Pierce County

Deborah "Deb" Krishnadasan is running to retain her seat as the state Senator representing the 26th Legislative District. Krishnadasan was appointed in 2024 to replace Emily Randall, who was elected to Congress. Prior to her appointment, Krishnadasan was an active member of the Peninsula School Board, first serving as a full-time public school volunteer. She was later elected to the Peninsula School District Board of Directors and eventually served as the president. While on the board, Krishnadasan led efforts to increase school funding, including forming an advocacy group and campaigning for school levies and bonds. For her work in public service, Krishnadasan has received many awards, including Citizen of the Year and the Hugh McMillan and Community Leadership awards.

In our interview, Krishnadasan's commitment to improving public education was evident. Since assuming her Senate position, she has remained true to her progressive values, such as voting to establish anti-discrimination protections for students. She also voted to increase education funding and expand access to special education across the state.

Additionally, Krishnadasan has supported other progressive bills addressing health care and workers' rights. In 2025, she introduced legislation that required hospitals to perform abortions when necessary to protect the safety or health of a pregnant patient.

During her tenure, there have been some votes on which we have disagreed with the senator. For example, Krishnadasan was among only two Democrats who voted against a new excise tax on short-term rental properties that would have funded affordable housing. We also disagreed with her vote against creating a uniform recycling system for the state and solutions to reduce waste going into landfills. Nevertheless, she has been supportive of most progressive priorities in Olympia.

Deborah Krishnadasan has long been involved in her community and is a strong advocate for education and other progressive values. She is the clear choice for Senate from the 26th Legislative District.

Bryan Yambe is running to retain his seat on the Pierce County Council representing District 5. Yambe previously served on the Fife City Council before being appointed to the county council earlier this year. Yambe is a lifelong volunteer and a movement builder. He has worked with the Pierce County Young Democrats, 25th Legislative District Democrats, and the Washington State Labor Council, as well as multiple other boards and progressive organizations. When he was elected in 2013, he became only the second Japanese-American person to serve on the Fife City Council.

Yambe's current campaign platform includes detailed plans to create more affordable homes, raise wages, address public safety, improve transportation, and public health. He is a proponent of strengthening wraparound services and rehousing programs for people experiencing homelessness. Yambe also intends to create opportunities for first-time home buyers, centered around equity. Additionally, he is in favor of expanding crisis response teams and investing in youth intervention programs. In public health, Yambe plans to support local farmers and expand nutrition assistance programs.

Due to his track record of progressive leadership, detailed campaign, and endorsements from our partner organizations, we enthusiastically recommend retaining Bryan Yambe for Pierce County Council, District 5.

Tamara Stramel is running against Sam Bath and Jerome O'Leary for Pierce County Charter Review Commission, District #1, Position #3. Stramel is active with the 31st LD Democrats and organized in support of the Sumner-Bonney Lake School Bond last year.

We are confident Stramel is the best choice in this race based on endorsements from our partners and trusted community leaders. While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we encourage you to visit their website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more.

Marianna Hyke is running against Brenda Milewski and Julia Perkinson for Pierce County Charter Review Commission, District #2, Position #2. Hyke is currently the chair of the Pierce County Democrats. As a union carpenter, she will fight for working families and work to expand apprenticeship opportunities.

We are confident she is the best choice in this race based on endorsements from our partners and trusted community leaders. While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we encourage you to visit their website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more.

Teresa Maston is running against Elizabeth Herrera and Bruce White for Pierce County Charter Review Commission, District #2, Position #3. We are confident Maston is the best choice in this race based on endorsements from our partners and trusted community leaders. While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we encourage you to visit their website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more.

John Linboe is running against Hollie Rogge and Nichole Weber for the Pierce County Charter Review Commission, District 3, Position 3. Linboe serves on the South Pierce Fire and Rescue Commission and as the director of Region 7 for the Washington State Fire Commissioners Association. He has also built a long track record in labor leadership, including serving on the executive board of the local machinist and aerospace worker union, as a delegate for the Pierce County Labor Council, and on the state’s Labor Council Economic Development and Transportation Committee.

Linboe is running to build an inclusive and sustainable future for Pierce County. If elected, he wants to bring progress through creating good-wage jobs, addressing the housing crisis, and investing in raising the rural quality of life. He is the best choice for Pierce County Charter Review Commission, District 3, Position 3.

