The Olympian’s 2020 endorsements for statewide offices

The Olympian’s editorial board of two — editor Dusti Demarest and editorial writer Jill Severn — expanded to include Lacey City Council member Malcolm Miller for the 2020 election. We participated in Zoom interviews of the candidates along with our sister publications The News Tribune in Tacoma and the Tri-City Herald in eastern Washington.

Here are the candidates we endorse. You can learn more about the candidates in our online Voters Guide.

Governor: Jay Inslee

Jay Inslee is running for a third term, which is unusual, but then so are the times we’re living in. From our view, he has been a rational, effective leader in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, trying to balance public health with the economy. He also has been a national leader on climate change, an issue of paramount importance.

His opponent, Loren Culp, is the police chief in Republic. He rocketed to FOX News fame by refusing to enforce a new gun safety law, and publishing a book about it. While that stance has earned him popular in some circles, it does not make him qualified to run the state government.

Lieutenant Governor: Denny Heck

Denny Heck, our retiring 10th District congressman, former state legislator, former chief of staff to Gov. Booth Gardner, co-founder of TVW, and successful entrepreneur, is arguably over qualified to be our Lieutenant Governor — or most any political post. He also is a pragmatic mainstream Democrat.

Marko Liias is a much younger and more progressive state senator who wants to use this office to advocate for universal health care, LGBTQ rights and tax reform. But we don’t believe that’s the job description for this office.

Whoever holds this office may be tapped to serve as governor if Democrat Joe Biden is elected president and offers Jay Inslee a cabinet position he can’t refuse. Heck says that if that happened, he wouldn’t run for a full term as governor. But we believe our state would be in good hands with Heck at the helm for the short term or the long.

Secretary of State: Kim Wyman

Kim Wyman, a two-term incumbent, has done a solid job of creating secure voter registration and balloting. She also has been a national champion of vote-by-mail systems, and has offered vital assistance to other states. While she is a Republican, she appropriately treats her office as if it were nonpartisan.

Gael Tarleton, a four-term state legislator, started her career as an analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency, and believes that evolving challenges to election security should be an even greater focus. We believe that may be a step too far.

Superintendent of Public Instruction: Chris Reykdal

Chris Reykdal, a former teacher, school board member and state legislator, has focused on increasing high school graduation rates, revitalizing career and technical education, and expanding early learning. He also has worked hard to help local school districts fund and deliver online learning and school meals during the pandemic.

His opponent, Maia Espinoza, is largely running because she is upset about a new law requiring comprehensive sex education in all schools, which appears on the statewide ballot as Referendum 90. From our view, she would have been better off working to oppose R-90.

Attorney General: Bob Ferguson

Bob Ferguson has focused more of his office’s attention on consumer protection, immigrant rights, and environmental protection. And he has taken on many of the questionable actions of President Trump’s administration, winning 34 out of 35 legal challenges, starting with the original ban on Muslim immigration. He was instrumental in getting Backpage, a site that facilitated child sex trafficking, off the internet.

Matt Larkin, his opponent, does not have the breadth or depth of legal experience to be qualified for this position.

Treasurer: Duane Davidson

Duane Davidson, a Republican and former four-term Benton County treasurer, is finishing his first term as steward of the state treasury. He is endorsed by former state treasurer Dan Grimm, a Democrat, probably because Davidson is focused more on his profession than on politics. He has provided valuable consumer services, including a nifty financial education course, on his office’s website.

His opponent, Mike Pellicciotti, is a state legislator and assistant state attorney general who cannot match Davidson’s expertise.

Auditor: Pat McCarthy

Patrice (Pat) McCarthy, the incumbent and first female state auditor, is well qualified and competent. She is a former Pierce County Executive and auditor. Her office has held agencies accountable through important performance audits, including recent ones on data backup and disaster recovery, as well as child support. Her office’s website is easy to use.

Her opponent, Chris Leyba, has three years of experience as a law enforcement auditor, and gave us no reason to oust the incumbent.

Commissioner of Public Lands: Hilary Franz

Hilary Franz, the former executive director of Futurewise and a one-term incumbent, has made improving forest health and land management to reduce fires her main focus. She has also worked to balance the interests of rural economies with the those of her metropolitan environmentalist supporters.

She is being challenged by Sue Kuehl Pederson, a fisheries biologist and retired power manager for the Grays Harbor PUD, whose resume and proposals indicate inadequate knowledge of the challenges of this office.

Insurance Commissioner: Mike Kreidler

There are several reasons we’ve elected Mike Kreidler five times: he’s good at his job, he cares about ordinary people, and he has expanded health insurance choices for consumers. During the pandemic, he’s disallowed co-pays and deductibles for COVID-19 testing, and expanded coverage for telehealth.

His well-meaning opponent lacks even a basic understanding of how this office works.

Supreme Court Position 3: Raquel Montoya-Lewis

Raquel Montoya-Lewis, the first Native American to serve on the Supreme Court, was appointed by Gov. Inslee last December to fill a vacancy. Her resume is impressive, with extensive judicial experience as both a Tribal Court and Superior Court judge as well as a professor.

Her opponent, Dave Larson, has served as a judge of the Federal Way Municipal Court. He ran unsuccessfully against Supreme Court Justice Charlie Wiggins in 2016, and it is curious why he chose to oppose a justice who is so much better qualified than he is.

Supreme Court Position 6: G. Helen Whitener

G. Helen Whitener, also appointed by Inslee this past April, is a distinguished former Pierce County Superior Court judge, prosecutor, public defender, and co-chair of the state Minority and Justice Commission. She is the second African American to serve on the court.

Her opponent is Richard Serns, a former Winlock school superintendent who has no judicial experience.

This story was originally published October 11, 2020 at 5:45 AM.