Jani Hitchen has Strategy to Win in November
Pierce County Councilmember Jani Hitchen faces a tough campaign as the Republican candidate received 47% of the vote, Democrat Danny Hankins received 12%, and Jani Hitchen received 42%. In a conversation with Hitchen last week, she has analyzed the vote and has a strategic plan to win reelection and keep County Council District 6 blue. With Hankins’ Democratic voters added to Hitchen’s voters, the potential is there for a 54% win in November, but there is still much work to do.
Unfortunately, the split party vote in August has drained most of Hitchen’s campaign funds. Now, fundraising becomes very important to produce election materials, and her campaign must double their efforts to walk neighborhoods and get out the vote.
Redistricting last year made it possible for Democrats to win this Parkland-Lakewood-Steilacoom-DuPont district. It was a strong Republican district for decades, but there is now about an even split between the two parties.
Upthegrove Wins Statewide Automatic Recount by 49 Votes
Dave Upthegrove’s competitive primary election portends a competitive race in the general election this fall. Upthegrove was recently confirmed as the 2nd-place finisher in the August primary election, having edged out Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson by 49 votes after a statewide automatic hand recount. The initial count had Upthegrove ahead by 51 votes. Many volunteers worked hard to help cure ballots with missing or mismatched signatures before the certification deadline. Don’t let anyone tell you that your vote doesn’t count!
Upthegrove is running for Public Lands Commissioner, the elected director of the Washington Department of Natural Resources in Olympia. The Public Lands Commissioner makes many important decisions about protecting critical habitat, including our legacy forests.
“Every county has certified the election results in the race for Lands Commissioner,” said Dave Upthegrove. “I am excited to finish in second place and begin my general election campaign…our campaign is moving full speed ahead toward November. I am incredibly thankful for the hundreds of volunteers who worked with our campaign this past week to help voters fix issues with their ballots so that their votes would count.”
This is another race awash in campaign donations, as the forest products industry has been able to support other candidates with ads on TV and social media. Upthegrove is not taking donations from industry, hoping that environmental interests will meet the challenge and fund his campaign to win as the lone Democrat in the race in November.
Randall Wins Primary, Ready to Make History
Emily Randall stole the show in the 6th Congressional District, winning 34% and securing a top spot on the November ballot. Republican Drew MacEwen received 30% and emerged as Randall’s opponent this fall. The other Democrat in the race, Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz, received about 25% in third, and did not advance to the general election.
If Randall is successful in securing most of Franz’s supporters this fall, she is likely to win the open seat vacated by longtime Rep. Derek Kilmer. Randall would become the first Latina and LGBTQ+ member of Congress from Washington state.
Randall has deep roots in the district, having grown up in Kitsap County. She has won two very close races for State Senate in the 26th Legislative District. Now, she has earned the opportunity to represent the entire Olympic Peninsula in Congress, and stand up for the environment in Washington DC. Go Emily Go!
The Environmental Coalition endorses many candidates. Brett Johnson, our Political Coordinator, has updated our list of endorsed candidates and provided more detailed analysis in our Endorsements section. It’s great to see all of our endorsed candidates advance to the general election.
The most important thing you can do is to vote–and not just for President and Governor. It is critical to continue down the ballot and vote in state and county races. We are most likely to make a big difference and pass legislation when we also vote consistently for local offices.
Too often, people stop voting at the section for judges and other obscure races, and don’t reach the bottom of the ballot. There, you will find the choices to vote for Ryan Mello for County Executive and Jani Hitchen for County Council. Complete the entire ballot!
If you would like to meet Ryan and Jani in person, they will speak at our Fall Environmental Conference on September 28, Saturday at 9am at the recently renovated and improved Sprinker Recreation Center in Spanaway. We would be happy to have you join us!