> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.stonewallnews.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Spokane County - Political Candidate Responses - URL: https://www.stonewallnews.net/spokane-county-political-candidate-responses/ - Published: 2026-09-01T17:52:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-23T19:11:27.000Z - Author: Stonewall News Northwest - Tags: Spokane, Eastern WA, Politics, #table-of-content *Stonewall News Northwest* reached out to **68** candidates in **30** state legislative district races in **5** Washington State counties. We posed six questions gauging their positions on equality, inclusivity, instilling civility in discourse and bridging community divides. Many candidates shied away from these questions, but others stepped up. In Spokane County, five candidates responded out of 20 contacted. Their full questionnaire responses are below. See other counties [here](https://www.stonewallnews.net/political-candidate-survey-overview/). --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/09/Spokane-3-1.png) **Spokane County, WA** | Population (2020): 539,339 | Area: 1,781 square miles **Website**: [https://www.spokanecounty.gov/](https://www.spokanecounty.gov/?ref=stonewallnews.net) **Income**: The county has a median household income of $86,205\. Approximately 12.5% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. **Racial Makeup**: The racial makeup of the county was 82.1% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 1.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.3% Asian, 0.8% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.2% from some other race, and 9.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.6% of the population. **Age Distribution**: As of the 2020 census, 212,470 households, and 132,324 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 21.8% were under the age of 18 and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 38.0 years. 85.4% of residents lived in urban areas and 14.6% lived in rural areas. **Politics**: Spokane County is rather conservative for an urban county, voting Republican for president all but three times since 1948\. Democratic strength is concentrated in Spokane itself and in Cheney, which is home to Eastern Washington University, while the suburban areas are heavily Republican. The Republican edge has narrowed somewhat since the turn of the century. In the last five elections, the margin has been under 9% each time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/09/Spokane-County.png) --- ### **Julia Payne -** Candidate for Spokane County Legislative District 6, State Representative Position 2 Website: [www.juliaforoffice.com](http://www.juliaforoffice.com/?ref=stonewallnews.net) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/09/Julia-Payne-3-1.jpg) Julia Payne **1\. In one paragraph, please share your professional qualifications for the position you are seeking.** > I am a mom and a foster mom; I am proud to say that I am work-force educated. I have worked in various fields throughout my work life but I feel the most important experience that qualifies me for the position of your State House Representative for District 6 is that I have lived in Spokane and the surrounding area since 1989\. I graduated from Medical Lake High school. I have raised children here, and struggled to pay bills here, and bought a home here. I have also spent about 15 years volunteering with community organizations such as Spokane Pride. I am not a professional politician, I am a Spokanite who wants to see our voices heard in Olympia, and I want to be the voice for you. **2\. Please provide your previous experience, if any, in working with LGBTQIA+ people, LGBTQIA+ youth, LGBTQIA+ families and LGBTQIA+ communities.** > I have members of my family that identify as LBTQIA+, I have spent 15 years volunteering with and supporting the community. I served as the Vice President of the board of Spokane Pride for one year and have been an active volunteer with SAN - Spokane AIDS Network for a few years as well. I have worked with and provided resources for homeless youth and young adults in Spokane who identify as community members, and some of them were homeless because of that identification. The community is close to my heart, and my family. **3\. How would you bridge divides to bring people together for important common causes under the larger umbrella of good governance.** > My website says it, I want to have conversations, not arguments. I have friends and family members that have issues with the LGBTQIA+ community, so I have navigated the fine line of conversation with an eye to safety for my community. I am willing, and even eager, to have the conversations with people that disagree with me so that I can help educate and hopefully clear up misinformation. I want to be the shield for those that are persecuted and be the voice of reason for those that need to hear. **4\. How would you address the rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and violence?** > I want to see stronger protections for our vulnerable community members with more defined and actionable consequences. In this world of keyboard anonymity we need to remind everyone that we are all human beings and that we need to approach every interaction with the understanding that we are talking to someone's loved one, someone's family member. We need to make sure that we are protecting the vulnerable, not finding ways to victimize them. **5\. What specific policies or protections would you advocate for to ensure LGBTQIA+ people in your community have equal access to healthcare, housing, and employment opportunities? If you would not support protections, please state which ones and why, and detail what concrete alternatives you would implement to guarantee fair and equal treatment for all residents in these areas.