City of University Place
Not in City of University Place? Find your state's guide.
Ballot Drop Boxes
Return Ballots By August 5
Welcome to the Fuse Progressive Voters Guide to the 2025 Primary election! Since 2008, we've compiled information about candidates and ballot measures that allows you to make informed decisions about the races on your ballot, based on your values. You can learn about our partners and decision-making process here. We will continue to add additional recommendations until voting begins on July 16.
Port of Tacoma
Two well-qualified candidates are running for the Port of Tacoma from District 1: incumbent John McCarthy and Randy Wilson. The two candidates would bring somewhat different values and experience to the commission. Read the full descriptions below to find the candidate best aligned with your priorities for the Port of Tacoma.
Incumbent Commissioner John McCarthy is running for re-election to the Port of Tacoma Commission in Position 1. McCarthy first became a commissioner in 1983, serving for nine years, before rejoining the commission again in 2018. His background is as a longshore worker and a Pierce County Superior Court and District Court judge. Between his former and recent port commission terms as well as his judicial leadership, McCarthy has spent nearly four decades in public service roles in Pierce County.
McCarthy’s top issues include environmental protections for the Tacoma Tideflats, job creation, and expanding trade. However, he's taken a relatively moderate approach to many of the port's challenges and missed out on some opportunities to champion environmental conservation and advocate for workers. Despite this record, he's earned an impressive slate of endorsements from progressive community leaders and elected officials.
McCarthy is a good choice for voters looking for a steady, experienced hand at the Port of Tacoma.
Last updated: 2025-07-07
Incumbent Commissioner John McCarthy is running for re-election to the Port of Tacoma Commission in Position 1. McCarthy first became a commissioner in 1983, serving for nine years, before rejoining the commission again in 2018. His background is as a longshore worker and a Pierce County Superior Court and District Court judge. Between his former and recent port commission terms as well as his judicial leadership, McCarthy has spent nearly four decades in public service roles in Pierce County.
McCarthy’s top issues include environmental protections for the Tacoma Tideflats, job creation, and expanding trade. However, he's taken a relatively moderate approach to many of the port's challenges and missed out on some opportunities to champion environmental conservation and advocate for workers. Despite this record, he's earned an impressive slate of endorsements from progressive community leaders and elected officials.
McCarthy is a good choice for voters looking for a steady, experienced hand at the Port of Tacoma.
Last updated: 2025-07-07
Endorsed By: Tacoma Firefighters-IAFF Local 31
Incumbent Commissioner John McCarthy is running for re-election to the Port of Tacoma Commission in Position 1. McCarthy first became a commissioner in 1983, serving for nine years, before rejoining the commission again in 2018. His background is as a longshore worker and a Pierce County Superior Court and District Court judge. Between his former and recent port commission terms as well as his judicial leadership, McCarthy has spent nearly four decades in public service roles in Pierce County.
McCarthy’s top issues include environmental protections for the Tacoma Tideflats, job creation, and expanding trade. However, he's taken a relatively moderate approach to many of the port's challenges and missed out on some opportunities to champion environmental conservation and advocate for workers. Despite this record, he's earned an impressive slate of endorsements from progressive community leaders and elected officials.
McCarthy is a good choice for voters looking for a steady, experienced hand at the Port of Tacoma.
Last updated: 2025-07-07
Endorsed By: Tacoma Firefighters-IAFF Local 31
Randy Wilson is running for Port Commissioner in Tacoma, District 1. Wilson is a Democrat who has experience in international business trade, particularly in the Japanese market.
Wilson's campaign is prioritizing a strong workforce, environmental protections, and and community collaboration on the Port. He lays out a 4 year plan focused on promoting growth and sustainability. If elected, Wilson is proposing creating more formalized career pathways from logistics to marine operations to drive the port economy and help transition to low-emission practices. Overall, Wilson put together a thoughtful campaign, with economic development and sustainability at its core.
Although Randy Wilson may not hold as many endorsements as the incumbent, he is a good choice for voters looking for new progressive leadership at the Port of Tacoma.
Last updated: 2025-07-07
Randy Wilson is running for Port Commissioner in Tacoma, District 1. Wilson is a Democrat who has experience in international business trade, particularly in the Japanese market.
Wilson's campaign is prioritizing a strong workforce, environmental protections, and and community collaboration on the Port. He lays out a 4 year plan focused on promoting growth and sustainability. If elected, Wilson is proposing creating more formalized career pathways from logistics to marine operations to drive the port economy and help transition to low-emission practices. Overall, Wilson put together a thoughtful campaign, with economic development and sustainability at its core.
