2008 Washington state
Progressive Majority
Endorsed Candidates

Peter Goldmark

Peter Goldmark has owned and operated his family's Okanogan ranch for more than 30 years. In 2006, Peter ran for Congress. It was a surprisingly competitive race against an entrenched incumbent in WA-5, a very conservative congressional district. Progressive Majority, along with members of our Washington Advisory Council, helped recruit Peter into the race for Commissioner of Public Lands. The Lands Commissioner is Washington state's highest environmental office; the position oversees the state's Department of Natural Resources. The conservative incumbent commissioner, Doug Sutherland, continues to publicly express skepticism regarding the causes and potential impacts of global warming.

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Pam Brokaw

A former newspaper reporter and congressional staffer, Pam Brokaw is the executive director of a non-profit organization that builds sustainable, affordable housing. She is also the former chair of the Clark County Democratic Party. With the help of Progressive Majority, Pam sought office for the first time in 2004, running for the legislature in the conservative 18th district. Although she did not win the seat, Pam ran a strong race and won endorsements from three major area newspapers during the hard-fought campaign. After being recruited by Progressive Majority in early 2007, Pam announced in December her bid for the open commission seat. She has strong support from elected Democratic representatives at the local and state level as well as Progressive Majority 2005 and 2006 candidate Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart. The commission is currently made up of one progressive, one moderate Democrat and one conservative. The moderate Democrat is retiring, so Pam's election would mean the body will swing to a progressive majority. Clark County is the fastest-growing county in the state, so control of the commission means that critical land-use decisions will be made in favor of the environment instead of big developers. Pam is the sole Democrat in the race and there are currently three conservatives running.

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Helen Price Johnson

Helen Price Johnson, along with her husband, owns and manages a successful small business on Whidbey Island. She was elected to the South Whidbey School Board in 2001, and currently she represents the board on legislative issues at the state and federal level. In 2006 we helped elect Progressive Majority candidate John Dean to the Island County Commission. He is the sole progressive on the three-member commission. John introduced us to Helen in early 2007 as a possible candidate for a future campaign. After meeting with Helen, we knew she would be a great candidate for the Island County Commission. If she wins we will have a progressive majority on the Island County Commission. In the summer of 2007, the four-term conservative District 1 incumbent stepped down from his seat. Subsequently, the Island County Planning Director, Phil Bakke, was appointed to fulfill the last year of his term, and is now seeking election. Bakke has proven to be closely aligned with the conservative Republican majority on the board. We need Helen on the Commission to stop Bakke from getting a solid conservative hold on this seat.

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Fred Walser

Fred Walser is a challenger for the Washington State Senate, District 39. Fred is the former City of Sultan Police Chief, chair of the US-2 Safety Coalition and a founding board member of the Washington State Patrol Troopers Association. Fred's roots in the community run deep: he is a former board member of the Snohomish County Federated Health and Safety Network, a former commissioner for the Snohomish County Children's Commission, a Governor-appointed member of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board and was instrumental in starting the Monroe Boys and Girls Club. Fred is no stranger to politics; his wife, Donnetta, is in her second term as Mayor of Monroe. He is an ideal progressive candidate to square-up against conservative Senator Val Stevens, known for her radical anti-choice and anti-gay rights positions. If Fred can unseat Sen. Stevens, his legislative agenda will include addressing the safety concerns on Highway 2 and increasing transit options. Fred has numerous endorsements, including Sheriff John Lovick, whom Progressive Majority successfully fielded as a candidate for Snohomish County Sheriff in 2007.

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Kevin Ranker

When Sen. Harriet Spanel announced her retirement from the Senate this spring, we recruited Kevin Ranker, a San Juan County Commissioner and former United Food and Commercial Workers member. Kevin is a passionate environmentalist who has worked tirelessly to protect ocean habitats in his work with the Ocean Foundation, Surfrider Foundation, Ocean Wilderness Network, and Friends of the San Juans. Kevin is lining up progressive endorsements, including the Washington Conservation Voters, NARAL Pro-choice Washington, SEIU 925 and 775, and Kevin is the official nominee of the 40th Legislative District Democrats. Steve Van Luven, a multi-decade Republican legislator from Bellevue, is the lone Republican in the race.

