Who’s running for what: a guide to candidate filing 2018

As of 5 p.m. today, Candidate filing week for 2018 has passed in Washington State.

From May 14 through 18 those looking to run for a variety of seats had a chance to file statewide for elected positions up for grabs this year. Locally the races for the U.S. House of Representatives and Clark County Council have attracted the most candidates, though seats in the Washington legislature and other county-wide offices brought in challengers.

U.S Senate 

The most high-profile race on the 2018 ballot is for Washington’s U.S. Senate seat, currently filled by Democrat Maria Cantwell. Vancouver resident and political-activist Joey Gibson is challenging Cantwell as a Republican. Among other things, Gibson is calling for term limits as he campaigns against an incumbent currently seeking to win her fourth six-year term.

Gibson has received national attention due to his activism which included hosting rallies that attract right-wing supporters, in some cases members of “alt-right” groups with fascist and/or racist ties. Gibson himself has denounced affiliation with such groups.

Other local candidates for the federal office included RC Smith and Brad Chase, both of Vancouver. In total 29 candidates filed for the seat.

3rd Congressional District

More regionally, the race for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District features a slew of candidates with a few new names added to those who had previously declared. Incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, is running for a fifth term, but has six challengers vying for a spot in Congress — including ones from her own party.

Republican Earl Bowerman of Camas announced his intent to run against Herrera Beutler in April. Bowerman, a retired agriculture professor, felt the incumbent was not working well with the Trump Administration’s agenda, taking particular issue with her decision not to vote for the now-president.

Another Republican joined the race officially this week: Micheal Cortney, a retired electrician from Vancouver. On his campaign website, Cortney noted some differences he had with more mainline GOP members such as a positive view of more taxes on the rich and at one point stating that the Citizens United campaign finance court decision was “one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in (his) lifetime.”

Alongside Bowerman and Cortney are four Democrats looking to unseat Herrera Beutler. First to file was a surprise to those following campaigns as Martin Hash’s paperwork went through 30 minutes after filing opened. Hash had previously run against State Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, in the 2016 election but was defeated by the incumbent.

Hash joins three Democrats who had previously announced their intent to run for the position. Vancouver businessman and lawyer David McDevitt is taking another shot at Herrera Beutler, having ran against the Representative in 2016, failing in the August primary. McDevitt has touted himself as having the most funding out of the challengers; according to Federal Elections Commission data he had more than $400,000 cash on hand per the latest quarterly filings, far above all other challengers.

McDevitt, whose campaign chest was largely funded by personal loans from himself, isn’t the only candidate with six figures on hand, as Herrera Beutler has close to $770,000.

Another Democratic challenger has also raised more than $100,000, as WSU Vancouver Political Science Professor Carolyn Long had $167,000 on hand per the latest filing.

Long has been seen as the Democratic front-runner given several high-profile endorsements she has received, including Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson and former Washington governor Christine Gregoire.

Rounding out the candidate field for the Third Congressional District is Dorothy Gasque, a combat veteran and progressive activist. She has received a number of endorsements from progressive groups including the Washington State Progressive Caucus and the Justice Democrats among others.

Clark County Council

Three of the five seats on Clark County Council are up for election this year. The race for council Chair is headed to a primary election as four candidates have filed for the seat. Incumbent Marc Boldt (no party preference) has filed to retain his position but has challengers from both parties also seeking election.

Washington State Progressive Caucus Vice Chair Eric Holt is running as a Democrat, hoping to break Republican dominance on council.

Republican challenger Eileen Quiring is no stranger to council as she currently serves as the member from the county’s rural District 4.

Another Democrat, Christy Stanley, also filed late May 18 listing a Battle Ground residence as her address.

The race for the District 1 council seat is fairly competitive with a slate of four candidates, including two Democrats.

Incumbent Jeanne Stewart, a Republican, is running again, filing within the last hour of the period. In April Stewart told The Reflector she had yet to make up her mind, explaining she saw tough competition in candidate Jim Moeller, a former elected official in both city and state government. He too filed in the last hour, having previously announced his intent to run in March.

There will be even more Democratic competition as Temple Lentz has filed for the District 1 seat. Lentz was previously a part of Clark County’s home rule charter process which in 2015 significantly changed the way county government is run. Alongside Lentz is Veny Razumovsky who has filed to run under the CascadiaNow party.

Clark County Council’s District 2 seat will see exclusively Republican competition as both candidates who filed did so as GOP members. Incumbent Julie Olson will be seeking re-election to her post, though she has a challenger in newcomer Elizabeth Veneman.

17th Legislative District

Both races for the 17th District are competitive, with one going to a primary election in August. The race for Position 1 includes incumbent Vicki Kraft, R-Vancouver, and two challengers, both Democrats.

Tanisha Harris, a Court Appointed Special Advocate Program Specialist for YWCA Clark County, is running for Kraft’s seat. Harris, a former candidate for Clark County Council in 2016, has received several endorsements including Battle Ground Mayor Mike Dalesandro and Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik.

The Position 1 race also features James Tolson, a military veteran and co-founder of Concerned Humans Against Poverty. Much of Tolson’s campaign focus is on issues of poverty, in particular a push to repeal a prohibition on rent control passed by the state in 1981.

Position 2 in the 17th District also has a competitive race, as incumbent Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, will go against challenger Damion Jiles in November. Previously, Jiles has listed his chief policy points as infrastructure, healthcare and education, noting the inability to replace the Interstate 5 bridge as particularly frustrating.

18th Legislative District

The race for Position 2 features all newcomers, as current Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, announced earlier this year she would not seek another term.

Republican Larry Hoff has received a number of endorsements from his party including Rep. Brandon Vick, R-Felida, who represents Position 1 in the district. Hoff, a retired credit union CEO, is up against Democrat Kathy Gillespie, a retired newspaper editor who recently stepped down from her role as Vancouver Public Schools Board Director.

The race for Vick’s seat, which is also up for election, was looking to be a foregone conclusion until late Friday when a challenger jumped into the fray. Chris Thobaben, a Democrat, filed against the incumbent ensuring a contest in November.

20th Legislative District

Representatives for Woodland and the northernmost parts of Clark County are off to the races this year as both incumbents have challengers for their seats. Position 1 Rep. Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, is set to face newcomer John Thompson, a Democratic challenger out of Silver Lake.

For Position 2, incumbent Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama has two challengers, neither Republicans. Chehalis School District board member Brennan Bailey announced his run against Orcutt in July 2017. Bailey, a Democrat, is joined by Mark Smith, owner/operator of Eco Park Resort, who is running as an independent in the race.

Other races

A handful of county posts are also up for election this year, with many being competitive races. Clark County Assessor Peter Van Nortwick filed for re-election and faces competition in the August primary from two competitors, Norbert Schlecht and Darren Wertz. Wertz, a councilor for the City of Ridgefield, had ran against Nortwick previously in 2014, falling to the incumbent. Both Van Nortwick and Wertz have declared Republican party preference with Schlecht claiming none.

The election for Clark County Clerk is also competitive, as incumbent Scott Weber, a Republican, will face Democrat Barbara Melton in November.

Clark Public Utilities has a race going to a primary election as its District 1 seat is up for grabs. Incumbent Jim Malinowski seeks to continue on for another six-year term though he has competition in challengers Judy Chipman and Sherry Erickson. The nonpartisan position covers a large jurisdiction featuring all of North Clark County.

Those races with three or more candidates will go to a primary election Aug. 7 where the top two will continue on to the Nov. 6 general contest. Those with only two candidates go straight to the November vote.