Although Randy Wilson may not hold as many endorsements as the incumbent, he is a good choice for voters looking for new progressive leadership at the Port of Tacoma.
Last updated: 2025-07-07
Randy Wilson is running for Port Commissioner in Tacoma, District 1. Wilson is a Democrat who has experience in international business trade, particularly in the Japanese market.
Wilson's campaign is prioritizing a strong workforce, environmental protections, and and community collaboration on the Port. He lays out a 4 year plan focused on promoting growth and sustainability. If elected, Wilson is proposing creating more formalized career pathways from logistics to marine operations to drive the port economy and help transition to low-emission practices. Overall, Wilson put together a thoughtful campaign, with economic development and sustainability at its core.
Although Randy Wilson may not hold as many endorsements as the incumbent, he is a good choice for voters looking for new progressive leadership at the Port of Tacoma.
Last updated: 2025-07-07
Other Candidates
Former Gig Harbor city council member Tim Payne is also running for the Port of Tacoma, representing District 1. Payne was on the council for 12 years, according to his Twitter account.
Payne's campaign is prioritizing the expansion of job opportunities, supporting businesses, modernizing the port, and regional collaboration. Unfortunately, he does not suggest any specific strategies or policies he would advocate for if elected. Additionally, Payne's previous association with the conservative group, Opportunity for Washington, indicates a rightward lean in his priorities.
Last updated: 2025-07-08
Former Gig Harbor city council member Tim Payne is also running for the Port of Tacoma, representing District 1. Payne was on the council for 12 years, according to his Twitter account.
Payne's campaign is prioritizing the expansion of job opportunities, supporting businesses, modernizing the port, and regional collaboration. Unfortunately, he does not suggest any specific strategies or policies he would advocate for if elected. Additionally, Payne's previous association with the conservative group, Opportunity for Washington, indicates a rightward lean in his priorities.
Last updated: 2025-07-08
Two progressive candidates are running for Port of Tacoma from District 4: Cyrus Donato and Dan Knox. We recommend Donato because of his strong values and policy platform.
Cyrus Donato is running for Tacoma Port Commissioner, District 4. Donato is currently the Puget Sound Inspector for the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF). He also serves on the Washington Advisory Committee on Trafficking (WashACT), during which he fought against labor exploitation and human trafficking in the maritime industry.
If elected, Donato will prioritize growing cargo, environmental accountability, and improving public trust through ethical governance. He is a proponent of reducing congestion and pollution in the Port's systems and wants to prioritize the use of clean technology to achieve this goal. He also recognized the Puyallup Tribe's land and wants to build more local partnerships in the decision-making process.
Donato is a vocal advocate for workers' rights in the fishing industry, with a particular focus on protecting immigrants. In 2023, he was part of the team that fought for a crew of Filipino fishermen who were trapped aboard fishing vessels for almost 2 months in Westport. The crew was stranded by their abusive employers who refused to pay them wages and kept them separated from their families. Eventually, the crew was rescued and given temporary visas to assist with the investigation into the crimes of their bosses.
While we would like to see some more detailed policy proposals, Cyrus Donato is clearly a progressive and passionate advocate for workers' rights. He is our choice for Tacoma Port Commissioner, District 4.
Last updated: 2025-07-08
Cyrus Donato is running for Tacoma Port Commissioner, District 4. Donato is currently the Puget Sound Inspector for the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF). He also serves on the Washington Advisory Committee on Trafficking (WashACT), during which he fought against labor exploitation and human trafficking in the maritime industry.
If elected, Donato will prioritize growing cargo, environmental accountability, and improving public trust through ethical governance. He is a proponent of reducing congestion and pollution in the Port's systems and wants to prioritize the use of clean technology to achieve this goal. He also recognized the Puyallup Tribe's land and wants to build more local partnerships in the decision-making process.
Donato is a vocal advocate for workers' rights in the fishing industry, with a particular focus on protecting immigrants. In 2023, he was part of the team that fought for a crew of Filipino fishermen who were trapped aboard fishing vessels for almost 2 months in Westport. The crew was stranded by their abusive employers who refused to pay them wages and kept them separated from their families. Eventually, the crew was rescued and given temporary visas to assist with the investigation into the crimes of their bosses.
While we would like to see some more detailed policy proposals, Cyrus Donato is clearly a progressive and passionate advocate for workers' rights. He is our choice for Tacoma Port Commissioner, District 4.
