SNOHOMISH COUNTY—With November 5 general election less than three weeks away, the Lynnwood Times reached out to both Shasti Conrad, Chair of the Washington State Democrats, and Jim Walsh, Chair of the Washington State Republican Party, to hear why voters should vote for their respective party’s candidates and their thoughts on the four statewide initiatives.
Both chairs were asked the same questions encompassing platform, citizen initiatives, candidates for key statewide positions, and why Kamala Harris or Donald J Trump is the best pick for President of the United States.
What are the key issues in this election and why should a voter vote for members of your party? (Keep this state level, not federal)
Shasti Conrad: Washington voters will decide who will best protect their rights and freedoms, security, and economic opportunity. They will also decide who is best able to protect the clean air and water that have made Washington such a beautiful place to live and raise a family. Democratic candidates for every elected office have put forward practical solutions.
Bob Ferguson was the first candidate to release a public safety plan for our state that will invest resources into law enforcement as well as addressing the root causes of crime and gun violence.
Dave Upthegrove has committed to ensuring our state lives up to its climate promises, investing in building resilience in our frontline communities while also securing the health of our forests and drinking water.
Patty Kuderer is a champion for access to affordable healthcare and will work to rein in insurance companies that seek to hike prices at the expense of care for Washingtonians. And every Democratic candidate has expressed their unswerving commitment to ensuring that every woman has autonomy over her own body.
Washington state is one of the best places in the country to open a business and to raise a family thanks to Democratic lawmakers advancing solutions that don’t just meet the moment but prepare our state for the long term. More work still needs to be done, but only Democratic candidates are offering solutions based on real world practicalities, which is why voters have consistently seen fit to grow our majorities in the legislature and elect Democrats into every statewide elected office.
Jim Walsh: Illegal immigration, the cost of living, rising crime rates. State and local law enforcement agencies need to be able to cooperate with federal agencies to enforce this nation’s immigration laws. The state government needs to hold its three budgets steady to allow the private-sector economy in Washington has time to catch up with the government’s growth.
The “knowing” possession and use of hard drugs like fentanyl need to be returned to felony crime status, as the State Supreme Court in its “Blake” decision stated that these could be. Washington Republicans aren’t just the only political party offering solutions to these problems, however, we’re the only party with enough common sense to acknowledge that the problems exist! We will fix these problems with bills, if we can; or by initiative, if we must.
Where do you stand on initiatives 2109, 2117, 2124, and 2066? What are your elevator pitches to convince a voter support your position?
Shasti Conrad: We urge Washingtonians to VOTE NO on every statewide initiative this year. These initiatives would blow multi-billion-dollar holes in our state budget, requiring draconian cuts to our frontline workers, education services, and environmental protections.
Beyond the criminal lack of transparency (which resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in fines for backers of these initiatives), none of these initiatives actually guarantee lower prices for consumers. A “yes” vote for each of these initiatives would unfairly shift the bill for desperately needed services off the wealthy and large corporations onto the rest of us. These initiatives are a trojan horse for conservative policies that Republicans can’t get passed in the legislature because of their inability to get voters to elect them. Defend Washington by voting NO.
Jim Walsh: 2109, 2117 and 2124 are just as strong policy and compelling politics as they were when I filed them last year. They will reform Washington’s flawed tax policy by giving working people and families in Washington much-needed relief. Initiative 2066 is a good addition to the lineup that restores consumer choice in clean energy options, and it also saves working people money.
Three statewide races are getting a lot of attention this year, Governor, Attorney General, and OSPI. Why should a voter support your party’s candidate?
Shasti Conrad: Bob Ferguson for Governor, Nick Brown for Attorney General, and Chris Reykdal for OSPI lead with transparency, practicality, and a commitment to always fighting for Washingtonians.
Bob Ferguson is the only candidate who will protect a woman’s right to choose from federal overreach and who has plans to ensure public safety while building our economy from the middle out and not the top down.
Nick Brown has taken on drug traffickers and cartels as U.S. Attorney. Nick also helped write the Safe Schools, Safe Communities initiative which passed with 60% of the vote, bringing more resources to keep our students safe while they pursue their education.
