Republican Incumbent Rep. Jim Walsh Challenged by 'Rural Democrat' Kelli Hughes-Ham in 19th District Race [The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash.]

Oct. 20—When he first became involved in politics, state Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, said he didn't plan on running for elected office.

Instead, Walsh, who has owned and operated a small publishing company that focuses on professional education and technical manuals in the insurance risk management and financial services industries for about 24 years, said he was originally only interested in local Republican Party politics.

At the time he decided to run for the Legislature, Walsh was serving as the chairman of the Grays Harbor County Republican Party.

"I worked very hard to begin turning (Grays Harbor County) from blue Democrat and mix it up a little to the middle politically," Walsh told The Chronicle.

Walsh, who was also elected vice chair of the Washington State Republican Party for three or four years during his tenure as the Grays Harbor County chairman, had been looking for potential candidates to run for the Legislature when several of his potential recruits told him he should run himself. According to Walsh, after about the third person he was trying to recruit told him he should run, he decided to listen and threw his hat into the race for the Legislature in the 2016 election.

Walsh, who is now seeking a fourth term in the Legislature, reflected recently on his time in elected office in an interview with The Chronicle. He said his biggest accomplishment in the state House has been to give a voice to constituents who felt they didn't have one before he was elected. But that voice hasn't come without its detractors. According to Walsh, his biggest disappointment during his time in the Legislature has been the criticism he's received from Democrats.

"People like (Gov.) Jay Inslee and (Washington State Democratic Party Chair) Tina Podlodowski have tried to paint me as some sort of extremist and exercise their divisive politics on the people of Washington, using me as a prop," Walsh told The Chronicle.

Criticisms of Walsh have come from the highest levels of the state Democratic Party. Earlier this year, Mike Faulk, Inslee's deputy director of communications, referred to Walsh as a "fringe politician" in a statement to The Chronicle. The criticism Walsh has received has often resulted from the legislator's actions, such as his decision to wear a Star of David at a June 2021 event to protest COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

"In the current context, we're all Jews," Walsh wrote in a comment on a video he posted showing him wearing a Star of David while speaking at an event.

Walsh went on to apologize for actions, saying he used the Star of David "in a way that was inappropriate and offensive to so many people."

When asked about the event, Walsh told The Chronicle many of his Jewish constituents in the 19th District have told him she shouldn't have apologized.

"I don't think you can make a generalization about how Jewish people feel about that episode. No hurt intended," Walsh said.

Walsh's ability to raise the ire of Democrats has led some to argue he is unable to work with his Democratic colleagues in the Legislature, something they argue is crucial since the Democrats have controlled the state House for the entirety of Walsh's time in office. They argue the hostility Democrats have expressed toward Walsh has made it difficult for him to achieve legislative accomplishments as an isolated member of the minority party. One of the critics arguing Walsh has been unable to work with his Democratic colleagues is his Democratic opponent in the Nov. 8 general election, Kelli Hughes-Ham.

Hughes-Ham was born and raised in Chinook, an unincorporated area of Pacific County, and still lives about five minutes away from where she grew up. She's an art and career and technical education teacher at the same high school she attended. Like Walsh, she was active in local party politics before running for office, having served as a Democratic precinct committee officer for about 10 years.

Walsh was born on the East Coast but felt a connection to the area from visiting family members during what he describes as a military brat-style upbringing with a father who worked as an attorney for the federal government. According to Walsh, despite having moved around the country growing up, he considered Washington to be his "home base."

"Jim Walsh has been in that position for six years and he hasn't gotten us anything," Hughes-Ham told The Chronicle.

According to Hughes-Ham, unlike Walsh, she's able to work with people who disagree with her.

"I'm a high school teacher, so I know how to talk to people who disagree with me. I mean, I teach teenagers," Hughes-Ham said.

Walsh disagrees with the characterization of him as someone who can't work with Democrats.

"That's false, the last bill I got across the governor's desk was a homeowner protection bill for people who live in condos, and it was cosponsored with Tina Orwall, the speaker pro-tem for the Democrats and, I think even she would admit, a woman of the left," Walsh said.

According to Walsh, while his bill with Orwall was not a "huge bill" by his own account, it serves as proof of his ability to work with his colleagues across the aisle.

"It's a cheap talking point to say a conservative can't work with liberals," Walsh said. "It's two different worlds. People get fixated on campaign rhetoric. When you get to the capitol people put campaign rhetoric aside and they try to work together."

Beyond their disagreement over Walsh's ability to work with his Democratic colleagues, the two candidates disagree on a range of issues, from abortion and guns to housing policy and education funding.

Since the Supreme Court's June ruling allowing state governments to legally regulate abortion throughout a pregnancy under the federal constitution, the issue of abortion has been at the forefront of national attention.

Walsh told The Chronicle he opposes action by the Legislature to regulate abortion.

"I am pro-life but I am also pro-initiative," Walsh said.

According to Walsh, current state law on abortion was set by the people of Washington state through the initiative process and the only way state law on the issue should be changed is through ballot initiative. He said he does take issue with those who believe abortion should be legal until the end of a pregnancy.

