*UPDATED SEPTEMBER 27, 2024* For questions about our endorsement process please reach out to our Campaign Director Rosey Barber at Rosey@FuseWashington.org
Fuse has released our list of endorsements ahead of the 2024 election. Fuse's criteria for endorsements include:
- Supporting candidates who have outstanding leadership qualities and will fight for working people, a healthy environment, and a better future for our children.
- Supporting women, people of color, young people, and LGBTQ+ candidates running for office.
- Supporting strong progressive candidates in competitive races against more conservative opponents.
- Supporting progressives in races where the balance of power in the elected body is at stake and where Fuse’s efforts could help gain or protect a progressive majority.
Our 2024 endorsed candidates will be included in our Progressive Voters Guide when it is released in early July. You can help us support all of these candidates by making a donation to the Progressive Voters Guide here!
Congress
Rep. Pramila Jayapal for Congress, 7th CD
Elected in 2016, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is now serving her fourth term in Congress representing Washington’s 7th District. She is the first South Asian American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and one of only two dozen naturalized citizens currently serving in the United States Congress. Congresswoman Jayapal is also the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which she has grown to over 100 members. She has used her position to effectively advance progressive priorities in the House, such as pressuring the Democratic caucus to keep safety net expansion provisions in the Build Back Better Act. In Congress, Representative Jayapal has been a leader on healthcare, immigration, and working people's rights.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for Congress, 3rd CD
Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is running to defend her seat in the 3rd congressional district (CD). This race could determine which party is in control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024. Her Republican opponent Joe Kent is a scary far-right white nationalist who wants a nationwide abortion ban and would be horrible on every issue you can imagine if elected to office. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is a 5th-generation Washingtonian and independent auto repair shop owner, and she is running to bring the voices of working people back to DC. Her campaign is focused on protecting reproductive freedom, lowering prescription drug costs, expanding vocational and technical education opportunities, and supporting working families.
Emily Randall for Congress, 6th CD
State Representative Emily Randall is a long-time Fuse ally in the state Legislature and has been one of the most outspoken advocates of reproductive freedom and accessible health care for all. Before elected office, she worked for a number of social justice-focused nonprofits, including Planned Parenthood. Now, Randall is running for Congress to bring down the cost of American health care by expanding Medicaid, strengthening the Affordable Care Act, and making prescription drugs more affordable. She also has plans to remove barriers to voting, improve the quality of public education, and safeguard reproductive freedom. Randall would be an incredible progressive asset in the U.S. House.
Statewide
Conservative leaders and the wealthy few who back them have put three initiatives on the November ballot that will harm Washington families. All three amount to tax cuts that benefit corporations and the wealthiest, and unfairly shift the bill to middle- and low-income families. They are all funded by millionaire hedge fund manager Brian Heywood who moved here from California and has personally spent nearly $7 million to put these initiatives on your ballot, all so he and his wealthy friends can avoid paying what they owe in taxes. These initiatives would roll back our biggest landmark legislative wins of recent years like the capital gains tax, the Climate Commitment Act, and long term care benefits for millions of working Washingtonians. There are individual campaigns against each of the initiatives, and Defend Washington is a coordinated campaign against the entire slate.
Initiative 2109 would repeal Washington state’s limited capital gains tax, slashing more than $2.2 billion from public education, childcare, and early learning in order to give fewer than 4,000 of the wealthiest people in Washington a tax cut. In its first year, Washington’s capital gains tax funded early learning and schools to the tune of nearly $900 million. Eliminating this funding means:
- Childcare programs will be cut
- Schools will stay under-resourced
- Much-needed repairs and constructions of schools will grind to a halt
- Harming working families who rely on child care, students trying to learn with outdated textbooks, and rural communities who need overdue upgrades to crumbling school buildings
Initiative 2117 would roll back protections for our air and water, forests and farmlands, jobs and transportation system and allow more pollution. Instead of a fee on pollution being paid by a few big polluters, it would shift the bill of paying for the impact of pollution onto communities, workers, and families. I-2117 will strip away funding from every county in Washington, including funding for:
- Programs that lower costs for Washingtonians, like utility bill discounts for households with low incomes
- Clean air and water, like programs to reduce air pollutants in places that are most impacted
- Programs to prevent wildfires
- Transportation, putting transit service, ferries, and road projects across Washington at risk
- Support for Tribal Nations, like programs to help keep Native communities safe from flooding and sea level rise
- Fish habitat and salmon recovery
I-2124 will take away long-term care benefits from 85% of working Washingtonians by bankrupting the program for everyone. Eliminating these benefits will cause more people, mostly women, to provide unpaid care; increase our out of pocket costs and throw us back into the expensive private insurance market. While political interests attempt to position this initiative as harmless, the truth is I-2124 will:
- Harm people with pre-existing conditions, like cancer or diabetes, by taking away the only long-term care benefit available to them – since they can’t get private long-term care insurance
- Leave us at the mercy of for-profit insurance companies, which routinely jacks up premiums by up to 300% without warning.
