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October 16th , 2022 Political Note #514 Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, and Montana
2022 General Election
The Great Northwest and the Pacific. Add the populations of these six states together, there are about 17 million people. That makes this group a little smaller than the State of New York. The six states have 12 Senators. New York is blessed with two.
Alaska — Governor
Alaska has a non-partisan primary from which the top four candidates emerge. The top four run in the general election in a ranked vote system. They count all the first ranked votes. The candidate who comes in fourth is eliminated. The second ranked votes for that candidate are applied and the results are reviewed again. The candidate who comes in third is eliminated. The second ranked votes for that candidate are applied and the results are reviewed again. With only two remaining candidates, one should have a majority and is elected.
Four candidates have advanced to the general election.
Democrat Les Gara. He is a former state rep and former Assistant Attorney General, of Iraqi-Jewish descent with a BA from BU; a JD from Harvard. He grew up in foster homes after his father was killed in a burglary and has been an advocate for foster children. He is a particular critic of the incumbent’s cuts to higher education spending. 538 projects that he has an 8 in 100 chance of being elected and is likely to get 29.9% of the first ranked votes.
Independent Bill Walker. He is a former governor, elected after a cooperative arrangement with the Democrats moved the Democratic nominee to running as Walker’s Lt. Governor. His family construction business was wiped out in the 1964 earthquake and he went to work, at age 12, as a janitor. The business recovered and he went on to college and law school. He became a successful oil and gas attorney. His goal is to create a more equitable Alaska to ensure that everyone has at least basic infrastructure such as flush toilets. He wants to restore funding to the University of Alaska and to expand tourism. 538 projects that he has a 9 in 100 chance of being elected and is likely to get 24.1% of the first ranked votes.
Republican Charlie Pierce. He is the mayor of the Kenai Peninsula Borough. A graduate of Alaska Pacific University, he worked for and advanced in ENSTAR energy corporation, retiring as a Division Operations Manager. His first priority is to restore the permanent fund dividend to Alaskan taxpayers; his second is to exploit Alaska’s resources. 538 projects that he has less than one chance in a 100 to be elected and is likely to get 6.1% for the first ranked votes.
Incumbent Republican Mike Dunleavy. The incumbent governor, originally from Scranton, PA, has a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Alaska and worked in public schools for 20 years as a teacher, principal, and school superintendent. He had been a state senator before being elected governor in 2018. His focus is on public safety, protecting access to guns, fighting the Biden administration, and restoring the permanent fund. 538 projects that he has an 84% likelihood of winning election and is likely to get 39.8% of the first ranked vote.
If you would rather Dunleavy not return, provide some support to Les Gara or to Bill Walker.
Idaho – Governor
Stephen Heldt
Of the candidates I have reviewed, Stepehn Heldt is the one most likely to go viral. You could call him the almost accidental candidate for governor. He really had no interest in running for governor. His father encouraged him. Stephen Heidt is happy in his work teaching prison inmates. A Mormon, he became fluent in Portuguese during his mission. He seeks out bilingual prisoners and helps prisoners become bilingual.
It is a good thing that Stephen Heldt filed. David Reilly never did file which is a good thing. He has been described as an anti-Semitic troll. Mayor Shelby Rognstadt tried to file, but was not allowed. He had never formalized his switch from the Republican party.
Two men came to Stephen Heldt’s house. They were there to tell him he was the Democratic nominee for Governor. This Democratic everyman gave two weeks notice to the prisons where he teaches. He relies on bilingual teaching assistants chosen from among the prisoners. He will particularly miss working with them. He has rarely articulated his political views, but had announced one view publicly. Before we heard from Joe Biden, Stephen Heldt’s friends and colleagues heard him say that marijuana should be decriminalized and those who were convicted solely for possession should be pardoned. Now that he is a candidate, his other political views have become visible. His website (now that he is a real candidate, he has one) explains he is for protecting Main Streets and rural Idaho which, he says, Republican government has neglected. He would improve the Medicaid expansion voted by Idahoans to ensure that every person in the state has affordable health care. He is for better funding for education and teachers’ right to bargain collectively. If truck drivers can organize, he insists, school teachers should be able to do that as well.
Can Stephen Heldt compete against the incumbent Brad Little? Little has signed a bill prohibiting abortions after the first six weeks; he opposes gun control, opposes LGBT rights. He has opposed legalization of marijuana in the past, but, in the light of the President’s example, he has said he would pardon those convicted of marijuana use only.
