Washington state’s election filing period is over, which means the Aug. 6 primary ballot candidates are set.
Redistricting in the state looped parts of Duvall, Carnation, Fall City and North Bend into the 12th Legislative District while cutting out some rural voters in Eastern Washington, effectively turning the 12th Legislative District purple from its previous red standing, according to census data analysis from the Northwest Progressive Institute (NPI).
Nearly 16,000 Washingtonians, primarily residing west of the Cascades, who previously lived in the 5th District will now vote in the 12th District, according to data from the Washington Secretary of State’s Office.
NPI shows that President Joe Biden won the new 12th District by a 50-47 percent margin since redistricting. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray lost the district 48-52 percent, while Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Sammamish, won the area 53-47 percent.
State Senator
Sen. Brad Hawkins, R-Wenatchee, has served two terms as the state senator for District 12 and four as a state representative before that. Hawkins announced he would not seek re-election due to the district extending farther away from his home in Wenatchee and time spent away from his family.
“It’s been my highest honor serving the people of the 12th District and all steps were directed toward my re-election effort, but life happens sometimes, and it doesn’t always make sense,” Hawkins wrote in April. “Avoiding long periods of time away from my family and bringing my public service closer to home is where my heart is leading me.”
Hawkins later announced he was entering the race for Chelan County Commissioner.
Two candidates have declared their candidacy for the open position: Washington State Rep. Keith Goehner (R), and Jim Mayhew (D), a former member of the Snoqualmie City Council.
Goehner, a former teacher and third-generation orchardist, has an extensive background in local government. Before his election to the House of Representatives in 2019, he served four terms as a Chelan County Commissioner.
Goehner wrote about his intentions to preserve and improve the state’s quality of life on his campaign website.
“After serving the past six years in the Legislature, I am committed to continue to provide a balanced voice to the legislative process,” he wrote. “We need to change the direction the state is moving and restore a strong and secure society. Government needs to limit its incursion into people’s lives while ensuring public services are delivered effectively and efficiently.”
Mayhew worked in corporate financial management before his election to the Snoqualmie City Council, where he championed fiscal responsibility and worked on issues of affordability, public safety, regional transportation and results-oriented human services, according to his campaign website.
“I’ve spent my career in business, then local government, taking a data-driven approach rooted in accountability and making every dollar count,” Mayhew wrote in a statement. “In state government, we need this focus to maximize investments in our schools, the welfare of our kids, the affordability of our communities, protecting environment and the safety of our roads and bridges.”
If elected, Mayhew would be the first Democratic senator for the 12th District since 1968, according to the state’s pictorial directories.
State Rep. Pos. 1
Another party shift is possible for state representative position 1, following Goehner’s run for senator.
Two Republicans, Brian Burnett and Jennifer Bumpus, and one Democrat, Heather Koellen, declared their candidacy by the May 10 deadline.
Burnett, a former Chelan County sheriff, is the director of law enforcement services for Seattle’s Finest Security and Traffic Control and serves as the administrative liaison for the Washington State Sheriffs Association.
He is “committed to maintaining the quality of life for the future of [children] in Washington State and [its] communities,” according to his campaign website.
Bumpus is the school board director for the Monroe School District and CEO of a training academy in Monroe.
As of now, Bumpus’s campaign website is under construction.
Koellen, a current North Bend City Councilmember, is the only Democrat running on the ticket. According to the city’s website, she’s a registered nurse at Harborview Medical Center and serves on the King County Board of Health, the Meadowbrook Farm Preservation Association and the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society. She is also an alternate on the Eastside Fire and Rescue Board.
“As a Harborview nurse, I am on the front lines of some of our biggest challenges,” Koellen wrote on her campaign website. “We have to work to reduce homelessness, reduce drug dependency, keep our neighborhoods safe, increase affordable housing and improve the quality of life for every Washington resident.”
State Rep. Pos. 2
Two Republicans have declared their candidacy for state representative position two: Washington State Rep. Mike Steele, R-Chelan, the incumbent, and Daniel Scott, an engineer from Cashmere.
Steele, having earned degrees in business administration and political science from Pacific Lutheran University, has an extensive background in government. After graduation, Steele served in the White House Office of Political Affairs for the Northwest region of the United States under President George W. Bush. Since then, Steele has worked for the House Republican Caucus for leadership and was hired as the executive director of the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the Chelan City Council and is an active member of the Chelan Community Hospital Foundation, according to his website.
He has held his current state representative position since 2017.
“[Steele’s] legislative priorities include building better policies around education, leading to the development of a skilled workforce, focusing on balancing the budget and building small business tax policy that decreases red tape and tax burdens, reforming the healthcare system in our state that ensures choice of coverage, affordability and cost containment for all,” according to his website.
Scott, an electrical engineer at the Chelan County Public Utility District, earned a degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Washington State University and served on the Cashmere City Council for nearly four years. He is also a longtime volunteer ski patrol officer at the Mission Ridge Ski Resort in Wenatchee, according to his LinkedIn.
Ballots for the Aug. 6 election will be mailed out on July 19.
