City of Bellevue

Janice Zahn is running against two candidates: Vinita Kak and John Whitney.

Vinita Kak has worked in the finance industry for over 25 years and served on the Planning Commission for the City of Newcastle.

Kak's platform includes prioritizing smart growth, fiscal responsibility, investing in education, supporting seniors, and improving public transit. While her goals have a progressive lean, her plan remains vague and unspecified. Additionally, in early 2025, Kak was part of the majority that voted to remove inclusive language from the city's planning documents. The council restored the edits in April 2025, a move that was a win for progressives. Kak's opposition to diversity and inclusion makes it clear she's not a progressive choice in this race.

Republican John Whitney is running a religious and conservative campaign, saying, "As your legislator, I will lead with love, truth, and justice, guided by a biblical worldview." His campaign primarily focuses on economic impacts, like reducing taxes and cutting government spending. Additionally, he stated that he will support law enforcement, but did not specify how he intends to do so. John Whitney's far-right values are vastly out of step with the people of the 41st Legislative District.

Zahn is the clear choice for state House from the 41st Legislative District.

Conservative Democrat Amy Walen is running for the state Senate after seeking and failing to earn the appointment from the King County Council. Walen has served in the state Legislature since 2018, when she first assumed the Position 2 seat in the House after serving on the Kirkland City Council.

In Olympia, Walen has focused on issues such as preventing animal cruelty and promoting commonsense gun safety. Unfortunately, she has been increasingly outspoken against key progressive priorities in recent years. Walen repeatedly voted against bills to limit rent increases, which will improve housing affordability for renters and seniors across the state. This year, Walen sided with Republicans against making large corporations and the wealthy pay what they owe our communities in taxes. In 2023, she was one of only two Democrats to vote against legislation that required warehouse workers for companies like Amazon to receive lunch and restroom breaks.

Walen's track record in office makes it clear that she does not share our values. Not surprisingly, she has received maximum campaign contributions from many corporate PACs and Republican donors this year. Sen. Vandana Slatter is the clear choice for the 48th Legislative District.

Two candidates are challenging incumbent Osman Salahuddin to represent the 48th Legislative District in the Washington House of Representatives: Dennis Ellis and Ranga Bondada.

Dennis Ellis is a former Boeing employee and small business owner. He previously ran for Redmond City Council in 2021 but was defeated by Melissa Stuart. He is currently the 48th District Chair of the King County Republican Party.

Ellis said he will bring a "fresh, conservative perspective" to this position. He heavily criticized the Sound Transit East Link light rail expansion and advocated instead to focus on existing roads and bridges. Ellis also opposes the Housing First model for addressing the homelessness crisis and vaccine mandates. Dennis Ellis is clearly out of touch with the people of the 48th District.

Ranga Bondada is also running for state Representative, Position 1 in the 48th Legislative District. In June 2025, he publicly signed a pledge in support of congressional term limits. In his voter pamphlet statement, Bondada's campaign is prioritizing public school funding, improving public transit, and increasing affordable housing. He is supportive of rent stabilization and wants to promote clean energy and sustainable infrastructure. Unfortunately, his campaign website does not further detail any policy proposals or solutions he would implement if elected.

John Wilson, the current King County Assessor, is running for King County Executive. During his campaign, Wilson stated that he would fight for "safe and thriving communities," citing his experience as King County Assessor.

In 2025, Wilson was accused of stalking and harassment by a former domestic partner. This was an alarming and serious allegation, which led to the current King County Council calling for Wilson's resignation. He continues to deny the allegations and has rejected calls for him to resign as Assessor. John Wilson is not fit to be King County Executive. Wilson withdrew from this race in mid-July but will still appear on the ballot.

Amiya Ingram is also running for King County Executive. Ingram has worn many hats professionally, from serving as a government military researcher to founding her own athleisure brand. While Ingram's campaign includes some progressive ideas, it also features other proposals that lean more moderate or conservative. She is a proponent of establishing more housing shelters that offer wrap-around services to address the housing crisis and help those struggling with addiction.

Rebecca Williamson is also running for King County Executive. Williamson's campaign website is linked to The Militant, which is a weekly socialist newsletter. As of early July, they do not have a detailed campaign website available, and their platform is unknown.

Bill Hirt is running for King County Executive. Hirt has run for various offices around Washington state, primarily to criticize light rail. Bill Hirt is not a serious candidate for King County Executive.

Don L. Rivers is the final candidate running for King County Executive. Rivers is prioritizing homelessness, safety, and small business support. He proposes some progressive solutions, such as housing-first programming and investments in affordable housing. His approach to public safety also includes public health measures and points to international models of community policing. Don L. Rivers is running a progressive campaign, however, there are other candidates in this race with more experience in public service.

Nicholas Ton is also running for Bellevue City Council, Position 1. Ton is a Microsoft risk and privacy manager who has led community initiatives for the company’s Asian employee resource group. In addition, he serves on Bellevue’s Diversity Advisory Network.

