Ballots are out. Here are the TNT Editorial Board’s endorsements for the Aug. 2 primary
The summer has finally arrived. The sun has finally come out. Families can finally head out on vacation, or to the lake, or simply to the backyard, where hammocks and cookouts await.
Oh, and it’s time to vote.
Like pink skin suddenly in need of aloe vera, every year Washington’s August primary catches plenty of us by surprise. After a long, dark fall and winter — not to mention years now spent trapped in the grueling monotony of the current partisan divide — the last thing many of us want to be thinking about is an election, or who to vote for, or where we put the Pierce County voters’ pamphlet.
So what’s the good news? Since early June, The News Tribune Editorial Board has been doing some of this work on behalf of readers and voters. We’ve conducted more than a dozen candidate interviews — sometimes with as many as five political hopefuls at a time — covering many of the most important local races. It’s all part of our annual primary election endorsement process, the results of which you’ll find below.
Endorsements were reached by consensus of The News Tribune Editorial Board after we heard directly from candidates. Independent research also informed our choices, as well as years of experience closely following local and state issues.
Also, there are some local races we haven’t issued an endorsement in yet. Historically, during the primary we focus on contests with more than two candidates — since the top two finishers in each race will advance to the general election in November. Due to time constraints, this year there were also a handful of races — including Pierce County Auditor, two state House seats in Tacoma’s District 27 and the U.S. House of Representatives races in Congressional District 6 and 10 — that we have yet to weigh in. Expect those endorsements to arrive soon.
Finally, our endorsements simply represent the collective view of four reasonably well-informed people. Board members include opinion editor Matt Driscoll; Stephanie Pedersen, News Tribune president and editor; Jim Walton, community representative; and Pamela Transue, a community representative who serves during election season.
The News Tribune Editorial Board trusts voters to use our endorsements as a jumping off point for their own deliberations. Ballots are due by Tuesday, Aug. 2.
Here are our picks. The links below will take you to our full-length endorsements previously published online and in print.
State House
District 28, Pos. 1: Mari Leavitt
District 28, Pos. 2: Dan Bronoske
District 29, Pos. 1: Melanie Morgan
District 29, Pos. 2: Sharlett Mena
District 31, Pos. 1: Drew Stokesbary
State Senate
District 26: Emily Randall
District 27: Yasmin Trudeau
District 31: Chris Vance
Pierce County
Pierce County Council Position 7: Robyn Denson
Statewide
Secretary of State: Julie Anderson and Steve Hobbs
U.S. Congress
District 8 U.S. House of Representatives: Kim Schrier and Reagan Dunn
This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 10:22 AM.