2022 Candidate Highlight
Indivisible Eastside Member recommendations. These are not endorsements by Indivisible Eastside, rather individual recommendations for you to consider.
Candidate highlight 8/29/22 from Sally – Leesa Manion for King County Prosecutor
The League of Women Voters is putting on a forum on Thursday, September 8 at 7 p.m. to discuss the role of prosecutors. Learn about what the prosecutor does and how their decisions affect public safety. They will examine the impact of prosecutorial discretion throughout the course of a criminal case by looking at what happens once someone has been arrested. Click here to register or join live on the League’s YouTube page.
Leesa Manion has a Korean mother and Caucasian father and witnessed her paternal grandmother’s strong disapproval of her parents’ relationship. She now prioritizes reducing racial disproportionality in the justice system. Manion’s numerous endorsements include many local Democratic LDs, unions, and local judges and elected officials (King County Executive Dow Constantine, Senator Dhingra, etc.).
Manion’s opponent is Jim Ferrell, who has claimed to be a Democrat but whose access to the Democratic voter database was suspended pending investigation of violation of the terms and conditions.
Actions you can take:
- Donate to the campaign HERE.
- Learn more about the campaign HERE.
- Follow Leesa on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and amplify her posts.
- Tell your friends and neighbors about how important this election is!
Candidate highlight 8/22/22 from Louise – AAPI Victory Fund
There are several really great Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) candidates running in our state this election, and the AAPI Victory Fund is hosting a fundraiser for those candidates in Bellevue on August 24th. The Eastside has a very high percentage of Asian voters and many of them vote Republican, so supporting these awesome Democratic candidates to get out the vote is important. The event itself is pricey, but you can register to attend here if you have the means, or make a donation in support HERE.
Actions you can take:
- Donate to the fund here.
- Learn more about the fund here.
- Follow the Victory Fund on Facebook and Twitter and amplify posts.
Candidate highlight 8/15/22 from Allison – Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for Representative, WA -03
In Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, Joe Kent has won the race to represent Republicans in the November election, coming second to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Kent was endorsed by former President Trump, is connected to several white nationalist groups and thinks that the Jan 6th insurrection was a “phony riot.” A frequent guest on Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon’s broadcasts, he is now trying to unite Republicans in the 3rd CD behind his hate-filled philosophy. He has not been fazed in the least by recent developments around the FBI’s seizure of classified documents from Mar-A-Lago, and is still promoting inflammatory anti-FBI and DOJ messages on social media. He is a true MAGA believer and would be a dangerous replacement for the incumbent, Rep. Huerrera Butler.
The total Republican votes in the primary were above the 31% that Perez won but this is not a race that Democrats are about to concede without a fight. In 2020, Trump won the district by only about 4% of the vote and in the primary, Senator Patty Murray outpolled Republican Tiffany Smiley by almost 20 percentage points. The non-partisan Cook Political Report recently changed their rating for the 3rd CD from ‘Likely Republican’ to ‘Lean Republican’, which is a significant shift.
Maria Gluesenkamp Perez has deep family roots in Washington and owns and runs an auto repair shop with her husband. We need to support her to the greatest extent possible over the next few months. Unsurprisingly, Kent has received massive amounts of funding from right wing organizations, to the point where, as of July, he was far ahead of Perez in contributions. Let’s help to change that!
Actions you can take:
- Donate to the campaign here.
- Learn more about the campaign here.
- Follow Marie on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and amplify posts.
- Tell your friends and neighbors about how important this election is!
Candidate highlight 8/8/22 from Allison – Mandela Barnes for Senate in Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a priority race for Democrats in the battle for Senate seats in the midterms, and recent developments there have cleared the way for an outstanding Democratic candidate to run unopposed. Before this week’s primary, several Democratic candidates decided to drop out and endorse Mandela Barnes, leaving the field clear for Wisconsin’s first Black lieutenant governor to run in this critical race. He is a true progressive, becoming a State Representative at the age of 27 after working as a community organizer.
His opponent is the odious Ron Johnson, who said he was not running for a third term and then changed his mind. He is a stalwart Trump supporter and has been at the center of the nefarious dealings of that administration.
Please support Mandela Barnes in his effort to become a Senator for Wisconsin in any way that you can.
Actions you can take:
- Donate to the campaign.
- Learn more about the campaign here.
- Follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and amplify his posts.
- Tell your friends and neighbors about how important this election is!
Candidate highlight 8/1/22 from Allison – Jamie McLeod-Skinner for Congress in Oregon
For the first time since 1980, Oregonians have voted out a sitting member of Congress in a primary. Jamie McLeod-Skinner, a progressive Democrat from central Oregon, successfully ended the congressional career of Kurt Schrader, a moderate Democrat, beating the seven-term congressman in the Democratic primary for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. Fueled by the events of January 6th and the prospect of what would happen if the insurrection had succeeded, she decided to try to unseat the moderate incumbent. Her opponent in the general election is an anti-abortion MAGA Republican who believes Trump’s Big Lie. The election is likely to be close. Let’s help her win this seat in Congress!
Actions you can take:
- Donate to the campaign HERE
- Learn more about Jamie HERE
- Follow Jamie @jamiefororegon on Twitter
- Tell your friends and neighbors about how important this election is!
Candidate highlight 7/25/22 from Hanna – John Fetterman for US Senate for Pennsylvania
The race for US Senate in Pennsylvania is an important potential pickup seat for the Democrats in a state that Biden won, because of the retirement of incumbent Republican Pat Toomey. TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz narrowly won the primary against his Republican opponent, so he advances to the General Election against Democrat Candidate Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman. Fetterman is doing a glorious job of calling out Dr. Oz on Twitter about the fact that he is actually from New Jersey. This is an important race for us to keep control of the Senate.
