Many shakeups are happening within Washington's 4th Legislative District after Republican state Sen. Mike Padden announced his retirement. The 4th District includes the communities of Elk, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Mead and Green Bluff. The district is bordered on the east by Idaho.
SENATE
One of the district's Republican state representatives, Leonard Christian, 59, is aiming to take Padden's seat in the state Senate.Christian says the biggest issue facing the state is public safety. He says Spokane Valley does a better job at mitigating crime than other cities in the state, but more can be done to improve public safety. Spokane Valley needs an additional 30 officers, but statewide legislation makes hiring difficult, he says.
"I believe that the policies that our state has been making have been telling law enforcement or telegraphing to law enforcement that 'we don't appreciate you,' and that's why we have a hard time hiring and supporting law enforcement," Christian says.
Regardless of your political affiliation, Christian says he will answer your call. He points to his staunchly Democratic neighbors, who have his election signs on their lawn.
If elected, Christian would keep emphasizing that Olympia decisions that benefit Seattle often don't work for Spokane. He argues that gun control bills, gas taxes and business regulations create unintended consequences for Eastern Washington.
Opponent Miguel Valencia, 25, is a Democrat and has no elected experience. Valencia says that his age and middle-class upbringing provide real-life experience for the position.
"I'm just a regular, ordinary, working-class dude versus somebody who may have been politically involved or been elected to office before and in my opinion, bought out by large corporations, Big Pharma, big oil and the billionaire class," Valencia says.
According to the Public Disclosure Commission, Christian has raised about $48,800 and has received contributions from Chevron Corporation, Kaiser Aluminum, DoorDash, Avista Corp, and the State Farm federal PAC. Of the roughly $18,400 Valencia has raised, most has come from small donations, with about $2,300 from unions and $2,900 from political action committees.
Valencia says he is concerned about the high cost of basic necessities for everyone. He doesn't want people to worry about the high costs of child care, post-secondary education and food. He says that if basic needs are met, people will be disincentivized from committing crimes because they will have opportunities to succeed.
Valencia also says he is willing to work across the aisle. He has spoken to many Republican candidates and plans to have lunch with Schmidt about potential collaboration if both are elected.
"I've had several people in the Republican Party tell me that they support me," Valencia says. "Some of them won't do it publicly, but you'd probably be surprised how many elected Republicans, even on the City Council in the Valley, support my campaign."
HOUSE POSITION 1
State Rep. Suzanne Schmidt, 60, is the Republican incumbent running for a second House term representing the 4th District. Before becoming an elected official, she previously served as CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors Inland Pacific chapter, advocating for small businesses in Olympia and testifying on legislative issues.
Schmidt says the most significant issue facing her district is the cost of living. She says higher prices have raised everyday expenses such as groceries, gas, child care and housing, while wages have risen but not kept pace with those increased costs.
After speaking with Partners Inland Northwest, a nonprofit food and clothing bank in Spokane Valley that is experiencing an increase in demand, Schmidt says she is concerned that 1 in 5 children live with food insecurity.
Schmidt says that her role requires her to be willing to work across the aisle. She serves on the postsecondary education, workforce and transportation committees, and has worked on bipartisan legislation to help all constituents.
"We agree on about 80% of what we're doing here in the state, so we can just really capitalize on that," Schmidt says, "and move forward with working in a bipartisan manner."
Her opponent, Kristopher Pockell, 36, listed no party affiliation. He is a software engineer who runs a software company and a hot sauce manufacturing business. Pockell did not respond to multiple calls or emails requesting comment.
On his campaign website, Pockell states that his biggest concerns are the cost of living, housing affordability, public safety and the disruption of the public education system caused by the pandemic.
"These problems require complex solutions, not partisan ones, and Eastern Washington deserves an open-minded representative willing to not just work across the aisle but in the aisle," Pockell wrote in his campaign statement for the voters' guide.
HOUSE POSITION 2
Democrat Ted Cummings, 63, is one of two candidates running to replace Christian in the House.In 2016, Cummings ran against U.S. Sen. Patty Murray as an independent candidate. He also ran and lost against former far-right Republican Rep. Matt Shea in 2018 and against the district's other current Rep. Suzanne Schmidt in 2022.
Like many candidates, he is concerned about rising costs and says he would work to address housing issues.
Cummings tells the Inlander he is running to defend the democratic way of life. He says dangerous propaganda is undermining American institutions and ideals. He wants to bring normalcy to the political system and is concerned about his opponent's views.
"My opponent is a big conspiracy theorist guy, and I think we need serious people in office to work on serious issues," Cummings says.
His opponent is Republican Rob Chase, 71, who served as the Spokane County treasurer for two terms from 2011 to 2018. Chase was elected to this state representative seat in 2020 but lost his reelection bid to Christian in 2022.
According to his campaign statement for the state voters' guide, Chase has spent the last three years canvassing for the Let's Go Washington initiatives that are on the ballot (the organization was founded in April 2022). As an elected representative in 2021, Chase was one of the sponsors of House Bill 1410, which protected taxpayers from home foreclosure. He says the law has saved property owners statewide millions of dollars in late fees on delinquent property taxes.
Chase is concerned about economic issues facing the country and censorship of free speech.
"The three most important issues facing us today are the erosion of family values, our Nation's economy is insolvent, censorship from the government and media," Chase tells the Inlander via email.♦
