most marginalized residents.

Tax and finance advisor Todd A. Bloom is also in this race. Bloom previously ran for Congress in 2016 as a Republican. While Bloom has a law degree and is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, his professional experience is in financial planning. He appears to have little direct experience with our state’s criminal legal system and offers only vague statements about service and judicial integrity in his campaign. His website is filled with what appears to be filler content from an unrelated architectural firm as of mid-July.

Saunatina Sanchez is another progressive challenger to incumbent Tanya Woo. Sanchez works for the Seattle International Film Festival and for her own linguistic education organization. She has a long track record of community leadership including serving on the board of the Seattle-King County League of Women Voters chapter. She has also worked closely with organizations like the Cascade Bicycle Club, the Seattle Renter Organizing Council, and the Transit Riders Union, which has endorsed her in this race.

Raised in south Seattle in public housing with a strong reliance on public transportation, Sanchez has a deep connection to the city’s public services and wants to continue raising the quality of life for all. If elected, she wants to address the budget deficit through creative public revenue solutions like the capital gains tax. In order to make Seattle more livable for residents of all income levels, she wants to improve public parks and green spaces, invest in social housing, and support apprenticeship programs for the workforce. Sanchez also supports electrification, a developed subway system, library and other public space funding, road infrastructure repairs, and breaking the cycle of incarceration that weakens our communities.

The third progressive challenger in this race is Tariq Yusuf, a data privacy consultant and recent law school graduate. Raised in a New Holly housing project and refugee community, Yusuf believes in the potential of Seattle to compassionately meet social needs and provide equitable opportunity for all.

Yusuf is running to bring balance to the council where he believes the needs of corporations and the wealthy are being put first. His platform advocates for affordable housing policy in line with the other progressives in this race. Yusuf also wants to raise progressive revenue from an income tax that would serve to rebalance our regressive tax system. He also wants to advance racial justice by confronting Seattle’s long history of segregation and racist violence, investing in an efficient public transit network, and exploring policing alternatives to provide de-escalation support in crises. However, Yusuf lacks some of the community leadership experience of his progressive opponents in this race.

Incumbent council member Tanya Woo is running for a full term. Woo was first appointed to the council this January to fill Teresa Mosqueda’s vacant seat after losing her race against Tammy Morales last year. Outside of public service, she runs a local restaurant and a housing complex.

Woo’s biggest campaign pillar is public safety, and she advocates for community harm reduction while simultaneously promoting more conservative narratives about crime rates and policing. She also wants to address the housing crisis through investments in crisis intervention and support services. In this race, Woo has faced pressure to recuse herself from voting on a proposal to roll back the minimum wage for gig workers. Rather than heeding the advice of Wayne Barnett, the Executive Director of Seattle Ethics and Elections, she is seeking a second opinion. Woo's conservative-leaning, pro-corporate positions are not a good fit to solve Seattle's current challenges.

Former professional sports coach and business leader Saul Patu is the final challenger in this race. Patu believes that his background as a college athlete, entrepreneur, and team leader prepared him for a city council role. He lacks a campaign website or detailed platform as of mid-July, however, he emphasizes the housing crisis, small business support, and public education as top issues. Without a clear vision for the city, strong endorsements, or public service experience, it is clear that Patu is not the best choice in this race.