Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathmalet, is facing two first-time candidates for state office as he runs to represent the 19th District for a third term.
Running against McEntire in the primary election are Terry Carlson, a Longview Democrat and local union leader for the timber industry, and Justin Franks, a Libertarian candidate from Raymond.
In his candidate statement, Carlson argues the “extreme views” of McEntire and Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, limit how much state funding ends up in the 19th District. Carlson told The Daily News his union background would help navigate the give-and-take needed to attract new businesses to the area.
“Longview is quite the metropolis in our district but we’re still a rural city,” he said. “We see all the rural problems that policies for Seattle and other places don’t add up and make sense for down here.”
In addition to supporting the local economy, Carlson said his priorities are providing affordable housing for seniors and protecting reproductive rights.
McEntire’s biggest efforts in the Legislature have been on the education front, as he serves on two of the House’s education committees. In this year’s session, McEntire introduced the House Bill that allowed more districts to enact a four-day school week (like Wahkiakum School District recently did) and a bill providing new capital project funding for small school districts.
“Clearly, there is much more work that needs to be done,” McEntire writes in his candidate statement. “With schools that are failing and infrastructure efforts mismatched with allocated funds, we can do so much better for the tax payers of Washington State.”
McEntire served in the U.S. Marine Corps and still performs reserve duties when called in. In 2022 McEntire was re-elected for his second term to the House with 61% of the district’s votes.
Franks told The Daily News his interest in politics piqued only recently after finding the Libertarian Party matched his priorities.
“I value individual rights and freedoms, I value limited government and I value local community and empowering local communities to solve things state and federal governments are typically tasked with,” Franks said.
The biggest issues Franks said he heard about from voters in Pacific County are infrastructure and health care concerns, including the future of Willapa Harbor Hospital. Some of Franks’ policy ideas include localizing the permitting process for construction and billing out-of-state drivers who use Washington roads to fund infrastructure projects.