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John Driscoll

John Driscoll is a first-time candidate, but long-time community advocate in Spokane. John works for the Spokane County Medical Society Foundation as the Executive Director of Project Access, providing universal, on-demand health care access for underserved people in Spokane County. John asked Progressive Majority for support after hearing of the work we did in 2006 on behalf of his future seat-mates, Sen. Chris Marr and Rep. Don Barlow. John's opponent, conservative incumbent John Ahern, is the sole Republican representing the 6th LD in the legislature. Ahern is extremely conservative, even asking during a committee hearing on domestic partnership legislation if 'we have a Gestapo situation' to prevent people from entering into domestic partnerships with their dogs. John is racking up the local and allied support necessary to win this race, including key endorsements from the Washington State Labor Council and Sen. Lisa Brown.

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Tim Knue

Tim Knue is a candidate for the state House of Representatives in the rural swing 10th Legislative District. Tim is a 32-year classroom teacher, Washington Education Association member and former teacher of the year. A graduate of Washington State University, Tim teaches agriculture education at Mount Vernon High School. This is Tim's second campaign for State Representative; he led on Election Day in 2006 before losing narrowly to Rep. Barbara Bailey. This year will be different. Tim sought our help early, and his manager attended the Wellstone Advanced Campaign Management. He is running against a conservative Republican-appointee, Norma Smith. If elected, Tim will be a tireless advocate for family farms, rural communities, and small businesses.

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Patricia Terry

Patricia Terry is a challenger running for the Washington State House of Representatives in the 10th Legislative District. Patricia has worked for 30 years as a Registered Nurse. Recently, she has worked in healthcare quality improvement and as a health facility evaluator/investigator on behalf of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. From 2004-2006, Patricia served as a board member of the Washington State Association for Healthcare Quality and was the organization's president in 2005. Patricia has worked under collective bargaining contracts with the Oregon Nurse's Association (ONA) in Portland and SEIU 660 in Los Angeles, California. Patricia's husband, Michael Cooney, is a retired member of SEIU 660. As a state representative, Patricia would be a strong union ally, and would use her professional experience in health care as a platform to increase access to care and decrease costs of care for everyone. Patricia and Michael live on Camano Island, Washington. She is running against a conservative Republican, Rep. Barbara Bailey, who nearly lost in 2006 against current Progressive Majority candidate Tim Knue. A first time candidate, Patricia has taken advantage of our training and assistance with preparing a budget and field plan, and our media training.

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Marko Liias

Marko Liias is running for his first election to his appointed seat in the House of Representatives, 21st Legislative District. Marko was raised in Everett. He studied international politics at Georgetown University, and is currently seeking a graduate degree at the University of Washington. For four years, Marko operated as a small green builder, constructing homes in South Snohomish County. His business experience and commitment to building a better community were what propelled him into public service. We met Marko at Camp Wellstone in 2005, and successfully fielded him in a race for the Mukilteo City Council.

After helping elect Rep. Brian Sullivan to the Snohomish County Council in 2007, we watched as Marko recruited Democratic Party activists in a successful bid to secure his appointment to Sullivan's open seat in the suburban, progressive-leaning 21st Legislative District. Marko is one of six openly gay legislators in the State Legislature, and he is also the state's youngest legislator. In his first term in the legislature, he delivered real results to protect consumers, improved Washington state's K-12 education system, and expanded affordable housing. Marko is a champion for Washington families, and he is a leader in fighting for equal treatment for every citizen of our state. An inexperienced Republican, Andrew Funk, has filed to run against him.

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Kim Abel

Kim Abel was elected Mayor of Port Orchard in November 2003 and served from January 2004 through December 2007. While Mayor, she helped Progressive Majority recruit candidates in Kitsap and Jefferson counties, including introducing us to Fred Chang, who with our help ran and won a seat on the Port Orchard City Council. Prior to serving as Mayor, Kim was the president of the League of Women Voters of Kitsap County. During Kim's term as Mayor, she focused on economic development, turning out the award-winning Port Orchard Economic Development Plan. With this plan in hand, the City has spruced up the downtown core, started on underground utilities and most importantly, put in place regulations to encourage downtown living space. A proud environmentalist, Kim will be a strong voice on environmental issues and responsible growth in Olympia. She faces tough opposition from Kitsap County Commissioner Jan Angel.

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Larry Seaquist

A US Navy warship captain and Pentagon strategist, Larry launched a second career helping citizens and political leaders strengthen their communities by pioneering new methods of peace-building and conflict prevention in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and Latin America. For the past several years Larry has also worked as a writer and lecturer, contributing opinion pieces to the Christian Science Monitor and other newspapers. We helped Larry win his 2006 race for the Washington State House, 26th Legislative District, and this year he is one of the Republicans' top targets. In his first term in the state legislature, Larry introduced numerous pieces of progressive legislation, several of which encourage development of a renewable energy industry and increased access to health care.