538 believes that Stephen Heldt has less than 1% chance to be elected and a likely loss of 29.1 – 63.6. At the end of August, Republican incumbent Brad Little had raised $2 million, but spent most of it on the primary. He has $287,000 now. I see no information about Stephen Heldt’s fund raising; he does have a button for that on his website
Where is Michael Moore or someone else who can tell Stephen Held’s story? Even with just a little time left, Stephen Heldt is worth investing in.
Hawaii Governor
Josh Green
The former Lt. Governor running to replace the term-limited governor is usually a good bet. Josh Green came to Hawaii after Swarthmore and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. He was fulling his service obligation on the Big Island and stayed. He’s still there, an emergency department physician at Kohala Hospital. Before he became Lt. Governor, he was a state senator. At Lt. Governor, he served as the governor’s liaison with the medical community. Whether it was the state’s success in dealing with Covid or something else, Josh Green has a 63% approval rating. He will face Republican Duke Aiona in the general election. Of Hawaiian, Portuguese, and Chinese descent, Aiona went to the mainland to play basketball (University of the Pacific) and to get his BA. He got his law degree at the University of Hawaii. He began his legal career as a prosecutor, was appointed a family court judge and then a circuit court judge. While serving as a judge, he created Hawaii’s drug court program intended to give offenders a chance to stay out of prison through rehab.
- 538 projects Green as having a better that 99% chance of winning the election with a probable margin of 63.3-36.7
- Recent polls are helpful but there are no polls for the 2022 race
- Aiona won his primary while trailing in fund raising. He is trailing by eneve more for the general election, which he is unlikely to win.
Oregon Governor
Tina Kotek
This race is not clear cut at all. It has three serious candidates: Democrat Tina Kotek (Political Note #478), former Speaker of the House, Republican Christine Drazin, former House minority leader, and Independent Betsy Johnson, former conservative Democratic state senator.
The last four governors of Oregon were Democrats. There is a danger that the string will stop at four. Tina Kotek moved to Oregon from Pennsylvania when she was 21. She completed her BA in religious studies then an MA from the University of Washington in International studies. While studying in the west, she came to terms with herself as a Lesbian. By 1998 she had begun the transition from a religious studies major to a politician. Back in Oregon she became the lobbyist for a food bank, then the policy director of an organization supporting children, and finally, in 2006, she was elected an Oregon State Rep. By 2013, she was majority leader. She achieved some goals – LGTQ rights, environmental progress. Some people were annoyed at her. A Republican complained she swore at him. Another legislator said she threatened to retaliate against him if he did not provide a vote she needed.
Her opponent, Christine Drazen, was the minority leader for some of the time when Tina Kotek was Speaker. Drazen was a tough opponent. She knew how to delay consideration of legislation. She led her troops out of state to oppose redistricting. Still Tina Kotek’s real opposition is Betsy Johnson. Johnson complained she did not want to choose between another lefty liberal and a Trumper. Now she is creating a real possibility that Oregon will get the Trumper.
- 538 says Kotek will win 52 times out of 100, Drazen will win 47 times out of 100, and Johnson has less than a 1% chance of winning. Their
- Recent polls are always helpful
- An anonymously funded A- rated poll reported on October 1st that Kotek was behind Drazen 34-36
- An anonymously funded B/C rated poll reported on September 26th that Kotek was behind Drazen 47-53
- An anonymously funded B/C rated poll reported on September 26th that Kotek was behind Drazen 35-39
- A media funded B/C rated poll reported on September 24th that Kotek was behind Drazen 31-32
- A trade organization funded unrated poll reported on September 20th that Kotek was behind Drazen 32-33
- Since the beginning of 2021, according to the Oregon Capitol Insider, Kotek has raised just under $9 million, Drazen just under $8 million, and Johnson $11.1 million.
Alaska – US Senator
All Alaska races have a non-partisan primary to select the top four. Ranked voting is used to choose among the top four For US Senator, there will be a top three because one of the top four primary vote getters has withdrawn.
