Buckle up, voters: Election season has arrived.
Filing week, when candidates officially submit the paperwork to run for office, starts today. This year features races from local county courthouses to the halls of Congress — positions that will have deep impacts on the everyday lives of all Americans.
In Washington, here’s hoping each and every race, from Washington State Supreme Court justice to county assessor, draws wide interest from residents stepping up to serve. Our Democracy depends on it.
What we know so far:
Most critically, control of the U.S. House of Representatives is at stake. The House, already teetering on a knife’s edge at 217 Republicans to 212 Democrats, could swing to the opposition party in this midterm.
The editorial board hopes so. The GOP’s control of all levers of the federal government has led to the abrogation of serving as a check on President Donald Trump’s unrestrained power. A Democratic take-back of the House can forcefully counter everything from Trump’s cruel immigration crackdown to the unauthorized folly that is the Iran War.
In Washington, 4th District Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse — a political survivor who voted to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection — is retiring, creating an open seat east of the Cascades. Meanwhile, state Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, is challenging Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for the 3rd District.
Within the state, arguably the most important races will involve candidates most Washingtonians have never heard of: those vying for an eye-popping five seats on Washington’s supreme court. Three of nine justices are up for re-election; two are retiring. The court’s future includes deliberating the most pivotal decision on tax policy in decades: whether the Legislature’s recently passed income tax is legal and can begin collections in 2028.
Speaking of the Legislature, every member of the state House and many state senators will face election this year. At least 12 House members are retiring or choosing to run for another office, according to the Washington State Standard. Even before filing week, a number of Democrats filed to run against incumbents within their own party, alleging they’re not far enough to the left politically. Most notably, Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, the architect of the income tax, faces a leftward challenge from Hannah Sabio-Howell, a communications director for a labor advocacy group.
The year in politics promises to be consequential. And after Friday, voters — whose sacred duty will decide the course for this state and nation in the months ahead — will know the full slate of options.
