Political Action

Whether we like it or not, politics plays a huge role in our lives. And especially as public employees, lawmakers at every level make decisions that impact whether our jobs will be funded, our retirement plans will remain solvent, or whether we can take time off to care for a sick loved one.

PROTEC17 members advocate for laws and policies at the city, county and state level that support our members and their families. In addition, we have a political action committee (PAC) that makes endorsements for worker-friendly candidates. The PAC is funded through voluntary donations — NEVER DUES MONEY.

In conjunction with the PROTEC17 Workers’ Roundtable (PWR!), PROTEC17 members have participated in endorsement committees to interview candidates for state and local races throughout Washington state. Below you will find a list of Labor-, public-sector-, and worker-friendly candidates who we have endorsed for races in Aug. 2025.

✓ = Elected!

State Legislature Special Elections:

• 5th Legislative District Senator – Victoria Hunt ✓
• 26th Legislative District Senator – Deb Krishnadasan ✓
• 33rd Legislative District Representative, House Position #1 – Edwin Obras ✓
• 33rd Legislative District Senator – Tina Orwall ✓
• 34th Legislative District Representative, House Position #1 – Brianna K. Thomas ✓
• 34th Legislative District Senator – Emily Alvarado ✓
• 41st Legislative District Representative, Position #1 – Janice Zahn ✓
• 48th Legislative District Representative, Positon #1 – Osman Salahuddin ✓
• 48th Legislative District Senator – Vandana Slatter ✓

King County:

• County Executive (Dual Endorsement) – Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay ✓
• County Council, District #1 – Rod Dembowski ✓
• County Council, District #3 – Sarah Perry ✓

City of Seattle:

• Mayor – Katie Wilson ✓
• City Council, Citywide (Position #9) – Dionne Foster ✓
• City Council, Position #2 – Jamie Fackler, Adonis Ducksworth, and Eddie Lin ✓
• City Council, Position #8 – Alexis Mercedes Rinck ✓
• City Attorney – Erika Evans ✓

City of Burien:

• City Council, Position #7 – Rocco DeVito ✓

The PROTEC17 Workers’ Roundtable (PWR) has interviewed many candidates for state and local races throughout Washington state. Below you will find a list of Labor-, public-sector-, and worker-friendly candidates who we have endorsed for races in November 2024. Remember to vote by Nov. 5!

• Governor – Bob Ferguson
• Attorney General – Nick Brown
• Commissioner of Public Lands – Dave Upthegrove
• Insurance Commissioner – Patty Kuderer
• State Representative, District 5 – Victoria Hunt
• State Senator, District 8 – Maria Beltran
• State Representative, District 36 – Julia Reed
• State Representative, District 43 – Shaun Scott
• NO on State Initiative 2109
• NO on State Initiative 2117
• Pierce County Executive – Ryan Mello
• Seattle City Council, Position 8 – Alexis Mercedes Rinck
• YES on City of Seattle Proposition 1
• YES on Snohomish County Proposition 1
• Spokane County Commissioner – Molly Marshall

Last updated Sep. 6, 2024

Mayor: Mingus Mapps

District 1 (East):

• Candace Avalos
• Steph Routh
• Timur Ender

District 2 (North):

• Elana Pirtle-Guiney
• Mariah Hudson
• Jonathan Tasini
• Sameer Kanal

District 3 (Inner East):

• Chris Flanary
• Tiffany Koyama Lane
• Angelita Morillo

District 4 (West and Sellwood):

• Sarah Silkie
• Mitch Green
• Chad Lykins
• Lisa Freeman

More information on each candidate’s platform or to make a personal contribution can be found at the link to their individual websites. All endorsed candidates are registered for the City’s small donor elections program — any contribution over $5 will make a significant impact in raising matching funds from the City. Please consider making contributions to the candidates above. Please note that PROTEC17 does NOT use dues money to contribute to candidates, so any contributions are strictly voluntary.

If you have any questions about our committee’s process or would like more information about the endorsements above, please feel free to contact PROTEC17 Research Director and Oregon Legislative Advocate, Elliot Levin, at .

Interested in our member-led Political Action Committee (PAC) and supporting worker-oriented legislation and candidates? This unique group allows PROTEC17 members to share the work we do with political candidates, as well as show our support to those who are committed to supporting working people and their families. If you are interested in participating on the Political Action Committee (PAC), please reach out to our Political Director, Brandon Hersey.