Pat Chesbro is a Democratic activist, a teacher, principal, school superintendent, faculty member of the University of Alaska Anchorage, and chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning. As a retired school superintendent, she’s the kind of person I would like to have representing me. In this case, she announced her candidacy in response to the leaked Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v Wade. Her other major issues include job creation through infrastructure improvements ranging from ferries to airports to the energy grid to broadband. Second on her list is supporting child care, which is currently so expensive that it counts as a crisis. She has said she is not necessarily running against Lisa Murkowski so much as working to ensure that Alaskans have an alternative voice in the national legislature. 538 sees her as having less that 1% chance of being elected and getting ranked first on 22.6% of the first round of balloting, which would drop her from the balloting for the second round. At the end of July, she had virtually no funds.
Kelly Tshibaka, a former state and federal official, is definitely running against Lisa Murkowski, running with Donald Trump’s blessing. Her growing up was in Anchorage and Wasilla, but she went away to school – BA from Texas A & M, JD from Harvard. In the federal government, she was an assistant to the Justice Department Inspector General, an advisor to the Office of National Intelligence Inspector General, and ultimately acting Inspector General for the Federal Trade Commission and assistant Inspector General for the Postal Service. In Alaska, she was commissioner of the department of administration. In the campaign for the US Senate, endorsed by Donald Trump, she has been supported by former Trump administration officials. 538 sees her as having a 53 in 100 chance of winning election, and getting ranked first on 37.7% of the ballots. At the end of July she had $800,000 available.
Lisa Murkowski is the sitting US Senator. Her father, a banker, was elected US Senator and Governor of Alaska. She went away to school – BA Georgetown, JD Willamette, then worked primarily in private practice in Anchorage. She was elected to the Alaska House in 1998. After redistricting, she was reelected by 56 votes, defeating an anti-abortion opponent, and continued on in the House serving a Majority Leader. When her father, Frank Murkowski, resigned his position as US Senator to become Governor, he appointed Lisa Murkowski as US Senator. In 2022, she is running for her fourth term in office, one of which she won with write in votes after losing the primary to a right wing candidate. In the US Senate, she has been a centrist Republican. Consider her voting on Supreme Court nominees. She voted present for Brett Kavanaugh, to confirm Amy Barrett, but only after voting against accelerating consideration of her confirmation, and for confirmation of Kentanji Brown Jackson. 538 sees her as having a 47 in 100 chance of being elected and getting ranked first on 36.5% of the first round of ballots. At the end of July, she had $5.3 million.
- An anonymously funded B/C rated poll reported on September 27th that Murkowski led Tshibaka 42-41, with Chesbro getting 17%
- An AARP funded unrated poll reported on September 11th that Tshibaka led Murkowski 47-38 with Chesbro getting 14%
Idaho – US Senator.
David Roth
Expressing discomfort with the idea that there could be a “safe seat” in a democracy, Democrat David Roth announced his candidacy for the US Senate. He is the Executive Director of the Bonneville Youth Council, Inc, the Director for the regional Habitat for Humanity, the treasurer for the statewide Community coalitions, and Chair of the county Democrats. He is running against the incumbent Mike Crapo. Crapo has a BA from Brigham Young and a JD from Harvard. He joined his older brother’s law firm and ran for the state senate after his brother, then the state House majority leader, died from cancer. Elected to Congress in 1992 and the US Senate in 1998, Crapo is anti-abortion, anti-gun safety legislation, was opposed to the Affordable Care Act, opposed to a joint committee to look at the January 6 insurrection, and opposed to expanding veterans’ health care benefits to include the toxic effect of burn pits.
- 538 says Roth has less than 1% chance of being elected, the projected result would be a 27.8 – 65.5 loss.
- There are no polls available
- At the beginning of July, Roth had virtually no funds, Crapo had $5.3 million.
Hawaii – US Senate
Inc Brian Schatz
A twin, his parents moved from Ann Arbor to Hawaii when the twins were two. His dad, a cardiologist, was the first person to write a complaint about the ethics of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment. His father was an influence on Brian Schatz approach to public matters. Briefly a member of the Green Party, he has a particular interest in the environment and climate. A State Rep and CEO of Helping Hands Hawaii, he stepped down to run for Lt. Governor and was appointed Senator by the governor after Daniel Inouye’s death. He is Jewish and only the second non-Asian to serve as a Senator from Hawaii. As Senator, in addition to climate issues, he has had interests in health care, education, and national security. No Senator from Hawaii will lack an interest in the Pacific. Generally considered a progressive Democrat, his voting record gets rated as more moderate. His opponent, Bob McDermott, is a state rep and former Navy League official. McDermott has been fiery and controversial. He is an opponent of same sex marriage, shouted profanities at fellow Republicans in the House for not yielding time to him, and led a fight to oust a fellow Republican from a leadership position because she was not a Trump supporter.