** > In Olympia I would carefully review all policies and legislation that came across my desk. I have created a network of individuals that include Trans community members, BIPOC community members, and any other marginalized group that I can connect with; I do not have their life experience, so the next best thing that I can do is to give them space to tell me their experience so that I can learn from it. I will continue to improve on my knowledge and connection so that I can consider as many viewpoints as possible. When it comes to specific policies; I cannot say there is any policy I won't support until it is presented to me. I will do my best to approach with a viewpoint of preventing harm and restricting those who wish to cause harm. Space restrictions prevent me from giving specifics on policies as this is a moving target, but I do update my website on a regular basis with the issues in present consideration and how I feel about them. **6\. What would you say directly to your own LGBTQA+ community?** > We need to make sure that those of us that are comfortable being on the front lines of this war are standing there because we have so many behind us who are suffering from incredible wounds and they need the time and space to heal. Action and advocacy is such a personal thing, but we all need to do what we feel we can. I want to be on the front lines, in Olympia, in the room with the law makers so that I can make sure the voices of this community are heard loud and clear. We are not going away, we are PROUD of who we are, and we deserve to be heard. --- ### **Michaela Kelso -** Candidate for Spokane County Legislative District 6, State Representative Position 1 Website: [Kelso4WA.com](https://www.kelso4wa.com/?ref=stonewallnews.net) | Bluesky: [https://bsky.app/profile/kelso4wa.bsky.social](https://bsky.app/profile/kelso4wa.bsky.social?ref=stonewallnews.net) | FB: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/09/Michaela-Kelso-2-1.jpg) Michaela Kelso **1\. In one paragraph, please share your professional qualifications for the position you are seeking.** > I am a retired US Army Veteran. During 23.5 years on active duty I worked in all levels of responsibility and in the fields of food service, personnel services, and military intelligence. A “well-rounded Non-Commissioned Officer”, if there ever was one. I have an analytical mind, am a quick learner, and know how to work with people regardless of their background. Additionally, I am very detail-oriented and skilled in research. I am not afraid to admit when I don’t know something. **2\. Please provide your previous experience, if any, in working with LGBTQIA+ people, LGBTQIA+ youth, LGBTQIA+ families and LGBTQIA+ communities.** > I joined the US Army under “Don’t ask, don’t tell”, so the majority of my time I was not aware if I worked with anyone in these communities. Once that changed, though, I always tried to signal that I am an ally and also spoke up if I encountered individuals who were not willing to accept this change. I continue this practice to this day. One of my children is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, so I see protecting the community as a way to protect them. **3\. How would you bridge divides to bring people together for important common causes under the larger umbrella of good governance.** > People fear what they don’t know or understand. I tend to try and use logic to explain why it shouldn’t matter what anyone’s sexual orientation or gender identity is, or that none of this is a choice, but simply who someone is. That doesn’t always work, but most of the time it does. One of the arguments I use is that I don’t have to understand how something works, but I can always accept that it does, and I use things like nuclear power and photovoltaics as examples. When people start spouting off about people “choosing” the “LGBTQ-lifestyle”, I usually ask at what point they chose to be straight, or why anyone would choose to be treated so horribly by bigots and homophobes. Ultimately though, I believe that more “exposure” in safe situations may be the best way to get people to realize that they have been bamboozled into fearing the gentlest and most peaceful people I know. **4\. How would you address the rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and violence?** > We are fortunate in Washington that we already have many anti-discriminatory protections signed into law, but we don’t have equal application of those laws. Either through lack of knowledge, lack of support, lack of empathy, or lack of training, victims who are members of marginalized communities are not finding the justice they deserve. We can address knowledge, support, and training. But especially when the cause is a lack of empathy, we need to start applying consequences. **5\. What specific policies or protections would you advocate for to ensure LGBTQIA+ people in your community have equal access to healthcare, housing, and employment opportunities? If you would not support protections, please state which ones and why, and detail what concrete alternatives you would implement to guarantee fair and equal treatment for all residents in these areas.** > I do not believe in religious or personal exemptions when it comes to things like discrimination in healthcare, housing, or employment. Community providers in these areas should only be able to consider the individual’s ability to pay, their payment history, the ability and experience required to perform the work, or the individual’s medical need and if the provider is qualified to treat them. However, as a legislator I would work to enact the protections that the affected communities ask for. As a relatively privileged individual I probably don’t even know half of what protections are needed. **6\. What would you say directly to your own LGBTQA+ community?