May 2018 Newsletter

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The countdown to a wave of blue flipped seats is on! But this wave will only happen if we learn about the key candidates and support them early. It doesn't matter where you live, you can help them now. At Friends of Washington we bring you the most flippable races, so you can help make a difference for our state. Support now, to build their teams for the election just six months away, is what they need.

At the bottom of this email, and on our website, we bring you the 6 hottest races to know about. We'll feature one of these races each month. This month our featured candidate is Erin Frasier for State Senate. She is challenging Republican Jim Walsh in Washington’s 19th District (Aberdeen all the way down the coast, and east to Longview.) In 2016 Walsh won this seat by just 540 votes. With a strong candidate like Frasier, and donations from us, this is a winnable race.

Below is a profile of Erin Frasier. Click here to donate to her campaign now.

2017: A Watershed Year

The new Democratic majority in Olympia in 2017 (thank you Manka Dhingra!) did a lot. They passed a ban on bump-stocks, made it harder for people convicted of domestic abuse to get firearms, approved bills to stop harassment in the workplace, passed a Voting Rights Act to make it easier for everyday people to vote, and passed a bill to tackle gender pay inequality.

But it was clear that to make real progress on big issues like climate change and school funding we need many more flipped seats to widen our one-seat and two-seat majorities in the State Senate and State House. Stick with us and let's make this happen.

Meet Erin Frasier

Erin Frasier has spent her life helping people in southwest Washington find meaningful, sustainable jobs. For years she's been working to develop workforce training to help Community and Technical Colleges prepare people for good jobs.

Her home, the 19th District, is mostly rural, with a few larger towns such as Longview and Aberdeen. Farming and timber used to dominate, but it is now struggling economically. Frasier grew up on a farm in Lewis county and her experience gives her a broad view of what's needed to build jobs in her district. “Everything's interconnected," she told us. "You can’t talk about issues in isolation. Strengthening health, families and education is the way to revitalize our region.”

Frasier says her long history in the district helps when it comes to the most charged issues that affect her community. “It’s not just environmentalists versus the people. We need to start conversations.” She is well positioned to win this seat back for Democrats from Jim Walsh, the one term Republican who barely won the seat by 540 votes in 2016. Click here to donate to Frasier's campaign now.

For a quick rundown of the six hottest WA Legislative races read below. Invite your friends to sign up with also by going to Friends of Washington now. The more people who get these updates, the greater will be our power. Together we win.

Sincerely,
Your friends at Friends of Washington
www.friendsofwashington.org

Key State Races in 2018

The Washington State Senate has 49 seats total (1 per district.) Half the seats are up for election every 2 years. With surging blue energy and early donations from people like us, we can improve the 25-24 advantage Democrats have. The map is good: 12 Republican seats are up for reelection. In 2016, Patty Murray won 7 of those 12, and Hillary Clinton won 4 of them. So chip in early, help bring the blue wave.

Here are the three State Senate seats most likely to flip in 2018:

1. Claire Wilson running in LD#30, just north of Tacoma (Federal Way plus parts of Des Moines and Auburn.) This district went 57% for Clinton in 2016. The Republican incumbent is Mark Miloscia who is anti-choice and anti-gay rights. No matter where you live in the state, consider making a contribution to Claire Wilson, to give her the resources she needs to flip it blue. Claire's site is here.

2. Mona Das running in LD#47, just south of Renton/Kent (Covington, Auburn.) This district went 54% for Clinton in 2016. The Republican incumbent is Joe Fain who is rated favorably by the NRA. Support Mona Das by clicking here.

3. Pinky Vargas and Tim Ballew are two strong progressive democrats running in LD#42. This is the NW corner of the state (Bellingham, Blaine, Lynden, Ferndale.) The Republican incumbent Doug Erickson is a climate denier who ran Trump's Washington State campaign. Clinton won this district 48% to 45%.

The Washington State House has 98 seats (2 per district.) Every one of these 98 seats is up for reelection every 2 years. Democrats now have a slim 2-seat majority (50-48) in the State House, with excellent chances to win more.

Here are the three State House seats most likely to flip in 2018:

1. Bill Ramos running in LD#5 (Maple Valley, Issaquah, North Bend, Preston, Fall City, Carnation)

The Republican in that seat, Jay Rodne, won with only 52% of the vote in 2016. He is retiring. The GOP candidate running for this now open seat is Chad Magendanz. Bill Ramos' site is here.

2. Mari Leavitt running in LD #28 (southwest of Tacoma, University Place, Lakewood.) The Republican incumbent is Dick Muri who won with only 52% in 2016 against Mari Leavitt, and Clinton won the district with 53%. This time Leavitt is running a much more stronger campaign. Donate to Mari Leavitt here.

3. Erin Frasier running in LD#19 (Aberdeen down along the coast then east to Longview.) The Republican incumbent is Jim Walsh who won an open seat in 2016 with just 50.6% of vote.

Stay tuned! More details coming soon about these six hottest, very flippable races!