Digging deep: Who's funding Skagit's 2026 legislative, county races

Ahead of the 2026 primary election, the Skagit Valley Herald is looking at the campaign funding sources and expenditures of state legislative and county commissioner candidates.

The figures listed below were reported by the candidates to the state Public Disclosure Commission and were gathered from the commission's website as of Thursday afternoon.

Each election, legislative and county office candidates are limited to $1,200 contributions from individuals, Political Action Committees (PACs), unions and corporations.

Some contributors have contributed $1,200 twice — one contribution for the primary election and another for the general election.

Legislative District 39, State Rep. Pos. 1

Three candidates are running for the 39th Legislative District Position 1 seat in the state House of Representatives: Republicans Sam Low and Dusty Wisniew, and Democrat Kathryn Lewandowsky.

Low, the incumbent, has raised the most of the three candidates in the race. He has received about $90,000 in contributions.

Businesses have been Low’s largest contributors, having contributed about $36,000. PACs have contributed about $27,000, and individuals have contributed about $24,000.

Low has received $1,200 contributions from Puget Sound Energy, Chevron, Kroger, T-Mobile and Microsoft. He has also received $2,400 from Microsoft's Vice Chair and President Brad Smith.

Low has spent about $48,000 during his campaign, with the largest expenses being for mailers, signs and advertising. He has spent about $38,000 on the production and disbursement of these items.

Wisniew has received about $4,400 in contributions. The majority of his contributions have come from individuals. He has also received a $700 contribution from the 39th District Republicans and a $500 contribution from the Skagit County GOP.

Wisniew has spent about $2,800. Aside from filing fees (about $700), his largest expenses have been for printing signs, banners and business cards.

Lewandowsky has received about $2,700 in contributions, with about half of the amount coming from self-contributions.

Lewandowsky has spent about $2,300, with about $800 of that being for printing signs, campaign literature, and business cards.

Legislative District 10, State Rep. Pos. 2

Democrat Dave Paul and Republicans Tim Hazelo and Carrie R Kennedy are running for the 39th Legislative District Position 1 seat.

Paul, the incumbent, has raised the most of the three, having raised about $70,000 ahead of this year’s election.

Paul has received about $20,000 from individuals and $14,000 from PACs.

Some of Paul’s largest contributions come from several entities and PACs, such as the University of Washington Education Committee, Amazon.com Services LLC, Puget Sound Pilots PAC, Justice for All PAC, and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

Paul has spent about $23,000. About $7,500 has been spent on small, non-itemized expenditures (expenses less than $200). About $5,800 has been spent on wages and salaries, and about $4,900 has been spent on consulting services.

Hazelo has received about $17,000 in contributions, mostly from individual contributions. He also received a $500 contribution from the Skagit County GOP.

Hazelo has spent about $14,000, with about half of that being spent on signs and postcards.

Kennedy has received about $5,000 in contributions, mostly from individual contributions.

Kennedy has spent about $1,900, with her highest expenses being for filing fees and printing campaign literature.

Legislative District 39, State Rep. Pos. 1

Four candidates are running for the 39th Legislative District Position 2 seat in the state House of Representatives — Republicans Steve Ewing, Lacey Sauvageau and Robert Sutherland, and Democrat Ida Keeley.

The seat now held by Republican Carolyn Eslick represents eastern Skagit and Snohomish counties. Eslick is not running for reelection.

Of the four candidates, Ewing has raised the most, with about $59,000 raised.

The largest portion, about $10,000 in total, comes from the Skagit County GOP.

One thousand two hundred dollars each was contributed by the WA State Society of Anesthesiologists PAC, a construction company, Teamsters Local 117, former Lake Stevens City Councilmember Gary Petershagen, state Rep. Sam Low, Johnson & Johnson Corporate Political Fund, several contractors, and the Washington Federal of State Employees AFSCME Council 28.

Ewing has spent about $20,000, with the largest expenditures going to consulting services, cards and yard signs.