** > I want to be a resource and an ally. I may not understand all the nuances in gender expression, gender identity, or sexual orientation, but I don’t need to. I have no problems accepting that people are who they say they are. I have a fairly “happy go lucky” personality and don’t put a lot of thought into if people are not who they appear to be. I will never knowingly do anything to harm anyone in this community. I have made, and probably will continue to make mistakes and only ask that I am informed when that happens so that I can apologize and adjust my behavior. --- ### **Luc Jasmin III -** Candidate for Spokane County Legislative District 3, State Representative Position 2 Website: [https://electluc.org](https://electluc.org/?ref=stonewallnews.net) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/09/Luc-Jasmin-2-1.jpeg) Luc Jasmin III **1\. In one paragraph, please share your professional qualifications for the position you are seeking.** > I have spent four years as the governor's representative in Eastern Washington, first under Jay Inslee and now under Bob Ferguson. I take what people in Eastern Washington experience: food costs, utility shutoffs, housing, health care, and I make sure it lands in front of the people writing state policy, then I come back and tell people the truth about what Olympia did with it. Before that, I built small businesses and invested in my community. I co-founded the Jasmin Group and Parkview Early Learning Center, and I have worked with Northeast Youth and Family Services and the Washington Childcare Centers Association on the childcare shortage that keeps parents in this district out of the workforce. I chaired the Spokane City Police Ombudsman Commission and served as second vice president of the Spokane branch of the NAACP. I am a first-generation Haitian American and the father of two daughters in Spokane public schools. I ran for city council in 2021 and lost by two votes, which taught me more about this district than winning would have. I know how Olympia works, I know how a payroll works, and I know what it costs to raise a family here. **2\. Please provide your previous experience, if any, in working with LGBTQIA+ people, LGBTQIA+ youth, LGBTQIA+ families and LGBTQIA+ communities.** > I do not identify as LGBTQIA+, but I am an ally. I have shown up for LGBTQIA+ community in this city consistently. I have proud working relationships with Spectrum and Spokane Pride, and have worked closely on policy under both Governors Inslee and Ferguson to protect the rights of our LGBTQ+ population. SB 5599 (2023) is an example of this: legislation advocated for and passed that give youth and young adults expanded rights when seeking gender affirming healthcare. **3\. How would you bridge divides to bring people together for important common causes under the larger umbrella of good governance.** > Bridging divides has been a large part of my job as Eastern WA. Rep., and a prevalent task across business endeavors and community building. The governor's Eastern Washington representative sits between a state government a lot of people here feel no connection to and a region with real reasons to feel overlooked. I have been in rooms with people who did not vote for my boss and did not particularly want me there. What I have learned is you show up more than once. You bring something concrete instead of a slogan. You do not pretend to agree when you do not. Most of what holds a district together is not partisan until someone decides to make it partisan. Childcare. A hospital that stays open. Rent a working family can actually cover. Roads and water. I have worked those issues with Republicans, business groups, unions, and school boards, and this campaign has been endorsed by both the Washington State Labor Council and the Association of Washington Business, two groups that do not agree about much. Good governance also means naming the limit out loud. You can compromise on how to fund a program or how fast to phase it in. You cannot compromise on whether a group of people gets to live here safely. I will work with almost anyone on the first kind of question. I will not trade away the second kind to win the first. **4\. How would you address the rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and violence?** > Start by naming it accurately. Harassment is not a difference of opinion, and a threat is not speech. Governments that blur that line on purpose are not being neutral. Three things a state legislator can actually do to address hateful rhetoric: > **Enforcement:** Washington has hate crime law on the books. The gap is usually reporting and follow-through, not the statute. That means funding bias-crime training for local agencies, funding the state's reporting and victim-support infrastructure, and holding agencies to actually reporting, so we are working from real numbers instead of guesses. > **Schools:** Most of the harm in this district lands on kids, and it lands before anyone files a report. Behavioral health funding tied to K-12 is already one of my priorities and this is part of why. Counselors who are trained and staffed, not carrying 400 students. Anti-bullying policy that districts are actually held to. And no state money going to push kids back into a closet. > **Public officials:** A lot of this rhetoric is coming from people holding a microphone and a public salary. I am not going to treat that as weather. When it happens in Olympia I will say so, on the record, by name, and I will expect the same of my caucus. **5\. What specific policies or protections would you advocate for to ensure LGBTQIA+ people in your community have equal access to healthcare, housing, and employment opportunities? If you would not support protections, please state which ones and why, and detail what concrete alternatives you would implement to guarantee fair and equal treatment for all residents in these areas.