SPOKANE, Wash. – Pam Haley is running for State Senator Mike Padden’s office. Brandi Peetz is running for State Representative Leonard Christian’s office. Two elected officials in the City of Spokane are running for US Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ seat. It’s a new era for Republican politics in eastern Washington.
With Padden, Christian and McMorris Rodgers choosing not to seek reelection, they leave a new generation of Republicans hungry for leadership opportunities to contend for their offices. That became particularly clear this week with several new campaign announcements.
There are several Republicans running for Padden’s seat. Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley threw her hat into the ring this week alongside State Representative Leonard Christian according to The Spokesman Review. Spokane Valley City Council Member Al Merkel and local businessman Mike Kelly are also running for the seat.
While both Haley and Merkel are Republicans on city council, it is clear that there is no love lost between the candidates. In an email to NonStop Local on Tuesday, Merkel questioned whether Haley was even a Republican while criticizing a Sprague Avenue construction project. Meanwhile, Merkel isn’t allowed into the Spokane Valley city council building besides council meeting hours and is under an independent investigation for allegedly mistreating municipal staff.
Christian’s office has also attracted several conservative candidates. Spokane Valley City Council Member Brandi Peetz is running for the seat after serving two terms on city council. She’s touting her deregulationary tax platform as she enters the race. Rob Chase, who previously held Christian’s office until being unseated by him in 2022, is also running for the seat according to The Spokesman.
McMorris Rodgers’ seat offers the opportunity for a new Republican to ascend to national politics. This week, candidates Spokane City Council Member Jonathan Bingle and County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner have both made public appearances touting their credentials for the role.
With the vacancies of several sought-after public offices, Republicans across Spokane County are seizing on the opportunity to run without facing a seated incumbent. Regardless of the outcomes of these races, it is clear that a new slate of conservatives are making themselves known in eastern Washington.