Actions you can take:
- Donate to the campaign HERE
- Learn more about John Fetterman HERE
- Follow him on Twitter @Johnfetterman
- Tell your friends and neighbors about how important this election is!
Candidate highlight 7/18/22 from Kat P – Mary Hall, Thurston County Auditor
County Auditors directly impact the security, transparency, and accessibility of elections – sometimes more so than Secretaries of State. We need to ensure people with integrity serve in these important positions. Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall has proven to be such a person.
Much of the fallout from Election 2020 can be traced to misinformation and disinformation which has crossed the divide from conspiracy theory to mainstream media. The result is a dangerous decline of voter confidence in the election process. With all the misinformation, disinformation, and myths swirling around us, Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall provides a clarifying, fact-based perspective which you can hear about in the recording of the recent Indivisible Town Hall on Elections, Security, & Misinformation.
Actions you can take:
- Donate to the campaign HERE
- Learn more about Mary HERE
- View Indivisible Town Hall with Mary Hall HERE
- Tell your friends and neighbors about how important this election is!
Candidate highlight 7/11/22 from member Elizabeth S. – Jan Corn for State Rep. LD 16 (Walla Walla)
Please consider supporting Democrat Jan Corn running for State Rep. in Walla Walla (LD 16)! Her opponent is a Republican incumbent who has vowed to introduce anti-choice legislation in Washington State. This race is an uphill struggle for Jan, so anything you can do will be greatly appreciated, including sharing her website and social media with friends and making a donation if you can. Thanks for supporting a brave candidate who has stepped up to run for office in a tough situation! Let’s show her that it’s appreciated!
Actions you can take:
- Encourage donations (even small ones could really help in this local race) electjancorn.com
- Follow her on Facebook: JanCornForStateRep
- Extra bonus points if you have connections in Walla Walla and can share her website and Facebook with people there and encourage them to reach out and support Jan by volunteering or donating!
Candidate highlight 7/4/22 from Louise – support progressive candidates of color across Washington State
First Mile is an organization that operates a donor circle to fund the campaigns of progressive candidates of color, who traditionally face obstacles in getting funding due to systemic racism and the reluctance of mainstream funders to support their races. They focus on candidates in local elections who can most effectively represent the communities they wish to serve. Partnering with a variety of organizations to select candidates, they set up donations directly to campaigns in a unique and focused way. You can watch this video to see how your involvement can have an impact on the campaigns of candidates in down-ballot races across the state.
Candidate Highlight 6/27 from Allison – Sen. Emily Randall (D-Bremerton)
Emily Randall is the Democratic State Senator for the 26th legislative district. Born and raised on the Kitsap Peninsula, she was elected to the state Senate in November 2018. Emily is now the chair of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee, a member of the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee, and a member of the Senate Transportation Committee.
Emily has dedicated herself to expanding education opportunities and access to affordable health care for women, children, and LGBTQ folks around the country. In her first session as a legislator, she sponsored and passed the Reproductive Health Care for All bill and built a pathway to universal health care.
In the 2021-22 legislative session, Emily worked on a bill (SB 5688) which aimed to give the state attorney general the power to block hospital mergers if they would limit access to abortion care, gender-affirming health care or physician-assisted suicide. At least two recent hospital mergers in the state have led to changes in the availability of abortion. The bill did not pass but Governor Inslee has said that he wants to see the measure move forward next session.
Senator Randall has a fiercely right wing opponent in this year’s election, who is currently out-fundraising her. We absolutely must ensure that Sen. Randall is re-elected. She will be a powerful force in our fight to maximize our state’s access to abortion and we cannot afford to let her opponent win. Please support her campaign to retain her seat in the 26th.
| Donate | Website | Follow Emily on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and amplify her posts.
Candidate Highlight 6/20 from Kat: Rep. Jamila Taylor, LD30
I’m supporting Rep. Jamila Taylor (LD30, Federal Way) in her re-election campaign. Rep. Taylor has worked tirelessly to improve policing in Washington state, make sure schools are safe and healthy by getting rid of school lunch co-pays and ensuring schools have access to anti-racism and diversity, equity and inclusion training. She worked on expanding the Working Families Tax Credit, and has a strong focus on making childcare more affordable and accessible. As the Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, Rep. Taylor has spoken on the House floor about the importance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and answering the challenge of this moment in history. She has two Republican opponents: a police commander and a hard-right MAGA faction adherent. Like in other districts, residents of the 30th are concerned with crime and homelessness, making Rep. Taylor vulnerable to blind calls for “change” and increased policing.
| Donate | Website | Follow Rep. Taylor on Facebook |
Candidate Highlight 6/13 from Hanna Secretary of State Steve Hobbs
I would like to let you know the importance of electing Secretary of State Steve Hobbs back into the position he currently holds as appointed by Governor Inslee. The secretary of state is in effect the guarantor of the continuity and stability of good government in Washington, with their role extending to the certification, filing, and preservation of public records, the supervision of all aspects of state and local elections, and the registration and regulatory oversight of businesses and charities. Each county Auditor is responsible for the actual administration of their county elections, but it is the SOS’s job to make sure those are done correctly. He is the only Democrat running for this office, and don’t be fooled by his opponent, Julie Anderson, who is not as “non-partisan” as she claims to be. She endorsed Kim Wyman (our former Republican SOS) twice, and has hired Republicans to run her campaign.