** > **Employment:** Sexual orientation and gender identity have been protected classes under the Washington Law Against Discrimination since 2006, when HB 2661 amended Chapter 49.60 RCW. The law is good; enforcement is where it thins out. A person fired for who they are, or turned away from an apartment, files with the Human Rights Commission and then waits. I would fund that agency to the size of the job we have actually given it, and I would push for plain-language notice of these rights at the point people need them, which is a lease signing and a hiring packet, not a website. > **Housing:** Two concrete things. Enforce the anti-discrimination law in rentals, which means the commission funding above plus testing, because discrimination in a rental market this tight is easy to hide behind "already rented." Second, fund shelter and transitional housing that LGBTQIA+ young people will actually use, because a bed a kid will not sleep in is not a bed. I already support tenant protections and down-payment assistance, and this is where those meet. > **Health care:** Washington's 2023 shield law, HB 1469, protects patients and providers of gender-affirming and reproductive care from out-of-state prosecution and civil action. I would defend it without qualification, and I would keep going: insurance parity so gender-affirming care is covered like any other medically necessary care, and enough providers on this side of the state that people are not driving to Seattle for an appointment. Access on paper is not access when the nearest provider is a five-hour drive. That is the Eastern Washington version of this problem, and it is the one I would be sent to Olympia to fix. > I would not trade any of these away. If a larger bill needs one of these protections carved out to pass, then it does not pass with my vote. **6\. What would you say directly to your own LGBTQA+ community?** > To the LGBTIA+ community, I see you and I can understand you. I am a first-generation Haitian American raising two daughters in Spokane. I know something about a room going quiet when you walk into it, and about people who have never met you having opinions about whether you belong here. That may not be your exact experience, but it does mean I am not confused about what is happening right now, and nobody needs to explain it to me twice. I would rather be judged on what I do than on what I write in a questionnaire, so hold me to it. Ask me about specific bills. Ask me who I stood with when it cost me something. Call my office when something goes wrong and expect an answer that week. And if I ever go quiet while this community is under attack, say so publicly, and say it loudly. That is what an ally is for. An ally who cannot be criticized is just another politician. Central Spokane is full of people Olympia has learned to forget. I would like the job of making sure you are not on that list. --- ### **Tony Kiepe -** Candidate for Spokane County Legislative District 3, State Representative Position 1 Website: [www.tonykiepe.com](https://www.tonykiepe.com/?ref=stonewallnews.net) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/09/Tony-Kiepe-2-1.jpg) Tony Kiepe **1\. In one paragraph, please share your professional qualifications for the position you are seeking.** > I worked for the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce and was involved in the Government affairs committee where I first got my taste of politics. I want to discuss issues that we agree on and not fight over the few issues we disagree on. I want to bring good paying jobs to Spokane where people feel they are being represented and have a good job that pays enough to put a roof over their head and provide for their family and put their kids through college. I am really interested in bringing resources for the Trades to Spokane. Not every student wants to go to college so let's give them opportunities in the trades. I hate to see young people go so far in debt to go to college and then can't get a job in their field. The trades pay extremely well and with the recent fires in Spokane we are going to need more trades people. I want to make sure that people can retire in dignity and have money left over to enjoy life. **2\. Please provide your previous experience, if any, in working with LGBTQIA+ people, LGBTQIA+ youth, LGBTQIA+ families and LGBTQIA+ communities.** > I was involved with the INBA for years and was on the policy committee. It was refreshing to offer input in the committee and seeing different ideas that I had never been exposed to. **3\. How would you bridge divides to bring people together for important common causes under the larger umbrella of good governance.** > Right now, we have a lot of hate in the community. People don't care who you love today but don't want your lifestyle thrown in our faces. Parents do not want their children exposed at such young ages. **4\. How would you address the rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and violence?** > I don't think men should be walking in a parade naked. To me that is common sense. Let's enjoy the parade and not make the parade all about sex. **5\. What specific policies or protections would you advocate for to ensure LGBTQIA+ people in your community have equal access to healthcare, housing, and employment opportunities? If you would not support protections, please state which ones and why, and detail what concrete alternatives you would implement to guarantee fair and equal treatment for all residents in these areas.