- 538 says Schatz has a better than 99% chance of being elected, the projected result would be a 66.2 – 29.2 win.
- There are no polls available
- At the end of July, Schatz had $3.4 million, McDermott had virtually no funds.
Oregon – US Senate.
Inc Ron Wyden
The son of German Jews who escaped the Holocaust, a basketball player recruited by Division I schools, a graduate of Stanford with a JD from Oregon, the principal characteristic of Ron Wyden’s politics is insistence on transparency – from the government and from corporations. A founder of the Gray Panther party, he taught gerontology before he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1980. He was elected to the Senate in 1996 and is widely understood to be a progressive, which is mostly accurate though it might be more accurate to describe him as a reformer, some of whose reforms overlap with those of libertarian Republicans. He is opposed by Jo Rae Perkins a QAnon devotee.
- 538 says Wyden will win more than 99 out of 100 times and projects a 57.4-37.8 win
- Recent polls are helpful.
- An anonymously funded A-rated poll reported on October 1st that Wyden was leading 51-32
- At the beginning of July, Wyden had $8.8 million, Perkins had virtually nothing
Washington – US Senate
Inc Patty Murray was a preschool teacher; not a job associated with money. Lobbying for support for early childhood education from her local Member of the Assembly, he told her her efforts would not make a difference, she was just a “mom in tennis shoes.” She took the comment too heart and took it as a description of herself as she ran for office. She was elected to her local school board, defeated her state senator, and, astonishingly, defeated the Republican US Senator. Brock Adams had been vulnerable. There was an accusation against him of sexual assault. There were several more coming. When the first woman got no response from authorities, they waited for the election year. His sexist statements did the rest. Patty Murray became a US Senator committed to health issues, to better working conditions for farm workers, to an education system with multiple pathways to success, and to veterans. Her opponent, Tiffany Smiley, had made a name fighting on behalf of her husband, who had been blinded while serving in Iraq. She helped him stay in the service and talked to the public about the evils of the federal bureaucracy
- 538 says Murray will win 97 out of 100 times and projects a 57-43 win
- Recent polls are helpful.
- An anonymously funded A- rated poll reported on October 1st that Murray was leading 51-42
- An anonymously funded A- rated poll reported on September 28th that Murray was leading 52-40
- A Republican funded A-rated poll reported on September 24th that Murray was leading 49-47
- A media funded A/B rated poll reported on September 15th that Murray was leading 50-37
- At the middle of July, Murray had $6.6 million. At the beginning of October, Smiley had $2.3 million
Congressional Races
From these six states there are four races among the 50 that 538 identifies as the 50 closest races;
Alaska
AL At Large (AL)
Inc Mary Peltola won a shocking victory in September’s special election, a victory that was largely a product of the number of second place votes she received in Alaska’s top 4 ranked vote general election. There were only three finalists because independent Al Gross withdrew. Mary Peltola received second place votes from Republicans — Sara Palin supporters and Nick Begich III supporters. The general election promises the same array of candidates with the addition of a Libertarian Chris Bye. Mary Peltola, a Yup’ik, is a former tribal judge and executive director of an Inter-tribal fish commission. She is the first Member of Congress to have been born in Alaska, the first native American, and the first woman to represent Alaska in the House of Representatives. She has not been in Congress long, but is described as a moderate Democrat. She earned 36.8% of the vote in the primary and came in first.
Sara Palin is a national figure. Elected governor of Alaska defeating the Incumbent, Frank Murkowski, in the 2006 primary, she was John McCain’s choice for Vice President. Outspoken and volatile, she was at odds with Alaska’s Republican establishment and was a favorite of the national right wing of the Republican Party before Donald Trump was a political figure – bringing a similar attitude toward the press and toward what they would both describe as the left wing elite. She earned 30.2% of the vote in the primary and came in second.
Nick Begich III comes from an Alaska political family. His grandfather represented Alaska in Congress, but he and his plane disappeared two years later. One uncle was mayor of Anchorage and a US Senator. Another uncle is a State Senator. Nick Begich III is different from the rest of those in his family. They are or were Democrats, he is a Republican. He supports the Supreme Court decision on abortion, opposes gun controls, opposes transgendered athletes participating in sports in their new gender, but does acknowledge that Joe Biden was elected president. He says there is a crisis of trust in our elections which can be addressed with transparency. He earned 26.2% of the vote in the primary and came in third.
