Heck leads fundraising in race for lieutenant governor, followed by Liias and Sattler
Of the 11 candidates in the race for lieutenant governor, two Democrats and one Republican have raised the most ahead of the Aug. 4 primary.
Democratic candidate U.S. Rep. Denny Heck significantly leads the race in fundraising.
State Public Disclosure Commission records as of Friday show Heck, 67, of Olympia, has raised $688,318. The second-highest fundraiser so far is State Sen. Marko Liias, Senate Majority Floor Leader. He’s raised $175,458.
Republican Ann Davison Sattler, a Seattle attorney, is third, with $79,116.
Two candidates advance to the general election in November, and they don’t have to be from different parties.
The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, and would become the governor if there’s a vacancy in that office. For instance, if Gov. Jay Inslee is re-elected and Joe Biden becomes president and offers him a position in Washington, D.C., and Inslee were to accept, then the lieutenant governor would become governor, and at the next general election there would be a race for the rest of Inslee’s term.
Heck, who now represents the 10th Congressional District, entered the race after announcing that he was not going to seek re-election to Congress.
“Thanks to the generous financial contributions from nearly 1,000 individuals, the campaign has the resources to clearly establish Democrat Denny Heck as the most viable candidate in the race for Lieutenant Governor,” his campaign said in a press release earlier this month, announcing a TV ad for Heck that will run through the primary.
Heck has been endorsed by more than 250 elected officials and former elected officials across the state, including former governors Christine Gregoire and Gary Locke, and former Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen.
Heck noted at a candidate forum earlier this month hosted by the League of Women Voters that the lieutenant governor chairs the legislative committee on economic development and international relations.
“My private sector experience led me to co-found a company which we built from two employees to 300,” he said. “We’re going to need to create more jobs going forward in our future, and we’re going to need to create them in a way in which prosperity is more broadly shared, because we’ve suffered under unbelievable wage stagnation for the last 40 years.”
Liias, 39, of Everett, is endorsed by outgoing Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib and many Senate Democrats. Habib announced earlier this year that instead of seeking re-election he was going to become a Jesuit priest.
“As the only senator running for lieutenant governor, and more than that as someone with leadership experience as the majority floor leader making change in the senate, I am uniquely positioned to take on this task,” Liias said at the candidate forum. “We need an economy that works for everyone, we need universal access to health care, and we have to build on our cornerstone of education for all.”
Some of Liias’ other endorsements include the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, Equal Rights Washington, and the Washington Federation of State Employees. He would be Washington’s first openly LGBTQ lieutenant governor.
Ann Davison Sattler, 51, has been endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Mark Schoesler and House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox, among other state legislators. Some of her other endorsements include former governor and U.S. Senator Dan Evans, former state Attorney General and U.S. Senator Slade Gorton, and the King County Republican Party.
She ran unsuccessfully for the Seattle City Council last year.
“It is time that we get regular people, everyday people involved with government,” she said at the candidate forum. “We need to have our first female lieutenant governor in the history of our state. I, as an attorney, an arbitrator and mediator, I negotiate quite differently than my other colleagues would negotiate.”
Republican candidates Marty McClendon, Joseph Brumbles and Dick Muri are the next highest fundraisers.
McClendon, a 53-year-old conservative radio show host who lives on Fox Island and ran for lieutenant governor in 2016, has raised $18,320.
“I bring 35 years of leadership experience across healthcare, real estate, ministry and media — a broad background of bringing communities and people together to solve problems,” he said at the forum.
Brumbles, 37, of the Yelm area, has raised $7,324. He lost to Heck in 2018 for the 10th Congressional District seat.
“I truly stand for everyone,” Brumbles said at the forum. “I am standing up to and replacing fake representation. We have a lot of people in Olympia who are not what they claim to be. I will bring accountability back to Olympia.”
Muri, a 66-year-old former Pierce County councilman and state representative who lives in Steilacoom, has brought in $3,800 ($1,200 of that is listed as an in-kind contribution from Muri).
Muri said at the forum that education is his first priority: “As a former school board member for seven years, and six years as the assistant ranking (member) on the House Education Committee, I understand all the nuances of how public education and private education and homeschooling work in the state.”
Those who want to register to vote in time for the primary can do so online or by mail by July 27. After that, they can register in person at their county’s election office. More information is available at vote.wa.gov.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 10:32 AM.