Ton is campaigning on a platform to restore community balance so that corporations and the wealthy pay what they truly owe. His vision for Bellevue is a city where everyone can afford the essentials, such as rent, gas, groceries, and medicine. On the issue of housing, he supports using city property in community land trusts to offer permanent affordable housing, banning corporate landlords of single-family homes, and wants to tax vacant luxury units to drive prices down.

Ton is a strong proponent of rebalancing our tax code and advocates for higher taxes on vacant lots, high-value properties such as mansions, and luxury items like yachts, sports cars, and private jets. He has many other community-minded ideas, including making developers subsidize community ORCA cards, eliminating a sales tax on items such as diapers, groceries, and medicine, and expanding public waterfront access. While Ton has a very progressive platform, his campaign has struggled to gain footing in this highly competitive four-way primary.

Small business owner Paul Clark is also vying for Position 1 on the Bellevue City Council. Clark has worked for the Civil Service Commission and the Parks and Recreation Board. His company works in software-defined radio training and consulting. Clark previously ran for the Bellevue City Council in 2023 and lost to former Councilmember John Stokes by a margin of more than 10 points.

Clark is running on a conservative platform, prioritizing business interests and opposing affordable housing development in large parts of the city. Much of his platform appears to be driven more by a reactionary, anti-Seattle stance than by a forward-looking vision for Bellevue residents. Not surprisingly, the King County Republican Party called Clark the "Best Choice" in this race.

Either Bhargava or Chang would be a much more thoughtful leader for Bellevue than Clark.

Alex Tsimerman is a perennial conservative candidate who has run for offices ranging from governor to state senator to Seattle city council member. Now, Tsimerman is running for Bellevue City Council, Position 6, with a familiar extremist agenda. In the past, he has made statements calling Seattle’s progressive leadership a “Nazi−Socialist−Democrats-Mafia” and advocating to run municipal government like a business rather than a public entity. His aggressive and inappropriate political behavior, which includes his repeated use of a “Heil Hitler” salute, has gotten him banned from Seattle’s City Hall. He is not fit to hold office at any level of government.

Nicole Myers is a nuclear engineer and the author of a local blog. She appears to mainly criticize specific details in Bellevue housing policy, such as the lack of porches on “cottage” developments. She appears to be a candidate who is passionate about improving the quality of life in Bellevue, including through ensuring high-quality new construction, expanding the tree canopy, investing in third spaces (outside of work and home) for residents, making the city's processes transparent, and increasing housing options for families. Unfortunately, her blog primarily features negative opinions about local efforts to increase housing supply, and it is unclear whether her platform ideas are equitable, sustainable, or realistic given the local issues facing Bellevue.

Allen Chongtai Huang is a tech professional with experience in software development, medical electronics, and electrical engineering. Huang has not released a detailed platform as of late June, but has shared conservative-leaning and contradictory priorities. He wants to cut public revenue but believes in expanding public services, such as transit, education, and law enforcement. We recognize that to build strong communities with thriving public resources, we should all pay what we owe in taxes, especially the ultra-wealthy.

Robinson's experience and track record in office make her the clear choice for Bellevue City Council, Position 6.

Aiya Kravi is also running for Lake Washington School Board Director. She held a career in consulting and served as a PTSA Board Member, with experience in real estate investment. Her priorities include promoting healthier food options, after-school programs, and career counseling to support post-graduate success. Kravi proposes expanding access to after-school programs and removing barriers like language, gender, cost, transportation, and special needs.

The third candidate in this race is Susan Hughes, a conservative running for Lake Washington School Board Director. Her campaign website remains vague and lacks concrete policy solutions she would implement if elected. In a survey administered by the King County GOP, Hughes echoed far-right talking points about transgender youth athletic participation. She also promised to look for school programs to cut to save money in the district, which would undermine educational opportunities for local students. Susan Hughes' priorities are out of touch with the needs of families in the Lake Washington School District.

Two other candidates are running for the Lake Washington School Board representing District 4.

Incumbent director Mark Stuart is seeking another term on the Lake Washington School Board in District 4. Stuart first joined the school board in 2014 and works in public relations and advertising outside of elected office.

Stuart was censured by his colleagues last year for violating Board Policy and the Code of Conduct after he lied about and tried to cover up that his wife threatened a district parent in retaliation for their advocacy at a school board meeting. As a result, he is prohibited from serving as the school board’s legislative chair or on any of the school district committees. Stuart is now running on a platform that emphasizes bettering communication between district residents, school families, and board members. He also aims to enhance anti-discrimination and equity throughout the school district. Unfortunately, Stuart's conduct makes it clear he's not the right person to pursue these goals or continue representing the community in school district decision-making.

Kim Martin is a hospitality professional, small business owner, and district parent. She has volunteered for her PTSA, and has children who have been part of public, private, co-op, and homeschooled education locally. More than policy recommendations, Martin’s platform is centered on relationship-building: between parents and educators, schools and their surrounding communities, and families and the district leadership. While Martin has some laudable campaign priorities, she lacks the endorsements and community support of Richter.