VOTER INTERESTS PROJECT: Candidate Watch – Legislative District 10 (June 2022)

UPDATE (June 12, 2022): An additional candidate, Ryan Campbell, filed to run against Dave Paul for Position 2 during Filing Week, but dropped out of the race shortly thereafter having neither raised nor spent any money.

PREVIOUS UPDATES: May 14, 2022, Apr. 16, 2022, Mar. 10, 2022, Jan. 17, 2022.

ORIGINAL POST: Island County voters will see both State Representative positions for Legislative District 10 on the ballot this year. As of Jan. 17, 2022, four candidates have filed with the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) to run for these offices. Filing for with the PDC allows the candidate to begin fundraising; candidates will still have to file with the County Auditor or Secretary of State’s office during Filing Week, May 16-20, 2022.

Candidates are required to report campaign contributions, including in-kind contributions, within five business days of receipt. Expenditures must be reported on a monthly basis. Contributions, except from political party committees, are limited to $1,000 per election. Thus, an individual or organization may contribute $2,000 each election cycle: $1,000 for the primary, and $1,000 for the general election.

Unlike presidential campaigns, voters rarely see polling information on state legislative races. Fundraising can often be seen as a proxy indicator of how well a campaign is doing. While it is not true that the candidate with the most money wins, large financial disparities between candidates are often a predictor of electoral success.

Position 1

Greg Gilday (incumbent), Republican from Camano Island, filed on January 10, 2021. Mr. Gilday started with $3,889.69 left over from his 2020 campaign, and has raised $79,637.00 (up $12,880 from May 14) since filing, bringing his total contributions to $96,406.69. He has spent $26,025.70 (up $1,197.12). Mr. Gilday reports no debt. (See Mr. Gilday’s PDC filings.)

Clyde Shavers, Democrat from Oak Harbor, filed on January 10, 2022. Mr. Shavers reports $73,321.61 (up $14,910.69) in contributions and $13,828.08 (up $13,827.54) in expenditures and $4,000.00 (down $972.38) in debts. (See Mr. Shavers’ PDC filings.)

Position 2

Dave Paul (incumbent), Democrat from Oak Harbor, filed on February 3, 2021. Mr. Paul carried $6,504.78 over from his previous campaign, and has raised $92,191.83 (up $16,304.37), for total contributions of $115,000.98. His campaign reports expenditures of $16,182.47 (up $9,548.51). He also reports debts of $2,000.00 (up $1,000.00). (See Mr. Paul’s PDC filings.)

Karen Lesetmoe, Republican from Oak Harbor, filed on March 23, 2022. Mrs. Lesetmoe reports $2,630.00 (up $13,150) and has added $6,000 in loans for total contributions of $21,780.00. She reports expenditures of $17,383.74 (up $16,555.55). She reports reducing her debt to 0 (from $7,732.04). (See Mrs. Lesetmoe’s PDC filings.)