Jake Hunter is running against Michael Catsi and Max J. Heller, III for Pierce County Charter Review Commission, District 4, Position 3. Hunter is a small business owner who serves as the Treasurer for the Pierce County Democrats.

We are confident Hunter is the best choice in this race based on endorsements from our partners and trusted community leaders. While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we encourage you to visit their website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more.

George Conzuelo is running against Danny Hankins and John Colvin for Pierce County Charter Review Commission, District #6, Position #1. We are confident Conzuelo is the best choice in this race based on endorsements from our partners and trusted community leaders. While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we encourage you to visit their website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more.

Lisa T. Boyd is running against Sam Scott and Cameron Kastner for Pierce County Charter Review Commission, District 6, Position 2. Boyd has more than three decades of experience as an educator, including serving as the Principal of the Clover Park School.

We are confident Boyd is the best choice in this race based on endorsements from our partners and trusted community leaders. While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we encourage you to visit their website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more.

Justin Leighton is running against six opponents for Pierce County Charter Review Commission, District 7, Position 1. Leighton is a longtime transit advocate who served on the Tacoma Charter Review Commission in 2015.

We are confident Leighton is the best choice in this race based on endorsements from our partners and trusted community leaders. While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we encourage you to visit their website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more.

Kate Baldwin is seeking re-election to the Auburn City Council in Position 2, where she has served since 2022. Baldwin is a senior advisory architect who consults for IT departments. She also serves on the executive board of the 47th Legislative District Democrats, which has endorsed her campaign.

Baldwin has led with a vision of combining sustainable, long-term growth with community values and an accountable government. Some specific ideas she’s campaigning on this year include increasing tree canopies and shade covers to help cool neighborhoods, engaging with the Muckleshoot Tribe on “food forests,” exploring crisis response alternatives to augment law enforcement, and investing in local housing to support veterans and other community members in need. She also supports increasing development impact fees to support public infrastructure, establishing municipal broadband, and supporting climate protections where needed.

Baldwin is endorsed by an impressive roster of progressive leaders and local organizations. Kate Baldwin has certainly earned your vote to serve another term on the Auburn City Council in Position 2.

Erica Tomas is running for Auburn City Council, Position 4. Tomas is a union member who worked for the State of Washington in the Department of Health. As an epidemiologist, she worked in several social programs, including food stamps and supplemental nutrition programs for women and children.

Tomas' campaign is prioritizing more affordable homes, expanding transit, and attracting union-represented jobs. Although her website is brief, she supports infrastructure that allows for increased housing density. She also supports expanding transit options and increasing investment in community services.

We appreciate her background in public health services, as well as her progressive solutions to the city's challenges. We recommend voting for Erica Tomas for Auburn City Council, Position 4.

Lisa Stirgus is running to retain her seat on the Auburn City Council, to which she was appointed in April 2025 to replace former City Council Member Larry Brown. She held a 20+ year career in banking and is engaged with her community.

Stirgus is running a left-leaning platform, with priorities to introduce cautious growth to Auburn while investing in youth programs and long-term sustainability measures. Part of Stirgus's re-election campaign includes expanding traditional policing practices to incorporate alternative methods, such as youth violence prevention and mental health responders. Investing in our youth and exploring alternative policing methods not only keeps our most vulnerable communities safe but also enables our first responders to focus on addressing emergencies within the community. Stirgus is also supportive of varied housing options for residents seeking to purchase their first home, but expresses concern for the impact of growth on existing resources. Stirgus also believes in strengthening relations with the Muckleshoot Tribe and partnering together to invest in long-term sustainability efforts.

While we would like to see her take more progressive stances on matters such as affordable housing, Lisa Stirgus is the best candidate in this race. We recommend electing her to serve a full term on the Auburn City Council in Position 6.

Public works professional Ellen Talbo is running for Lakewood City Council, Position 1 to build more affordable homes, improve infrastructure, and make neighborhoods safer. Along with her current work in Renton's Public Works Department, Talbo has worked as a transportation planner and transit planning manager for Santa Clara County and the Ventura County Transportation Commission. She has also served on the Lakewood Planning Commission as vice chair and volunteered with the Lakewood Sister Cities Association and the Pierce County Conservation District, among other roles.

