SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane Valley, a city that is currently only represented by Republicans in the state legislature, is on track to send a progressive Democrat to the November general election based upon initial primary election results.
Miguel Valencia is a former US Army Paralegal Specialist who is currently attending Seattle University Law School part-time. He garnered 23% of the initially reported primary vote Tuesday night, more than any other candidate.
It’s a notable turn of events in a city with a largely conservative city council and for a legislative district that sent to the state senate for over a decade.
“I feel super energized, I feel super excited…I think it shows that the people of the 4th Legislative District are looking for change, a candidate who supports the working class,” Valencia said.
He faced several candidates with more financial backing and name-recognition, including Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley and State Representative Leonard Christian. Valencia thinks that his focus on promoting universal healthcare, a better funded education system and his pro-union status swayed voters.
“My opponents on the Republican side have been campaigning mostly on divisiveness, hatred and what kind of books they’re going to ban. My campaign says ‘instead of banning books, let’s ban childhood hunger’… people are tired of [Republican] divisiveness, they want someone who will actually make their lives easier and more affordable,” Valencia said.
Given that he is the only Democrat in a field crowded by Republicans who split the vote share of the GOP’s base, he will face a much more difficult field in November.
The initial election results do not mean that Valencia is guaranteed to move on to the general election, but they do signal an unexpected win for Democrats in a legislative district that has generally been considered unwinnable by party leaders for decades.
