Election 2024: Three candidates up for House seat opening in 26th District
Three candidates are up for election in the August 6 primary for the 26th Legislative District Position 1 seat. The open seat, which current Republican Rep. Spencer Hutchins chose not to run for this year, drew Republican Jim Henderson along with Republican Jesse Young, a former representative for the district, and Democrat Adison Richards, who ran for the seat against Hutchins in 2022.
The Kitsap Sun asked each candidate to answer three questions that would help voters understand each candidate's vision for the district and opinions on other important issues. Each answer was restricted to 200 words or fewer. Below are their responses.
VOTER GUIDE: Washington primary election August 2024
Jim Henderson
Current occupation: I have been a small business owner in Pierce County for 23 years providing services to housing providers.
Previous elected experience: None
Party: Republican
Campaign contributions: $82,909.84
Q1: What are your priorities for the district, and why are you the best person to achieve them?
My priorities will be:
Fixing our ferry system with two new diesel ferries to ensure a reliable and efficient transportation system for residents across the district.
Improve the cost of living for families and businesses by reducing inflation by implementing policies that control government spending, repeal of unnecessary and burdensome taxes that hinder economic growth and place undue strain on hardworking families and small businesses.
Restoring community safety by supporting law enforcement, increasing funding for police departments, and implementing measures that prevent crime and ensure the well-being of all residents.
I have a reputation in Olympia for being collaborative with the demeanor to remain professional under pressure. My approach to governance ensures that all voices in our community are heard and respected. I am ready to serve our community with integrity, vision, and dedication.
The cost of living in the state has been increasing. How can the state help sustain a healthy local economy in Kitsap and Gig Harbor and also preserve affordability for residents and newcomers?
Addressing the rising cost of living while sustaining a healthy local economy in Kitsap and Gig Harbor requires a multi-faceted approach focused on reducing regulatory burdens, encouraging business growth, and preserving affordability. Here are some key strategies:
Invest in infrastructure improvements, including transportation, broadband, and utilities. Enhanced infrastructure can attract new businesses, improve efficiency, and increase the overall quality of life for residents.
Reduce regulatory burdens and taxes by promoting the development of affordable housing through public-private partnerships, incentives for developers, and zoning reforms. Ensuring a supply of affordable housing and different types of housing on the housing ladder can help keep housing costs manageable for both residents and newcomers.
Invest in education and workforce development programs to equip residents with the skills needed for high-demand jobs. A skilled workforce can attract businesses to the area and ensure residents have access to well-paying jobs.
Provide support for small businesses through grants, low-interest loans, and mentorship programs. Small businesses are the backbone of the local economy and supporting them can lead to job creation and economic stability.
Homelessness is a complicated issue, with a range of solutions needed. Give me one idea that the state can support to help residents avoid becoming homeless, and one that supports exit strategies for those who find themselves homeless.
One idea to help residents avoid becoming homeless is to provide rental assistance or housing voucher. To support exit strategies for those who find themselves homeless, the state can enhance and expand transitional housing programs with wrap-around services such as case management, job training, mental health counseling, and substance abuse treatment. By offering a comprehensive support system, transitional housing programs help individuals gain the stability and skills they need to secure and be successful in permanent housing.
Jesse Young
Current occupation: A software engineer and business owner, Jesse has advised companies globally in the industries of finance, aerospace, healthcare, and technology.
Previous elected experience: Representative Young was unanimously appointed by Democrats and Republicans in 2014. He served as the 26th District State Representative from 2014 – 2023.
Party: Republican
Campaign contributions: $127,894.48
What are your priorities for the district, and why are you the best person to achieve them?
As a dad, my top priority will be to protect our families and their future. That starts with securing parental and women’s rights and ends with making sure our kids have an economic future full of opportunities and hope.
No parent should ever have to fear that their children will be taken and hidden from them by an official who believes they know better how to raise them. That’s why I championed a Parents Bill of Rights, and will protect it as your Representative.
I was inspired by my single mom and will also staunchly defend the rights of our wives, daughters, sisters, and mothers. That includes safeguarding the achievements made by women and their right to own what it means to be a woman against the progressive push to redefine it.
Next, we need to cast a vision instead of focusing on division. My vision for job growth will be to harness my private sector experience in IT and Finance to leverage our state’s unique strengths in global technology and international trade to position Washington State as the preeminent global leader in the IT Service Sector Arena. Our kids deserve these jobs, and I will work to deliver them.
The cost of living in the state has been increasing. How can the state help sustain a healthy local economy in Kitsap and Gig Harbor and also preserve affordability for residents and newcomers?
High taxes and inflation must be stopped, and lowered, in order to secure a future we can afford. Parents shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table or putting gas in the car! Worse yet, how can we hope for future opportunities to be available for our kids if our good-paying jobs keep leaving the state because the cost of living is too high?
