2026 Primary guide

Jayne's Voter Guide 2026: Primary Edition

I research a lot when voting. Starting in 2016, I began compiling my research and thoughts for friends. This guide is based on the ballot for my area. 

 

I vote strategically and pragmatically from the political left but don't feel constrained by any party.

 

Note about our top-two primary: The Washington state primary is a "top two" process, in which the top two candidates with the most votes will proceed to the primary regardless of their party affiliation or what percent of the vote they receive. Consequently, I won't bother making suggestions for any races with two or fewer candidates. It doesn't matter who you vote for in those races - both people will proceed to the general election. That being said, when an underdog candidate gets more votes, it can help their campaign and fundraising, so it's worth filling in a bubble if you care about one of them.

 

Federal partisan office 

Congressional district No. 10 U.S. Representative: VOTE ADAM SCHEEL

 

More than ever, we need representatives that will fight for real people and for democracy. AIPAC-friendly, run-of-the-mill Democrat Strickland is not bringing any fresh ideas to congress, but a DSA candidate just might. 

 

Adam Scheel is a DSA and housing organizer in Tacoma who left the military and formed an anti-war veteran's group. Read about Scheel's main issues here.

 

Strickland has all the usual endorsements and is pretty much guaranteed to make it to the general. The other left-ish candidate, Adam Arafat, has very little community experience and much of Arafat's website reads as suspiciously AI-generated to me. 

 

Vote Scheel. 

 

State judicial nonpartisan offices

Supreme court justice, position No. 1: VOTE COLLEEN MELODY 

 

The Stranger's endorsement of Melody (and overview of her opponents) is excellent. She's also endorsed by the Progressive Voter's Guide and Olympia Indivisible, among others.  The Progressive Voters' Guide says,

"Before joining the court, she served for 11 years as Chief of the Civil Rights Division in the Washington Attorney General's Office, where she helped lead major cases defending access to abortion medication, challenging the Muslim travel ban in Trump's first term, opposing family separation policies, and protecting LGBTQ+ rights. She previously served in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice."

 

Her opponent, Laura Christensen Colberg, said "there is no racial bias in the courts" which is a statement that definitely disqualifies someone from my vote but should also disqualify them from any judicial seat anywhere, in my humble opinion. She also couldn't answer the question “Who is your favorite US Supreme Court Justice?” Per The Stranger, "When asked who [her heroes outside the court system] were, she couldn’t name a single person other than herself. By email, she clarified a few Survivor contestants could fit the bill."

 

Meanwhile, Scott Edwards, the other opponent, is described by the Progressive Voter's Guide as 

"a longtime tax attorney who has spent much of his career representing corporate and wealthy clients in tax-related cases, and has worked closely with prominent conservative figures and organizations, including former Attorney General Rob McKenna and the anti-union operation Freedom Foundation... Edwards has been involved in multiple lawsuits challenging progressive tax policies... Most recently, he partnered with Rob McKenna in a lawsuit against Washington’s historic Millionaire Tax."

 

Vote for Colleen Melody as hard as you can. We need her voice on our court. 

 

Supreme Court Justice, Position No. 3: VOTE JAMIE MICHELLE HAWK

 

Two of the three candidates for this position (Mike Diaz and Jamie Hawk) have solid civil rights backgrounds and either would be an excellent choice for this position. 

 

I lean toward Hawk for a few reasons: She spent two decades as a public defender. She was the legal strategist for the ACLU's restorative justice program. And she is endorsed by Theresa Mosqueda, who is one of Washington's sharpest politicians (and a former classmate of mine). 

 

Diaz has more endorsements overall, including from The Stranger and Indivisible Olympia, while the Progressive Voters' Guide recommends Hawk. 

 

Per the Progressive Voters' Guide Diaz's background on civil rights is excellent but he has had a couple of questionable workers' rights decisions overturned:

"In one case, Diaz argued that workers did not have to be paid for small amounts of required work they completed before their shifts. The Washington Court of Appeals unanimously rejected that argument, ruling that Washington law requires employees to be paid for all required work time. He also wrote an opinion that allowed employers to limit low-wage workers from taking second jobs, a decision the Washington Supreme Court again unanimously overturned"

Whether you vote Hawk or Diaz, the important thing is not to allow David Stephens to proceed, as he is a right-wing Republican who would "pose a serious threat to our civil liberties, including abortion care access, LGBTQ+ protections, workers’ rights, and rebalancing our upside-down tax code."

 

With any luck, Hawk and Diaz will both proceed to the general election and we'll hear more from both of them before we ultimately choose.

 

Supreme court justice, position No. 5:  VOTE SHARONDA AMAMILO

 

Almost everyone is recommending Theo Angelis, including The Stranger, Fuse, and Olympia Indivisible. Angelis is very well qualified and has done a ton of excellent pro bono work. He's a great choice.

 

But he was also a corporate lawyer for many years, while Sharonda Amamilo was putting in work as a public defender and serving on numerous local legal committees. 

 

Amamilo has barely raised any money and Angelis will almost certainly be the primary winner here but I like an underdog for the primary, so I'm voting for her.

 

Supreme court justice, position no. 7: VOTE DEBRA L. STEPHENS

 

This is an easy race. Justice Stephens has been serving on the state Supreme Court since 2008. She authored the McCleary decision, which required the state to better fund public education. Her endorsements include all of the current supreme court justices, The Stranger, Progressive Voters' Guide/Fuse, The Seattle Times, and a very long list of other judges.

 

This very handy website showing which organizations have endorsed which judicial candidates shows that Stephens' opponents Bloom and Merchant have both been endorsed by: "Concerned Taxpayers of WA State" and "Future 42" (which is yet another right-wing political project of millionaire Brian Heywood who is attempting to outdo former "Chairman Eyman" in promoting bad ideas for WA).

 

David Shelvey, per Fuse, "believes abortion has 'been harming the population growth of this country.' He has also said that he seeks guidance from a 'Supreme Being'  when making decisions.

 

Anyway, vote Stephens. 

 

County nonpartisan office

Public utility district Commissioner, Pos. No. 1: VOTE JIM CAMPBELL

 

It's not that I'm excited about Jim Campbell, but he at least has practical knowledge that is useful to running a public utility district, and the other two guys do not inspire trust:

 

Bruce Wilkerson is mad that the Olympia DSA kicked him out over his anti-trans statements and that, according to him, local anarchists slashed his tires. 

 

Troy Kirby unsuccessfully ran for Olympia City Council in 1997, Lacey City Council in 2019 and the Port of Olympia in 2023. He now seeks election as a PUD commissioner. He touts a lengthy list of anodyne volunteer activities, a series of business ventures, a handful of self-published books on Amazon, a documentary about post-prison sexual offenders' monitored housing being opposed by rural residents, and a sports podcast. Kirby is endorsed by the "Mainstream Republicans of Washington" in his current election bid.