The Olympian endorses federal and state candidates
U.S. Senate: Patty Murray
Patty Murray has been Washington’s Senator for 30 years, and has lots of laurels to rest on.
She co-authored the Violence Against Women Act, negotiated a budget deal that avoided a government shutdown, won passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act to replace No Child Left Behind Act, won more benefits and better health care for veterans, and more money for Puget Sound restoration, salmon habitat, and Hanford cleanup.
But she’s not resting on these and many other laurels; she has an ambitious agenda that includes more pay and respect for preschool teachers, affordable child care, big federal investments in housing and drug treatment, sensible gun legislation, and funding and policies to prevent the next pandemic.
Tiffany Smiley, her Republican opponent, has no qualifications for office other than advocating for her veteran husband and other veterans issues, and hewing to Republican orthodoxy to oppose abortion and immigration. She thinks immigrants are responsible for fentanyl, and that Democrats are responsible for the global problem of inflation.
We endorse Murray, whose dedication, common sense, and seniority provide significant benefits for our state.
10th Congressional District: Marilyn Strickland
Marilyn Strickland is finishing her first term in Congress after two terms as mayor of Tacoma and a stint as President and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, which benefits JBLM, and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where she has secured grants for our region’s needs.
Her priorities include federal action on housing, protecting democracy, and ensuring that infrastructure spending is well-managed. She favors restoring the Voting Rights Act and making the child tax credit permanent.
Keith Swank, her opponent, is an Army veteran and police captain whose agenda is centered on combating crime, building a “physical barrier” at the border with Mexico, addressing election integrity, reducing the state gas tax, and making the U.S. energy independent.
We endorse Strickland. She was a strong candidate two years ago; she is an even more accomplished and capable candidate with experience under her belt. Her opponent’s dark view of drugs, crime and violence may reflect what he faces at work, but it does not constitute a rational agenda. He also errs in blaming Strickland for these problems.
Secretary of State: Julie Anderson
Julie Anderson has been the Pierce County Auditor since 2009, and has served on the Tacoma City Council. She also is the past president of the state Association of County Auditors, and is endorsed by over two dozen current county auditors.
She is running because she believes this position should be nonpartisan. She is not, as some have alleged, a stealth Republican; an Axios investigation found that over the years, she has donated more to Ds than to Rs. She is supremely well qualified.
Steve Hobbs, a Democrat and former state Senator, was appointed Secretary of State by the governor after Republican Kim Wyman left to accept a job in the Biden administration. Hobbs is the son of a Japanese immigrant, and a longtime Army National Guardsman with cybersecurity expertise.
Both candidates are full of good ideas for expanding voter access, protecting security, and carrying out the other duties of the office, which include responsibility for corporate and nonprofit registration, the state library, prison libraries, the state archives, and preservation of state history.
However, we endorse Anderson. She has deeper expertise in elections — the marquee issue in this race — and we believe having a nonpartisan Secretary of State is the best way to make inroads into reassuring some segments of our state the integrity of our elections is being protected.