We must demand that those agencies and non-government-organizations (NGOs) that are UNDER-delivering or FAILING to provide the value they promised must be held to account. Demanding transparency and performance in our state budgeting will bring immediate accountability that will simultaneously bring down wasteful spending and inflation, while freeing up state resources to allocate into performing programs that serve areas and communities most in need.
From a tax perspective, we need to lower our gas tax immediately so that people can afford to get to work! Doing this strategically will also help bring down the cost of groceries as shipping costs will be lowered too. Finally, I believe we need to offer greater property tax exemptions to fixed-income seniors and veterans so that they can afford to stay in their homes.
Homelessness is a complicated issue, with a range of solutions needed. Give me one idea that the state can support to help residents avoid becoming homeless, and one that supports exit strategies for those who find themselves homeless.
As a youth, I grew up homeless on the Hilltop streets of Tacoma. Having tasted the fear and anxiety that can come with it, I’m committed to putting aside political differences to focus on correctly identifying the main components of the problem. I believe these are:
1. Housing availability
We must immediately remove the moratorium prohibiting rural housing growth. We need more affordable housing that people can actually buy; not corporation-favored, high-rent dwellings in urban areas.
2. Job availability
We need more vocational and tech-based career opportunities that pay high-wages. As I’ve discussed, I will leverage my private sector experience in the areas of IT, finance, and engineering to get this done.
3. Drugs & Crime
We must again criminalize hard drug possession and move away from government sponsored “safe” injection sites. This only perpetuates the problem and locks the homeless into a cycle of despair. As a community, we must answer the following question: Do we believe that people battling addiction and/or mental health crises can be healed? As a father and one who’s worked in the Healthcare arena, I know they can and I think we should work to restore them.
Adison Richards
Current occupation: Attorney with Kitsap Legal Services helping people in housing crisis, formerly with Northwest Justice Project serving victims of crime.
Previous elected experience: Seeking first elected office.
Party: Democratic
Campaign contributions: $140,054.64
What are your priorities for the district, and why are you the best person to achieve them?
The top priority for almost every voter I talk to is addressing the rising cost of living. I have spent my career to this point working for people struggling to make ends meet and am uniquely qualified to address this. The legislature can and must pass common sense policy to address the costs of housing, health care, and childcare, as well as work toward tax relief for working families and seniors. I’m also concerned about large grocery store mergers and the possibility of predatory pricing.
Right now, too many parents are worried about whether they can pay the bills and afford childcare while both parents work, or if they can afford the bills while one parent stays home. Too many seniors on fixed incomes are worried about whether they can keep up with grocery bills, taxes, medical expenses, and still stay in their homes.
Childcare, health care, housing, and long-term care are all part of a common problem, we do not have enough providers. There is a supply issue, and we should first look to policies, worker compensation, and other factors driving the supply issue before considering putting more money into subsidizing programs.
The cost of living in the state has been increasing. How can the state help sustain a healthy local economy in Kitsap and Gig Harbor and also preserve affordability for residents and newcomers?
As an attorney serving people in housing crises, I see first-hand how people are struggling with rising housing and living costs. First, we need to build housing in our urban cores to increase supply and lower prices for everyone, while protecting rural areas. King County’s solution to housing is Kitsap County. This is a major reason why there is so much development happening in and around Port Orchard and Bremerton, but our infrastructure investments to support the building are lacking. We need to do better.
Second, we need to support local businesses and workers. We should lower taxes for small businesses and property owners, particularly seniors trying to stay in their homes with fixed incomes from pensions or social security.
Third, support workforce development and job creation in partnership with organizations like KEDA, the Chambers, and our schools. Workforce development starts in our schools. Creating pathways into trades and career tech education for more students at places like West Sound Tech is essential. We let too many students down without creating more opportunities to find a career in the trades. We also need more nurses, engineers, and so much more, and there’s so much potential here in Kitsap.
Homelessness is a complicated issue, with a range of solutions needed. Give me one idea that the state can support to help residents avoid becoming homeless, and one that supports exit strategies for those who find themselves homeless.
By simply treating the mental health and substance crisis as the emergency it is. We have a lot of resources going into the bureaucracy and not necessarily into directly getting folks the help that they need. There are models both within our State and outside of it, for example, investing in programs like Pendleton Place in Bremerton, inspired by efforts in Utah, is at least one approach.
Prevention is cheaper than treatment, which is in turn cheaper than incarceration. The lack of a statewide solution has been forcing cities to deal with the expensive downstream effects of addiction, untreated mental illness, homelessness, and crime. By raising addiction and mental health treatment to the state level and addressing it earlier, we can prevent people from falling into homelessness, better serving their interests, their communities, and lowering the total cost of reacting to the problem across the state.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Voter Guide: 3 candidates seek open seat in Washington's 26th District
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