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Carol Gregory

Carol Gregory has decades of community involvement, including as a teacher, president of the Washington Education Association, member of the Workforce Development Council and current Director of BuRSST for Prosperity, a non-profit dedicated to generating prosperity for low-income residents of Burien, Renton, SeaTac, Skyway and Tukwila. Carol, a first-time candidate, came to Progressive Majority seeking our guidance and support. Her campaign manager attended our Advanced Campaign Management & Candidate Series Training. Carol is challenging Republican incumbent Rep. Skip Priest, in the swing 30th Legislative District. Although the district has a high Democratic performance, the last time a Democrat served in this seat was 30 years ago. Carol is lining up the necessary endorsements to take on Rep. Priest, having already secured support from the King County Women's Political Caucus, the Washington State Labor Council, the American Federation of Teachers - Washington, and the Washington Education Association PAC.

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Tina Orwall

While at Take Back America this spring, we got word that long-time Democratic incumbent Rep. Shay Schual-Berke was retiring from the Legislature, and we immediately got in touch with farm team member Tina Orwall. Tina is a career social worker, affordable housing advocate, and Chair of the 33rd District Democrats who has proven to be a tremendous campaigner in her first run for public office. Even with a strong primary opponent, Tina secured endorsements from numerous elected officials, the Washington Education Association, Washington State Labor Council, Washington Conservation Voters, and earned the nomination of the 33rd District Democrats. As co-chair of the King County Legislative Action Committee, Tina has spent time in Olympia advocating for progressive legislation such as improved access to health care, increased pay for teachers, and the Washington climate action bill. As a member of the Washington State House of Representatives, Tina will be a progressive policy leader. Tina's primary opponent has recently decided not to file, and she will face Todd Gibson - an independent - in the general election.

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Liz Loomis

Liz Loomis was appointed to the state House of Representatives on January 7, 2008, and was elected by fellow lawmakers to the post of Assistant Whip. Liz has been on the Progressive Majority farm Team since 2005, and represents the 44th Legislative District, a suburban swing district in central Snohomish County. As a small business owner, Liz focused on legislation to help companies succeed. During her first session, she authored six passing bills, including a bill that moved forward the idea of commuter rail service, so people living in eastern Snohomish and King Counties could take the train into Seattle for work. Another bill she co-sponsored provided small businesses with access to affordable health care for employees. The Republicans have recruited Mike Hope to run against Liz. Hope has run for the legislature before, has raised over $100,000 in past races and come close to unseating incumbent Democrats.

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Kim Thorburn

Dr. Kim Thorburn is currently the Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of the Inland Northwest and is a current or former board member for a number of organizations, including the Washington State Health Board, Spokane Audubon Society, Spokane AIDS Network, the Washington State Medical Association and many others. Before her current job, Kim was the Spokane County health officer, and is well known as a progressive advocate for healthcare in Spokane County. She is running against incumbent Todd Mielke, a very conservative Republican with deep ties to the development community.

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Sandra Romero

Sandra Romero is running for an open seat on the Thurston County Commission. Sandra spent 12 years in the Washington State Legislature representing the area around Washington's capital city, Olympia. There, she was a leader on progressive issues like reproductive choice, healthcare and the environment. In the Legislature, she chaired the House Local Government and State Government Committees. Before her election to the State House, she served as a Democratic Caucus staffer and was a member of the Washington Federation of State Employees, Local 443. Most recently, Sandra worked in Pakistan teaching democratic methods of government. When a seat became open on the Thurston County Commission, Sandra called Progressive Majority. Thurston County is experiencing environmental growing pains as its population rapidly expands and, as a County Commissioner, Sandra will be dedicated to smart growth policies that will protect the region's diverse natural ecosystems.

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Bruce Lachney

Bruce Lachney is a regular renaissance man; an airline captain with Delta Airlines, union-member (Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l.), and cranberry farmer. He owns Rainier Mountain Cranberries LLC, which produces cranberries for Ocean Spray and local markets. Rainier Mountain Cranberries is also a member of the American Tree Farm System, and is a family tree farm that produces sustainable wood products. Currently, Bruce is an elected director of the Eatonville School District and, in the past, he was a member of the Pierce County Planning Commission. He is running against an incumbent, Roger Bush, who is a very conservative Republican. Most recently, Bush voted against extending health benefits to domestic partners of county employees.

Click here to support and learn more about Bruce.