As an urban planning professional, Talbo is interested in joining the council to create safer routes to schools, more reliable transit options, and neighborhood resiliency. She believes that a transparent council with active outreach to all residents, including cultural organizations and underrepresented communities, will strengthen city policies.

With endorsements from the 28th Legislative District Democrats and from progressive elected officials like Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello, we recommend Talbo as the best choice for Lakewood City Council Position 1.

Jennifer Lamari runs a solo law practice in Lakewood and has served in various positions in the criminal legal system, including criminal deputy prosecutor, defense attorney, civil deputy prosecutor, and assistant city attorney.

She states that she is running to bring the depth of her legal experience to the council, to uphold the Constitution, promote interaction between minority-owned businesses and the city, and improve access to the city's lakes, among other priorities. Rather than focusing on criminalization and prosecution, she wants the city to avoid using jail as "housing" for people experiencing homelessness and instead focus on creating more shelters and affordable homes. Additionally, she recognizes the cultural diversity of Lakewood, proposing more engagement with minority-owned businesses and encouraging voter participation.

Jennifer Lamari seems to be the most progressive candidate in this race, and is backed by Indivisible Tacoma and the 28th Legislative District Democrats. We recommend Lamari for Lakewood City Council, Position 3.

Former Tacoma City Council member Anders Ibsen is running for mayor to leverage his experience to address affordable housing and public safety. Ibsen served on the council from 2012 to 2019, including one year as deputy mayor of Tacoma, and has also served as a commissioner on the Washington State Gambling Commission.

While on the council, Ibsen supported renter protections and raising the minimum wage to $15. Ibsen wants to continue to improve housing affordability by championing policies like permitting more ADUs, converting unused government-owned land into affordable housing, and making careful changes to the city's permitting and zoning codes. He feels fixing housing and mental health is the foundation for improving homelessness, and wants to divert those who are non-violent but suffering from a mental illness from the criminal legal system. He also prioritizes improving the lives of working families, listing childcare, green workforce training, and safe routes to school at the top of his agenda.

Ibsen is distinctly more progressive than his main rival, John Hines. Ibsen has a clear stance on protecting the LGBTQ community from the overreach of the federal government and prioritizes supporting working families over conservative businesses. It's worth noting that Tacoma's system of government empowers the city manager to oversee most of the city's day-to-day operations. Anders Ibsen is the progressive choice for Mayor of Tacoma.

Latasha Palmer is running for the Position 6 seat on the Tacoma City Council to create stability and security for all. She serves as a founding board member for the Aya Community Land Trust, which aims to prevent displacement and build wealth for the Black community in Pierce County, and as a board member for the Hilltop Action Coalition.

Matching her community experience, Palmer is running to address the critical issue of housing, as well as safety, climate resilience, and more. Some of her priorities include facilitating ADU development by streamlining the process, advocating for social housing, and expanding community land trusts. Her emphasis and experience in reducing displacement for Tacoma residents make her unique in the races for the city council this year.

In addition, Palmer wants to see cooperative childcare organized by parents receive regulatory support, offering training, licensing, and research that can help address the overall unaffordability of childcare in the region. As a council member, Palmer would also advocate for attracting more environmentally friendly businesses to the city and connecting neighborhoods and cultural areas with accessible transportation.

During our interview, we were impressed with Palmer's demonstrated track record of civic activism and clear vision for what she hopes to accomplish in office. We lean toward Latasha Palmer for Tacoma City Council, Position 6.

Incumbent Director Lisa Keating is seeking another term in District 1 on the Tacoma School Board. She first joined the board in 2019, when she defeated a more conservative long-time incumbent. She founded her own LGBTQ+ youth advocacy organization, My Purple Umbrella, and was recently named executive director of the Washington State LGBTQ Commission. Her advocacy work has focused on helping LGBTQ students feel safe in schools and other community institutions, and she holds a formal credential as a DEI facilitator.

Her campaign focuses on continued protections against discriminatory policies, ensuring students' safety in schools. She is seeking a proactive approach to combatting the looming threat of losing the Department of Education and shielding students from harmful policies. Lisa Keating is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for the Tacoma School Board, District 1 seat.