"I have trouble with the extreme position that abortion should be legal until the last minute of a woman's pregnancy and I have trouble with the handful of radicals who say that abortion 'so called' should be protected after birth. Only some radicals believe it, but it's very troubling to me that some radicals hold it," Walsh said.

In contrast to Walsh, Hughes-Ham believes it is too difficult to receive an abortion currently, arguing abortion access should be expanded in rural areas.

"In my rural area, people need to drive an hour and a half to reach that reproductive service," Hughes-Ham said.

When asked what policies need to be enacted to ensure abortion could be accessed in a way she believes necessary, Hughes-Ham argued it is important to enshrine into law the legal protections the Supreme Court struck down. When it was pointed out to her that legal protections for abortion up to the point of viability were already encoded into Washington state law, Hughes-Ham told The Chronicle "I'll have to eat my hat" if that were the case. In 1991, voters approved a ballot measure called I-120 that legalized abortion up to the point of fetal viability in Washington state.

Walsh and Hughes-Ham are further divided on the issue of guns, with Walsh arguing for a liberalization of state gun laws while Hughes-Ham argued for the regulation of semi-automatic weapons.

"We have terrible state laws that infringe and impair on their constitutional rights to keep and bear arms," Walsh said. "We need to repeal the unconstitutional magazine ban (and regulations on) certain firearms to adults who are under 21 years old. We need to repeal unconstitutional restrictions on how an individual must store or keep firearms they own on ... their own property."

Hughes-Ham said that weapons such as semi-automatic firearms don't belong in the hands of children, arguing brains don't stop developing until a person is 25 years old. Though she said she doesn't support a full ban on semi-automatic weapons, she would support raising the age required to purchase those guns to 21. That law was already enacted by the voters in 2018 through I-1639.

Hughes-Ham expressed concerns about mass shootings and what she sees as a culture of gun worship.

"I have training in how to stuff a gushing wound. That's not something a teacher (should have to do) ... That's not the sort of training this society should demand of me," Hughes-Ham said. "This gun worship just scares me. I've had guns since I was a kid, but I don't make it my personality."

On the issue of increasing housing affordability in the 19th District, both candidates agreed there was an issue of government overregulation, though they diverged on the nature of that overregulation.

"We've got to get rid of the Growth Management Act. It's an artificial restraint on housing production," Walsh said.

Walsh also criticized environmental regulations he believes are raising housing costs, pointing specifically to a rule by Inslee that limits the use of natural gas in newly constructed buildings.

"Inslee's wild-eyed and radical environmentalist agenda ... has created the housing crisis in Washington right now," Walsh said. "Trying to prohibit natural gas in new buildings ... by going around the Legislature through the Building Code Council is outrageous. And talk to the building trades. They will tell you this kind of policy is damaging new development in the state. I'm in agreement. I'm standing with the building trades ... These restrictions on development are not just unlawful, they're stupid. They're creating a shortage in housing."

Hughes-Ham believes there's an overregulation of housing production through local zoning and permitting laws. She said if elected she would vote for legislation prohibiting local governments from zoning areas exclusively for single-family homes, calling such regulations "ridiculous."

Walsh is against legislation that would preempt local single-family home zoning regulations.

"I think zoning issues must stay local. The state should only get in the zoning business on a rare occasion and with urgent cause," Walsh said. "(Eliminating single family home zoning) pretends to be a solution to the housing crisis, but it's not. It just creates more bureaucratic weight. We don't need more ill-conceived state law trying to mitigate the effects of other ill-conceived state law."

Hughes-Ham additionally supports policies that would limit the ability of corporations to purchase homes, which she believes companies are doing to turn into short-term rental units.

"I'd love to see a three-day waiting period. It would slow down the property grabs we're seeing, especially out here in Pacific County," Hughes-Ham said.

Education funding is also an issue that divides the candidates. Both Walsh and Hughes-Ham support changing how education funds are distributed, though the means by which they would like to see that change enacted differ significantly.

Walsh advocates for vouchers that would allow children to receive money to finance education beyond the public school system. During the legislative session earlier this year, Walsh sponsored House Bill 1633, which would have granted students school vouchers in the form of $10,000 scholarships to be used for tuition for private schools and other forms of education, calling the bill a "step in the right direction."

"We got to get rid of the prototypical school budget model," said Walsh. "1633 does not take resources away from school districts. To the contrary, it allows funding to school districts to increase."

According to Walsh, the average expenditure per child in Washington's public schools is about $18,000. Walsh says by allowing a child to use $10,000 for other educational paths, schools will be able to continue receiving the remaining $8,000 without having to pay the costs of a child attending the school. He says he'll be introducing the bill again in the next legislative session with modified language that he feels will be more accommodating to groups such as homeschooling families.

Hughes-Ham would like to see the school funding model reformed by redistributing funds through the state rather than funding schools through local property taxes. In her view, taxes should be collected from across the state and given to school districts based on need.