Chris Bye, a Libertarian, actually came in fifth in the primary. The Republican who came in fourth withdrew soon enough so that the next eligible person could follow. Bye describes himself as an Alaskan fishing guide, youth soccer coach, former youth shooting coach with neither family political connections nor big money support; just a regular Fairbanks guy who believes in “Liberty and Freedom for all.” He earned .6% of the vote in the primary.
- 538 says Peltola has a 50% chance of being elected, projected to get 47.7% of the first round vote against 24.8% for Palin, 22.2% for Begich, and 5.3% for Bye.
- Recent polls are helpful. Note that a first round lead of 50% +1 would mean an election.
- An anonymously funded B/C rated poll reported on September 27th that Peltola was leading Palin 49-26 in the first round.
- An anonymously funded unrated poll reported on September 14th that Peltola was leading Palin 50-27 in the first round
- An AARP funded B/C rated poll reported on September 11th that Peltola was leading Palin 46-31
- At the beginning of September, Peltola had $1.1 million, Begich III $500,000, and Palin $100,000
Oregon
OR 05 D+3
Jamie McLeod-Skinner
Born in Wisconsin, at nine years old, Jamie McLeod left for Kenya with her mother. She went to elementary and middle school there, but returned to the US (to Oregon this time) for high school. Perhaps she picked up running in Kenya, she was pretty good in high school. Her record at Ashland High School in the 800 still stands. Back across the country to New York, she got her Bachelor’s at RPI and her Master’s in engineering at Cornell. She went to work for the International Rescue Committee, but wound up working for them in San Jose. By 2004, she had been elected to the Santa Clara City Council. By 2008, she had become a planner for the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Unwilling to get settled, she left for law school in Oregon. She became a city manager, married a woman, and crossed Oregon to Cass Skinner’s family ranch. Politics took care of her restlessness. She ran for Congress, did creditably, but lost. She was elected to the Board of the Jefferson County Service Unit. Then ran for Oregon’s Secretary of State and lost. Running for Oregon’s Fifth Congressional district Jamie McLeod-Skinner found a seat she really could target. In the primary, she defeated the conservative Democrat who had held off the Republicans in this conservative district. Could she defeat Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the Republican nominee, a Latina, the Mayor of Happy Valley, and an advocate for the police and law and order?
- 538 says McLeod-Skinner has a 45% chance of being elected and projects a 49.6-50.4 loss
- Recent polls are helpful.
- A Democratic funded B/C rated poll reported on September 8th that McLeod-Skinner was leading 41-38
- An anonymously funded B/C rated poll reported on August 18th that McLeod-Skinner was behind 34-44
- At the beginning of July, McLeod-Skinner had $390,000, Chavez DeRemer had $180,000
OR 06 D+7
Andrea Salinas is the daughter of immigrants from Mexico. Her father worked the fields, joined the military and fought in Vietnam. He returned home to become a cop – a good, union job as Andrea Salinas describes it. Not so good a job that it was easy to pay for college, though. Andrea Salinas worked her way through the University of California, Berkeley – from painting to pouring coffee. From Berkeley, she went to Washington DC. She worked for Harry Reid, Pete Stark, Darlene Hooley, and had become well enough known that she returned to Oregon to become the legislative director for the Oregon Environmental Council and then the Oregon VP of Strategies 360. She got herself elected to the Oregon House of Representatives and became the majority whip. Her issues in addition to climate and the environment have been health care policy, protecting reproductive health, raising the minimum wage, paid family leave, and lower cost prescription drugs. Now she is trying out for the US House of Representatives. Her opponent is Mike Erickson, also the child of a cop. While at Portland State, he earned a business degree and was an outstanding punter and placekicker for the football team. Out of school he formed a company that negotiated shipping contracts. The company was identified as one of the 500 fastest growing in the country. He was also interested in politics. He ran and lost for two Oregon state house seats – his second try was against Kate Brown, the outgoing governor of Oregon. He ran for Congress in 2006 and lost that race, too.
- 538 says Salinas will win 73 out of 100 times and projects a 49.7-45.5 win
- Recent polls are helpful.
- A Term Limits Organization funded B- rated on August 15th that Schrier was leading 47-43.
