Four Republicans to duke it out for a seat in State House talk climate change, abortion, bill to split state

There is no shortage of Republicans who want to replace state Rep. Suzanne Schmidt.

Schmidt announced earlier this year that she will run for Spokane County commissioner rather than seek a new term representing the Republican-leaning 4th Legislative District, which includes Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake.

The choices on the Aug. 4 primary ballot include long-time school board member Debra Long, cidery owner Trent Maier, Air Force veteran Hillary Pham and Navy veteran George Wagner. They're all Republicans

. Long, Maier, Pham and Wagner are campaigning against each other for a shot at representing the district.

Each candidate is focused on affordability and lowering taxes.

For decades some conservative legislators in Eastern Washington have called for splitting Washington in two. Rob Chase, who holds the other House seat in the 4th District, has a plan that would split the state into two autonomous regions within Washington, one called the Puget Sound region, the other Columbia. The two regions would have regional governors, judges and legislators, but would remain one state for federal elections.

Long and Wagner oppose the idea. Pham supports it and Maier gave mixed opinion . Pham worked with Chase as his assistant when he introduced the bill .

Long said the bill wouldn't make sense economically.

"Why would I want to give away 33% of our tax revenue to Seattle and Western Washington? For every dollar we send to Olympia we receive back $1.33," Long said. "The autonomous zone plan would financially devastate Eastern Washington."

Long was on the Central Valley School Board for 20 years until she lost an election to Stephanie Jerdon who challenged her from the right in 2023.

Wagner said the bill is not likely to move forward, but that it's clear Eastern Washingtonians are feeling ignored by leaders in Olympia.

"The answer is not dividing the state. The answer is electing leaders who will fight for the people they represent," Wagner said. "I will be a strong voice for the 4th District, working to repeal costly and unnecessary policies, push back against government overreach, and advocate for practical solutions that help families, businesses, and communities thrive. Washington works best when all regions are heard and represented."

Wagner and his wife, Janinta Wagner, have seven children and live in Newman Lake. He spent 21 years working as a recruiter for the U.S. Navy.

Wagner said if elected, he would try to emulate the policies that the city of Spokane Valley runs on: keeping taxes low.

"We need to do better for the people in our area. We're funding the wrong things. The state is running a deficit because of bloated spending, money isn't going toward what it should," Wagner said.

Pham said Chase's bill started a valuable conversation about representation and would ultimately create a task force to further investigate if the political separation is feasible.

Pham, 29, is by far the youngest candidate in this race. Pham, an Air Force veteran, graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in urban planning and is currently working on a master's degree in public administration. She lives in Liberty Lake.

This race is all about affordability, she said.

"Affordability is a cornerstone of this race," she said. "Certain policies are doing more harm than good. I want to grow and build the district in a way that is sustainable and affordable. I've proven to be effective in Chase's office and ready to become a leader."

Maier said the proposal is about creating an autonomous regional structure to give local communities more control over government decisions.

"As a business owner and engineer, I see firsthand how decisions made in Olympia impact energy costs, housing affordability, taxes, job creation and the overall cost of living," Maier said. "That said, I'm not ready to give up on Washington. This is my home, where I've built a business and invested in my community. Republicans lost the majority one seat at a time, and I believe we can earn it back one seat at a time. We need more legislators with real-world experience who can bring common sense and accountability back to Olympia."

Maier operates Trailbreaker Cider in Liberty Lake. Maier changed career paths after working as an electrical engineer for several years. This is his first time running for office.

If elected, Maier said he would focus on helping out local business owners, maintaining good roads and lowering taxes. He has worked closely with the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce.

"I run a small business, and it gives me some perspective. I've gone on trips to Olympia and it's shaped some thoughts in my mind," Maier said.

The four candidates criticized the state's Climate Commitment Act.

"While people can impact the environment on a local level, such as reducing pollution and improving air quality, I do not believe Washington state can meaningfully influence global climate trends. What the state can do is make life more expensive," Wagner said.

Long called the act a regressive tax that drives up gas prices and creates a financial burden for working class values.

Wagner and Pham critiqued Washington's solutions to climate change, saying several measures have resulted in few actual results. Pham says the Climate Commitment Act and gas tax have created affordability issues and lack real measurable progress to climate change.

"If questionable climate policy wasn't diverting funds, our transportation budget has the potential to grow so we can ensure our infrastructure, bridges and roads are safe and reliable. Ideally keeping businesses and dollars in Washington State means more reinvestment to our community," Pham said.

Pham specifically said she'd focus on keeping grocery bag fees low.

"Those small wins make a difference; they add up," Pham said.

Washington benefits from clean energy sources through hydropower and dams, which should be protected, Maier said.

"It would be ideal if all energy production in Washington was to somehow become carbon free, let alone everywhere on Earth which would be the only logical goal from any efforts since we share the air everywhere on the globe," Maier said. "Not only is this essentially impossible, but it's additionally irresponsible for legislators to have set expectations through the Climate Commitment Act and subsequent political campaigns to confuse voters on the use of those dollars."

Washington needs to find a way to return taxes to the free market, so independent businesses can deliver real world solutions, Maier said.

"Rather than relying on heavy-handed mandates, the state should encourage free-market innovation, technological advancement, and private-sector investment. We can promote environmental stewardship while maintaining energy reliability, economic growth, and affordability for working families," Maier said.

Wagner and Long oppose abortion rights, but Long said there should be exceptions to that rule in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is at risk. Asked their position on abortion rights, Maier and Pham did not give specific positions on if they opposed or supported them.

"I believe life is deserving of protection, and we should build a culture that values life by supporting mothers, strengthening families, encouraging adoption, and ensuring women have the resources they need during difficult circumstances," Maier said.

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