"My funding ideas are based on what are the needs of the student. The money needs to follow the services the kids need," Hughes-Ham said. "I think it would have to be based upon what each district needs for its students. It's about equity, not equality."

She gave the example of funding for the school district she works for.

"We get the same funding structure as an urban district. We're funded for a (fraction of a) school counselor. We can't share resources like a bunch of big districts can," Hughes-Ham said.

Hughes-Ham wasn't sure exactly how revenue would be raised for her proposed school funding system and said she'd need to do more research.

"That's probably going to come from a wealth tax honestly," Hughes-Ham said. "I'd like to see my property taxes go down, that's for sure."

Asked if he believed the 2020 election was stolen and former president Donald Trump was the legitimate winner, Walsh told The Chronicle issues around the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election were primarily an issue in other states.

"I'm more concerned about our elections here in Washington. I'd rather focus on where I live and that's Washington state," Walsh said. "A lot of the rhetoric around Trump versus Biden focuses on other states and I'm not interested in that."

Walsh pointed to research by Snohomish County Republican Party Chair Doug Roulstone, which he claimed showed voting incongruities in the 2022 primary election this past August. According to Walsh, if an investigation similar to Roulstone's was done in King County, similar issues around claimed voting irregularities could arise.

However, one point Walsh wanted to make clear was that issues around voting abnormalities were not an issue in Southwest Washington.

"I have concerns about some anomalies in some parts of the state. Now I should emphasize not Southwest Washington," Walsh said. "Our elections are run pretty straight here."

Walsh also claims Democrats don't want questions around election legitimacy to be resolved, arguing Democrats believe questions about election legitimacy could lead some Republican-leaning voters to stay away from the ballot.

"On the matter of election integrity. I believe that some partisans want the issue of election integrity to not be resolved. Because those partisans think it could discourage people to vote," Walsh said. "I want to encourage people not to be discouraged to vote on Nov. 8. I think the people of the 19th and 20th districts would be proud they are well represented in Olympia."

Asked what his priorities would be for the next legislative session should the Republicans win a majority in the chamber in November, Walsh, who as the current ranking Republican member would be poised to take over as chair of the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee, said he'd have several policy priorities for his committee.

Walsh told The Chronicle he'd like to repeal "some bad laws that unconstitutionally restrict people's rights to keep and bear arms," while also passing legislation to protect homeowners.

Walsh also pointed to what he believes are issues with laws he believes were poorly written.

"I think there's some things we can do to clarify what equal protection means. ... I think we've muddied, with well intentioned but poorly written legislation, what equal protection means under the law," Walsh said. "The so-called 'equity lens' I believe are well meaning but they sometimes have the opposite of the intended effect."

Asked more generally what issues are important to him, Walsh pointed to constitutional balance between the branches of government, rising crime and education reform.

Walsh argued laws regarding emergency powers need to be reformed, claiming the state has been in a "constitutional crisis."

"Crime is on the rise across the state, property crime primarily but violent crime also," Walsh said. "The predicted result of policies put forward by Inslee, (State Attorney General Bob) Ferguson, (State Speaker of the House Laurie) Jinkins and (State Senate Majority Leader Andy) Billig."

Finally, Walsh pointed to statewide education statistics to argue education reform is needed, claiming the government was "failing the children of this state."

"The kids ... they are the interest group and we are failing that interest group," Walsh said. "We are failing those kids."

Beyond policy issues, Walsh was also asked what he would say to the new western Lewis County constituents he's gained since redistricting.

"I am a vocal and effective defender of the Washington state Constitution. I defend the fundamental foundational values of this state and the constitutional rights that all of the people of this state enjoy as effectively, if not more effectively, than anyone else in Olympia. I am an effective and aggressive advocate of anyone I represent," Walsh told The Chronicle.

Hughes-Ham was asked about the issue of health insurance and the role of private health insurance providers. Hughes-Ham is a supporter of I-1471, which seeks to create a single-payer health insurance system in Washington state. She told The Chronicle she'd like to see health insurance companies "done away with entirely," calling them predatory. Hughes-Ham told The Chronicle she thinks people should be able to keep their private coverage if they wanted to but wasn't sure why someone would choose to do so.

Asked what other issues were important to her, Hughes-Ham mentioned the protection of natural resources and federal recognition of the Chinook Tribe.

"(I will stand) up for our natural resources industries out here. It's not just about the economics of losing an industry. It's also about losing a culture," Hughes-Ham said.

Hughes-Ham told The Chronicle she's critical of the Inslee administration's decision not to approve a pesticide for ghost shrimp, which she says have been causing issues for the local industry.

"I'm gonna say I'm not an Inslee fan. ... We're losing our culture out here because there's overregulation," Hughes-Ham said.

She added that she sees herself differently than she sees other Democrats.

"There's so much stuff where you know I'm a Democrat, but I'm a rural Democrat," Hughes-Ham said. "We own guns. I have to protect my chickens."

As for federal recognition of the Chinook Tribe, Hughes-Ham recognized that as a state representative, there would likely be little she could do on the issue, but felt it was important to her as a member of the Chinook Nation.

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