Happy Friday, Washington Democrats!

August Primary Update

On Tuesday, Washington voters cast their ballots for important County and Municipal elections as well as key state legislative races including two crucial elections in LD 5 and LD 26. Ballots are still being counted, but initial results look strong for Democrats around the state. In the first batch of ballots counted, Senator Hunt was ahead and Senator Krishnadasan was in a virtual tie. We will be working to make sure both of these Senators are returned to the state legislature in November!

I want to congratulate all the tremendous Democratic candidates who ran in this year’s primary. This was an interesting year because of the nine state legislative positions that had appointed incumbents running to be retained. Legislative races don’t normally happen in odd-years, but due to vacancies, we have races this year in: LD 5 (Issaquah to Enumclaw), LD 26 (Parts of Kitsap and Pierce), 33rd (South King County), 48th (Bellevue to Kirkland), 41st (Bellevue and East Side of King County), 48th (Redmond), 33rd (Des Moines), and 34th (West Seattle). 

Working for Washington

Last weekend, we joined volunteers in Issaquah and Bremerton to Get Out the Vote for State Senators Victoria Hunt (LD 5) and Deb Krishnadasan (LD 26). It was great to hear from the Senators, Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove, and U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier in Issaquah and U.S. Rep. Emily Randall in Bremerton. 

Thank you to all the volunteers who came out and joined us on the doors. Holding both of these districts will be crucial to advancing solutions-oriented policies in next year’s legislative session to deal with the cruel and senseless policies of the Trump administration that are shredding the social safety net and raiding state coffers to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy. 

One thing is clear: turnout for odd-year elections can see precipitous drop offs from even-years. Statewide, turnout is estimated to reach approximately 24% this primary. Compare that to nearly 41% in 2024’s Primary! Something’s gotta change! 

Washington Democrats will continue to canvass, phone bank, text, and have discussions with our networks and neighbors to get as many people to vote as possible. We look forward to you joining us!

Call to Action

• Rally, Protest, and Gather
• TODAY – Freedom of the Press Friday in Spokane from 4:30PM-5:30PM at 1003 E Trent Ave. Sign up here. 
• TOMORROW – Street Rally to Defend the Constitution in Kirkland from 11:30AM-1PM at 6th Street and Central Way. Sign up here. 
• Every Friday – Refuse Fascism Fridays in Everett at the Social Security Administration Office from 5 PM-6:30 PM. Sign up here.
• Every Monday – Mikey Mondays in Spokane outside the office of U.S. Representative Michael Baumgartner. Sign up here.
• Every Tuesday – Tesla Tuesday in Liberty Lake from 4:30PM-5:30PM. Sign up here.
• Every Wednesday – Musk or Us Protest in Redmond from 4PM-5PM. Sign up here.

• Send us details on rallies and protests in your communities 
• Email details to [email protected].

• Donate
• If you would like to see less Washington D.C. and more Washington state in your community, please DONATE to The Real Washington Fund – our rapid response account to counter MAGA’s chaos with real organizing, real solutions, and real results. We can’t do the work of holding Republicans accountable without your support.

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Year Round Organizing

Last week I teased an exciting new hire at Washington Democrats. I am incredibly excited to welcome Kendall Oehler to our team as our Year Round Organizing Director. Kendall Oehler (she/her) is a longtime organizer and strategist who’s spent the last several years building Democratic power in battleground states. She most recently supported western state parties at the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC) and previously served as Party Affairs Director at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Now based in South Seattle, Kendall is thrilled to join the Democratic Party of Washington as Year Round Organizing Director —and to work closely with local leaders to build sustainable, long-term organizing infrastructure across our state. She lives in Rainier Beach with her husband Bhavik and their very opinionated wiener dog, Fausto. You can reach Kendall at [email protected]. 

Democrats Fighting Back

Texas Democrats hold the line from hotel rooms as Abbott promises arrests, Politico

Texas Republicans were all too happy to reorder congressional lines at Donald Trump’s beck and call to gerrymander their way to a majority in next year’s midterm elections. Texas Democrats weren’t about to let that happen so about two dozen legislators left the state to deny Republicans a quorum in their special session. Now those legislators are sheltering in blue states while receiving daily fines and being threatened with jail time by their out-of-control Governor. 

14 Washington rural hospitals face risk of closure under proposed federal cuts, KIRO7

KIRO has a good list of all the rural hospitals that will face massive negative impacts from Congressional Republicans’ budget. Despite what GOP Chair Jim Walsh says, they may not be closing their doors right now, but keeping them open is going to be a big fight. 

Democrats draw up plans to retaliate if Republicans gerrymander Texas – but they face legal hurdles, NBC News

A good summary of what’s on the line if Republicans in Texas force through illegal new voting maps and how Blue states are looking to counter those efforts.

What 2024 non-voters told us about why they didn’t vote – and what Democrats can do to win them back, The Working Class Project

An important read on how Democrats can bring non-voters who would normally support Democrats back into our corner. Listen to non-voters in their own words about why they sat out 2024.

Democrats in the News

Rough night for Seattle incumbents, moderates: 5 takeaways from WA’s 2025 primary election, KUOW

Victoria Hunt leads Chad Magendanz in 5th LD special election, Deb Krishnadasan nearly tied with Michelle Caldier in 26th LD, The Cascadia Advocate

WA Legislature primary: Results set up competitive races this fall, The Seattle Times

Results roll in for 9 legislative races in Washington’s primary election, Washington State Standard

What I’m Listening To/Reading

You can’t gaslight the American people into thinking the economy is strong, Endless Urgency

Prices for food, school supplies, and a host of other necessities are more expensive now thanks to Trump’s tariffs. Now that Trump has fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (for daring to report that jobs have grown at the slowest rate since the pandemic) it’s an open question how trustworthy government economic data will be. But people feel the economy through their trips to the grocery store and restaurants, their online orders, and what their bank account looks like at the end of each week or month. None of that is going to reflect the so-called “golden age” that the Trump administration is peddling. 

Thanks for all you do,

Chair Shasti Conrad
Washington State Democratic Party