Sutherland has raised about $2,000 and taken out a $5,000 loan from himself.

He's spent about $6,000, with the largest expenditure for design and graphics for yard signs.

The largest contribution ($700) comes from the 39th District Republicans.

The Responsible Leadership PAC, out of Olympia, spent about $18,000 in independent expenditures in mailings against Sutherland.

Keeley has raised about $39,000, with the largest contributions coming from the Snohomish County Democratic Committee ($6,000), and other Everett, Renton and Seattle residents, the Aerospace Machinists Union District #751, and the Say It Loud! PAC ($1,200).

Keeley has spent about $21,000, with most going to wages, salaries and benefits, and expenses of $200 or less.

Lacey Sauvageau chose "mini reporting" to the state Public Disclosure Commission, which is only available to candidates who promise to raise and spend no more than $7,000 and receive no more than $500 from any one contributor.

Legislative District 40, State Rep. Pos. 2

Incumbent and Democrat Alex Ramel is facing three challengers for the position 2 seat — Independents Joseph Segault and Salomon Rodrigue Mbouombouo, and Monte Jay Mahan, who has no party preference.

The 40th District covers all of San Juan County and parts of Skagit and Whatcom counties, including Anacortes, Mount Vernon and parts of Bellingham.

Ramel has raised about $49,000 in contributions, with $2,400 from Credit Union Legislative Action Fund, Service Employees International Union 775 Quality Care Committee, Samish Indian Nation, Regence health insurance, and Puget Sound Pilots PAC.

He has received $1,200 each from the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, State Farm Federal PAC, Service Employees International Union Healthcare 1199 NW, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 105 of Whatcom, WA Beer and Wine Distributors Association, Delta Dental of Washington, Washington Multi-Family Housing Association PAC, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, and Washington State Association for Justice's PAC.

He's spent about $22,500, with the majority going to management and consulting services.

Segault has not reported any contributions or expenses.

Jay Mahan and Mbouombouo opted for mini reporting.

Skagit County Commissioner District 3 seat

Appointee-incumbent and Democrat Joe Burns, state Sen. and Republican Keith Wagoner, and Independent Connie Krier are facing off in the August primary for the commissioner seat.

The District 3 seat includes Burlington, Sedro-Woolley, and most of eastern Skagit County. Only voters in the district are eligible to vote for the race in the primary election. All Skagit County voters are eligible to vote for the seat in the general election.

Burns has raised about $25,000, with the largest amount — about $7,000 — coming from small contributions.

One thousand two hundred dollars came from Laborers' Union Local 292.

Mount Vernon School Board Director Robert Coffey gave $1,000, Retired Public Employees Council PAC gave $750, former Skagit County commissioner Lisa Janicki gave $600, and Port of Skagit Commissioner Melanie Mankamyer gave $500.

Skagit County Democrats gave about $290.

Burns has spent about $22,000, with the largest expenditures going to yard signs, banners and filing fees.

Wagoner has raised about $23,500. About $5,000 came from the Skagit County Republican Party. About $2,000 came from small contributions.

The I-200 PAC contributed $2,400. The I-200 PAC works to keep intact the state initiative that ended affirmative action in the state.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation donated $1,200.

Other notable contributors include Goldenwest Diamond Corp President William Doddridge ($1,000), Sedro-Woolley Councilmember Karl de Jong ($500), Sedron Technologies CEO Peter Janicki ($500), Janicki Industries President John Janicki ($500), and state Senator Jeff Wilson ($500).

Wagoner loaned about $1,500 to himself.

He's spent about $16,500. The largest expenditures have gone to design work, mailers, ads, and signs.

Krier has raised about $9,000 and spent about that much.

About $5,000 of that has come from her, with other smaller donations coming from residents in Bow, Mount Vernon, Concrete and Sedro-Woolley.

Krier's largest expenditures were on yard signs, banners, decals and filing fees.

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