- At the beginning of July, Salinas had $360,000, Erickson had $240,000
Washington
WA 08 EVEN
Kim Schrier
Just as she had to decide between being a scientist and a doctor, Kim Schrier (Political Note #451) had to decide between remaining focused on her medical practice and politics. A granddaughter of German Jews who left Germany before Nazis took control, she was disturbed by Nazi symbols at the Charlottesville rally. She was also disturbed at her Congressman’s persistent opposition to the Affordable Care Act. By the time he announced his retirement and voted against repeal of the ACA and against the Republican alternative, she had already announced her candidacy. The doctor who was once identified as the top pediatrician in the greater Seattle area is now an established Member of Congress looking at the consequences of redistricting. The district has been squared up. Some rural areas have been added. The district is still a toss up. Kim Schrier is prepared to defend the infrastructure law, to point out its value for addressing the climate crisis, to show how construction will help the community, to explain that inflation was originally a product of dislocations from covid and subsequently from oil companies and others taking advantage of the opportunity to gain greater profits. Her opponent, Attorney Matt Larkin, has made his slogan – Make Crime Illegal Again. He complains about drug abuse and the homeless. He wants “commonsense solutions”, but doesn’t identify any “commonsense” solutions. He says people are tired of the “elite ruling class talking down to them” as this former prosecuting attorney is working in his father’s business. He was walloped in the statewide race for attorney general in 2020. Can he do better in a less Democratic Congressional district?
- 538 says Schrier will win 86 out of 100 times and projects a 56.6 – 43.4 win
- Recent polls are helpful.
- A US Term Limits funded B- rated poll reported on August 15th that Schrier led 47-43
- At the middle of July, Schrier had $5.5 million, Larkin had $500,000
Down Ballot Races
Attorney General — Idaho
Tom Arkoosh is a widely respected Idaho attorney. He went to Harvard then came home to get his law degree at the University of Idaho and to stay there practicing law. According to KTBV, he has attracted support from several influential Republicans. In his debate with Raul Labrador, a volatile culture warrior and former Congressman, Arkoosh said of Labrador: “He promises to fight for freedoms. What freedoms might those be? It’s the freedom to deny women health and arrest their doctors. It’s the freedom to defund our schools, it’s the freedom to ban our books and close down our libraries. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to run a law office and I think my opponent wants to run a cultural war room.” Labrador left Congress after losing a leadership battle to current Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. He ran for governor and lost in the primary to current governor Brad Little.
Tom Arkoosh warrants support from everywhere. He has $182,000 available while Labrador has only $148,000. With more help, Idaho could elect a Democratic Attorney General.
Secretary of State — Idaho
Shawn Keenan, a mortgage broker, was moved to run for public office by the political and culture wars. In the spring of 2020, he wrote for the Coeur D’Alene newspaper a condemnation of a state rep and minister who opened his home for religious services despite the Governor’s Stay at Home order. His specific incentive to run was that two of the three Republicans running for Secretary of State denied that Joe Biden had legitimately won the presidential election. After the primary, he expressed relief that Phil McGrane, the candidate who was not an election denier, won the Republican nomination. He said, anticipating the election, “It’s good to have competition; it’s good to give the voters a choice, but I am pleased to know that regardless of the results, I feel like Idaho will be in good hands.” Republican Phil McGrane is an elected county clerk and has his law degree from the University of Denver. While in law school, he had a clerkship with the US Election Assistance Commission.
Washington – Secretary of State
This is a special election. Washington and the states not included do not have down ballot elections in 2022.
Secretary of State
Steve Hobbs is running to complete the term of Kim Wyman who left office in 2021 to join the Biden administration as the Senior Election Security Lead of the Cyber Infrastructure Security Ageny (CISA). Steve Hobbs had been appointed by the governor and will have an opponent – Julie Anderson. As a state senator. Steve Hobbs led a bipartisan committee in developing a $16 Billion transportation infrastructure bill. Previously, he came in fourth in a run for Lt. Governor. His opponent is Julie Anderson, a county auditor, who points to her experience with and her belief in Washington’s vote by mail system. She says she will be a non-partisan secretary of state and has the support of some Democrats and Independents.
Assume you have $500 for Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, how would you spend your money.
Consider the following
Tina Kotek Governor Oregon $100
Mary Peltola Congress AK AL $100
Jamie McLeod-Skinner Congress OR 05 $100
Andrea Salinas Congress OR 06 $ 50
Kim Schrier Congress WA 08 $ 50
Tom Arkoosh Attorney General Idaho $100
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