** > I do not believe biological boys should play in girl sports. Biological men are stronger and bigger, and it is not fair for the young ladies that have trained all their lives for their sport. I have a hard time thinking we are talking about this. Why not have sports for those that are trans and compete against each other. Healthcare has become very expensive and don't believe everyone should pay for trans surgeries. I believe that should be paid for by the individual and not the government. If you are under 18, I don't believe you should transition until you are an adult at 18\. Let children be children and let families talk to their own children and not the government. **6\. What would you say directly to your own LGBTQA+ community?** > I understand the community and have many friends that are gay. One of my children is gay and is getting married on July 10\. I have met his fiancé many times and his family. We all support his next step in life. I recently had a boys trip and while in the Dallas airport I approached our table and a lady was talking about those queer boys. I had to respond to that comment and took up for my boy. That meant so much to him that I would support him in such a manner. He called his friends to let them know what I did for him. I believe we have a different relationship because of this incident. We talked about how he tolerates public ridicule like this. I'm proud of my boy. --- ### **Karina Wallace -** Candidate for Spokane County Legislative District 9, State Representative Position 2 You can find more about my campaign at , and on TikTok and Instagram @Karina\_JustFiguringItOut. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/09/Karina-Wallace-2-1.jpg) Karina Wallace **1\. In one paragraph, please share your professional qualifications for the position you are seeking.** > I put myself through college, earning an Associate's Degree from Lower Columbia College in 2017\. I worked as a CNA while pursuing nursing school, until my lupus became seriously active and that path had to end. Since then, I've become a Washington State certified Peer Support Specialist and worked as a betrayal trauma recovery coach. I've volunteered extensively at domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, and WorkSource in the Vancouver, Longview, and Kelso area — and I've also relied on those same services myself at different points in my life. I know these systems from both sides of the desk, which is exactly the perspective I bring to representing LD-9\. I'm running a true grassroots campaign — no corporate PAC money, no lobbyist donations — because I believe representation should answer to constituents, not donors. **2\. Please provide your previous experience, if any, in working with LGBTQIA+ people, LGBTQIA+ youth, LGBTQIA+ families and LGBTQIA+ communities.** > Through my volunteer work at domestic violence and homeless shelters, I've supported LGBTQIA+ individuals and families navigating housing instability and safety concerns — sometimes as an advocate, and at other points in my own life, as someone who has needed those same services myself. That's shaped my belief that government's job is to protect people's ability to live as themselves, not to police or gatekeep who they are. **3\. How would you bridge divides to bring people together for important common causes under the larger umbrella of good governance.** > I lead with facts over party and accountability over ideology. In my experience, most people — regardless of politics — actually agree on the basics: they want honesty, they want government that works, and they want to be left alone to live their lives. I try to find that common ground first, and I stay calm on purpose, because I've seen what chaos-politics does to already-vulnerable people. Good policy lowers the temperature; it doesn't force people into survival mode. **4\. How would you address the rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and violence?** > I support religious freedom, and that requires keeping religion out of lawmaking — no belief system should have special power over people who don't share it. When rhetoric turns into targeting a specific group, silence from elected officials is its own kind of harm. I'll use my voice in office to name that directly, not dance around it, and to support policies and enforcement that treat anti-LGBTQ violence and harassment as the serious threat it is. **5\. What specific policies or protections would you advocate for to ensure LGBTQIA+ people in your community have equal access to healthcare, housing, and employment opportunities? If you would not support protections, please state which ones and why, and detail what concrete alternatives you would implement to guarantee fair and equal treatment for all residents in these areas.** > I support full nondiscrimination protections in healthcare, housing, and employment for LGBTQIA+ people, with real enforcement behind them, not just language on paper. I also believe rural LGBTQIA+ residents are too often an afterthought — healthcare access in particular is a core issue of mine, and that has to include providers and care that don't force LGBTQIA+ patients to choose between honesty and safety. **6\. What would you say directly to your own LGBTQA+ community?** > You don't have to justify your existence to me, and you won't have to in my office either. I'm not running to manage a "constituency" — I'm running because I believe government should reduce harm and protect dignity, full stop. I see you, I've stood beside you in the work I've done, and I'll keep doing that in Olympia. --- ### Candidates who did not respond: Natasha Hill, Natalie Poulson, Hillary Q. Pham, Trent Maier, Rob Chase, Rob Tupper, Alan Nolan, Jonathan Bingle, Jeff Holy, Andrew Engell, Hunter Abell, Shelly Short, Ronald L McCoy, Mary Dye, and Joe Schmick. ---