- Force us to pay out of pocket for homecare, wheelchairs, ramps, and other long-term care expenses, or make us drain our savings, or sign over our homes, to qualify for Medicaid
Initiative 2066 would raise our energy costs by rolling back energy efficiency upgrades and repealing common sense protections — making our communities more vulnerable during storms, wildfires, and deadly heat waves. It’s backed by powerful interest groups who want to stop the transition to clean energy and make as much money as possible while shifting the bill to families and businesses. I-2066 would:
- Force utility companies to keep spending on outdated technology and put the extra cost on working people’s bills
- Weaken Washington’s Clean Air Act, undoing measures that protect against air pollution and asthma in kids
- Stop towns, cities, and counties from making their own decisions that work best for their communities
Dave Upthegrove for Lands Commissioner
Dave Upthegrove is a King County Councilmember and former state legislator who is the clear progressive and environmental champion in the Lands Commissioner race. The Commissioner of Public Lands leads the state’s only agency dedicated exclusively to management and oversight of Washington’s natural resources and has unparalleled power to guide environmental priorities. During his time in the legislature, Upthegrove served as Chair of the House Environment Committee, working in every corner of the state to reduce carbon pollution, clean up toxins, and advance climate policy. Upthegrove is the best candidate in this race because of his track record of environmental advocacy and policy experience needed to be a leader in fighting the climate crisis.
Nick Brown for Attorney General
Nick Brown is a former U.S. attorney for Western Washington running to protect Washingtonians' civil rights, our freedom to make our own medical decisions, and our state’s climate. Before his appointment by the Biden Administration in 2021, Brown worked as the general counsel for Gov. Jay Inslee. One of Brown's biggest accomplishments as an attorney was helping write Initiative 1639, Safe Schools and Safe Communities, which makes it illegal for anyone under 21 to own a semi-automatic rifle. He later defended the law against the NRA. Building from that success, Brown wants to continue to enforce laws against deadly weapons and defend the state against voter suppression, wage theft, and more.
State Legislature
Janet St. Clair for State Senate (LD 10)
Island County Commissioner Janet St. Clair is challenging Republican incumbent state Senator Ron Muzall. St. Clair was the Executive Director of the environmental nonprofit Sound Water Stewards of Island County, served on the County Health Board, and has been the Island County Commissioner for the last five years. St. Clair is a proven leader who voters can trust to stand up and deliver for working people by lowering costs for families, protecting clean air and water, and defending reproductive rights.
Maria Beltran for State Senate (LD 14)
Democrat and former Deputy Director at the House Democratic Campaign Committee Maria Beltran is running to unseat Republican incumbent state Senator Curtis King. Beltran was born and raised in Yakima, is the daughter of immigrant agricultural workers, and served as the youngest Board President of OneAmerica. Beltran is running to ensure Yakima residents have clean water to drink, housing that is affordable in all zip codes, and to lower costs for working families. The 14th legislative district’s boundaries were recently redrawn in a Voting Rights Act case, making it much more possible for a Democrat to win in this district.
Melissa Demyan for State House (LD 45)
Melissa Demyan is an executive board member of the 45th District Democrats and is a labor organizer with the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers. She is challenging Rep. Larry Springer, who has been a consistent impediment to progressive policy throughout his long tenure in the Legislature. Demyan is critical of his record authoring the bill for charter schools in Washington, and she promises to give no public dollars to private schools. She also supports a single-payer, health insurance program, and wants to expedite permitting and improve zoning to speed up new, affordable construction, move towards universal pre-K, and create more green jobs. Replacing Springer with Demyan would build a stronger progressive majority in the House.
Clark County
Wil Fuentes for Clark County Council District 3
Wil Fuentes is running to fill the open seat on the Clark County Council. Fuentes’ leadership experience spans from nonprofit management, banking operations, technology, and community engagement. Fuentes is focused on promoting government responsiveness and collaboration, addressing housing affordability, and supporting environmental sustainability. As the first person of color, openly-LGBTQ community member, and the sole progressive in this race, his election would mark a significant step towards diversity and inclusion on the Clark County Council. This is one of the most important races on the local level this year, and winning this seat would flip the Clark County Council to Democratic control for the first time ever.
Pierce County
Ryan Mello for Pierce County Executive
Progressive Democrat Ryan Mello is running to lead Washington’s second largest county and make history as the second openly gay county executive in the country. Currently serving as the chair of the Pierce County Council, Mello has impressive experience in local government as well as a great track record of environmental, housing, and transit advocacy. Electing Mello as County Executive would flip the Pierce County government to Democratic control after 7 years of incumbent Republican Bruce Dammeier, who is now term-limited out.
Spokane County
Molly Marshall for Spokane County Commissioner
Molly Marshall is an air force veteran with 30 years of military experience and leadership running for Spokane County Council District 5. Marshall is seeking to unseat long-time right-wing Republican incumbent Al French and flip control of the county to Democrats. Her top priorities are tackling issues of public safety, addressing the contaminated water crisis in her district, and fire mitigation. Winning this race would also advance progress in Spokane County on issues like criminal justice reform, workers rights, reducing climate pollution, and investments in childcare, human services, housing, and transportation.