Last updated: 2025-07-08
Cyrus Donato is running for Tacoma Port Commissioner, District 4. Donato is currently the Puget Sound Inspector for the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF). He also serves on the Washington Advisory Committee on Trafficking (WashACT), during which he fought against labor exploitation and human trafficking in the maritime industry.
If elected, Donato will prioritize growing cargo, environmental accountability, and improving public trust through ethical governance. He is a proponent of reducing congestion and pollution in the Port's systems and wants to prioritize the use of clean technology to achieve this goal. He also recognized the Puyallup Tribe's land and wants to build more local partnerships in the decision-making process.
Donato is a vocal advocate for workers' rights in the fishing industry, with a particular focus on protecting immigrants. In 2023, he was part of the team that fought for a crew of Filipino fishermen who were trapped aboard fishing vessels for almost 2 months in Westport. The crew was stranded by their abusive employers who refused to pay them wages and kept them separated from their families. Eventually, the crew was rescued and given temporary visas to assist with the investigation into the crimes of their bosses.
While we would like to see some more detailed policy proposals, Cyrus Donato is clearly a progressive and passionate advocate for workers' rights. He is our choice for Tacoma Port Commissioner, District 4.
Last updated: 2025-07-08
Dan Knox is running for Port Commissioner in Tacoma, District 4. Throughout his campaign website, Knox insists that he is not a career politician. His platform includes creating union jobs and advocating for living wages with good benefits. Additionally, he acknowledges the Puyallup tribe and their ancestral land, on which the Port sits. He supports government-to-government collaborations when making decisions.
In this race, we lean towards Cyrus Donato for Port Commissioner in Tacoma, District 4 because of his demonstrated track record of advocacy.
Last updated: 2025-06-30
Dan Knox is running for Port Commissioner in Tacoma, District 4. Throughout his campaign website, Knox insists that he is not a career politician. His platform includes creating union jobs and advocating for living wages with good benefits. Additionally, he acknowledges the Puyallup tribe and their ancestral land, on which the Port sits. He supports government-to-government collaborations when making decisions.
In this race, we lean towards Cyrus Donato for Port Commissioner in Tacoma, District 4 because of his demonstrated track record of advocacy.
Last updated: 2025-06-30
Dan Knox is running for Port Commissioner in Tacoma, District 4. Throughout his campaign website, Knox insists that he is not a career politician. His platform includes creating union jobs and advocating for living wages with good benefits. Additionally, he acknowledges the Puyallup tribe and their ancestral land, on which the Port sits. He supports government-to-government collaborations when making decisions.
In this race, we lean towards Cyrus Donato for Port Commissioner in Tacoma, District 4 because of his demonstrated track record of advocacy.
Last updated: 2025-06-30
Other Candidates
Former Republican state lawmaker JT Wilcox is running for the Port of Tacoma Commission, District 4 seat. Wilcox stepped down from his Legislative District 2 seat earlier this year, where he had served since 2010 as a ranking conservative. Professionally, he’s worked for a lumber company, in self-employed consulting, and as the director of operations for Wilcox Farms.
Wilcox is a staunch conservative who previously organized a ballot measure to eliminate Washington’s sexual health education, opposed legislation that keeps our community safe by instituting commonsense gun safety measures and environmental protections, and has been a consistent obstacle to rebalancing our tax code. In his bid for the port commission, Wilcox is demonstrating a similar set of values, including suggesting that Tacoma voters put him in power because his family’s farm business is a local employer. He brings a business lens to port leadership, but we know that our community thrives when leaders view this commission as an opportunity to strengthen workers’ rights, environmental protections, and community investment. Wilcox is not a progressive choice for the Port of Tacoma.
Last updated: 2025-07-08
Former Republican state lawmaker JT Wilcox is running for the Port of Tacoma Commission, District 4 seat. Wilcox stepped down from his Legislative District 2 seat earlier this year, where he had served since 2010 as a ranking conservative. Professionally, he’s worked for a lumber company, in self-employed consulting, and as the director of operations for Wilcox Farms.
Wilcox is a staunch conservative who previously organized a ballot measure to eliminate Washington’s sexual health education, opposed legislation that keeps our community safe by instituting commonsense gun safety measures and environmental protections, and has been a consistent obstacle to rebalancing our tax code. In his bid for the port commission, Wilcox is demonstrating a similar set of values, including suggesting that Tacoma voters put him in power because his family’s farm business is a local employer. He brings a business lens to port leadership, but we know that our community thrives when leaders view this commission as an opportunity to strengthen workers’ rights, environmental protections, and community investment. Wilcox is not a progressive choice for the Port of Tacoma.
Last updated: 2025-07-08