Chris Reykdal navigated the pandemic and its impact on education by listening to communities and the scientific community. He has helped ensure protections for LGBTQIA+ students and their families while also creating more opportunities for students to achieve their goals.
Democratic candidates for these vitally important offices have demonstrated over and over their commitment to working for every Washingtonian, not just the wealthy and powerful. Our clean air, clean water, consumer and worker rights, and our education system require knowledgeable and experienced leaders to ensure their protection. Vote Ferguson, Brown, and Reykdal.
Jim Walsh: Dave Reichert is the only candidate for Governor who has the temperament to serve the people of Washington effectively. There’s a lot of broken state laws and public policy, a lot of division and divisiveness in our state. Dave Reichert can fix these problems. His opponent would only make our problems worse.
Pete Serrano is the best choice for WA State Attorney General. He’s a common-sense constitutionalist—something that’s been sorely lacking the State AG’s office for over a decade. Importantly—though sometimes overlooked in media coverage—Serrano’s executive experience as Mayor of Pasco, will be necessary to reform an agency that has become weaponized against the people of Washington by the previous AG.
David Olson is simply the only rational choice to run the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The current Superintendent, seeking his third term, has overseen the tragic and catastrophic collapse of Washington’s public school system. Scores are down, morale is low and families are removing their children in record numbers. Olson, on the other hand, has served with great success at a school board president in Pierce County. His district has seen scores, morale and enrollment rise.
It is Wednesday, November 6, and either Kamala Harris or Donald J Trump won the presidential race. Share your concerns for Washington state if the candidate of your opposite party is the winner; share your hopes/goals if the candidate of your party won the presidency.
Shasti Conrad: Should Donald Trump win a second term, we take him at his word that he will be a “dictator on day one.” We have already experienced the chaos and trauma of a Trump Administration and expect a second term would threaten our standing in the world and economic prosperity.
Economists from every part of the political spectrum say Trump’s economic program would supercharge inflation and amount to a $6,000 cost of living increase for the average American.
Should Vice President Harris become President Harris, we look forward to continuing the unbroken streak of job growth started under President Biden, continuing to tame inflation, and a stalwart commitment to our international allies in the face of authoritarian dictators. We also know that women and LGBTQIA+ communities would have an ally in the White House committed to protecting their rights. Furthermore, a Harris-Walz Administration would be committed to upholding the rule of law. We have seen from past experience that Trump holds no such fidelity to our constitution or independent justice system.
Jim Walsh: Kamala Harris is a phony and she’s not very bright, as her ongoing troubles speaking coherently in public illustrate. She may not even fully understand how extreme her policy positions are, vaguely stated as they may be. If she’s elected president, the United States will survive but its people will suffer—economically, spiritually and culturally.
Donald Trump seems to have learned lessons and refined his priorities from his first term as POTUS. His newly-formed alliances with nontraditional politicians like Robert Kennedy, Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and others suggest the promise of a nonpartisan approach to public policy and governing at the federal level. Personally, I hope he will concentrate on lowering the national debt during his second term, which at this point, seems almost certain to take place.
Closing statements by both Shati Conrad and Jim Walsh
Shasti Conrad: Washington Democrats are asking for your vote to continue our work of building an economy and natural environment that are the envy of the world. Through a commitment to working in communities for communities, our candidates have the experience and expertise to address the root causes of many of the issues impacting our state.
While the WA GOP puts up extremists who don’t believe women should control their own bodies and LGBTQIA+ individuals should have no place in society, Washington Democrats are committed to building a state that works for everyone regardless of their background or politics.
Jim Walsh: Washington is on the cusp of a major realignment in its state politics. The people are tired of being lied to by sanctimonious politicians. They are tired of empty virtue-signaling, rising crime, attacks on the nuclear family and the ugliness of watered-down socialist policy.
Legal immigrants and naturalized citizens in Washington tell me—almost every day, now—that they came to this place to get away from such government excess.
The WAGOP is attracting allies and supporters from communities that most Washingtonians wouldn’t consider expected “Republican” groups.
We are building new coalitions that lazy left-wing politicians aren’t even noticing. I’m not sure whether these changes will show results this election cycle or the next…or the next. But the change is coming. And the people of Washington state will be better off for it.
