Campaigning was a picnic Monday night as locally based Republican candidates gathered at Lintott-Alexander Park in Chehalis to speak to Lewis County conservatives and enjoy a classic summer picnic.
Returning to his roots and his core voter base, U.S. congressional candidate and Washington state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, was the first to speak at the Run for the Roses event hosted by the Conservative Coalition of Lewis County.
The intimate event was a rally for the unopposed or those like Braun operating on their home turf.
“I think I know most of you," Braun said as he took the microphone and spoke to the audience that fit mostly below a covered picnic area.
“I'm gonna be pretty quick because I think you guys know where we're at in the Third Congressional District,” Braun said. “You know me. I'm a veteran after 31 years in the Navy. I'm a business owner. I built a business here in Lewis County in Washington state.”
Also speaking were state Reps. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, and Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, who are favored in their own races against Democrat opponents. Unopposed incumbent Lewis County Assessor Ross Nielson also spoke.
For others, like a few candidates running for county office, the event served as the first candidate forum to be held after the primary election in August.
The surviving candidates for Lewis County sheriff, Gabriel Frase and Tracy Murphy; Lewis County District 3 commissioner, Michael Hadaller and Scott Brummer; and Lewis County coroner, Jessica Stickley and Warren McLeod, all appeared at the event.
It was particularly unfamiliar ground for Longview Democrat Terry Carlson, who is challenging 19th Legislative District state Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet, and made a surprise appearance. McEntire was not present.
In total, more than 10 candidates from Southwest Washington appeared to deliver short speeches and answer questions.
After many months on the campaign trail, the candidates had their pitches down to a science and succinctly described their views in front of the crowd, echoing many of their previous appearances.
Going a bit over his five-minute time slot, Braun covered his service in the Navy, his 14 years in the Washington state Legislature, his role in running the family business Braun Northwest and his dedication to his wife and four grown children.
The Republican leader in the state Senate framed his election to the U.S. House of Representatives as vital to Washington’s economic success, touching on affordability issues. He also targeted his opponent, Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, for her vote against HR 1, better known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and other Republican-led policies, and likened the moderate Democrat to the most leftward parts of her party.
“She's going to vote for Hakeem Jeffries, and he's coming with an agenda that's now heavily influenced, maybe even run, by the Democratic Socialists of America,” Braun said. “We are faced with a Democratic Party that's being driven by socialists, by Marxists, by communists.”
The event took on a more local flavor after Braun as Brummer walked to the front as the first of the candidates in contested county level races to speak.
Brummer described his experience as the incumbent Lewis County commissioner, but also touched on his service as a pastor at God's Place Ministries in Ethel and years as a local business owner. He also previously worked as a fish biologist for the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife. He left the job with the state after refusing to receive a vaccination against COVID-19 required for state workers at the time. He described himself as a “Reagan conservative” and a “moral conservative” promoting small government and tradition.
Hadaller, who currently serves as a Lewis County Public Utility District commissioner, referenced his family's deep roots in the county and his loyalty to the eastern reaches of Lewis County, represented by the District 3 commissioner seat. He also touched on his service as PUD commissioner coupled with a jab at his opponent.
“Done a great job, as far as I can tell,” Hadaller said. “Haven't made any votes to get us sued, and I think things have went pretty well that way.”
Hadaller went on to say he would prioritize public safety in the county and reduce the county budget even more. He finished by announcing his endorsement by Lewis County District 2 Commissioner Lindsey Pollock.
Both Murphy and Frase touted long law enforcement careers, with Frase also touching on his four years of service in the U.S. Marines as a young man and his current service in the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office administration. Murphy touched on his 35 years at the Centralia Police Department before he was terminated earlier this year, along with his desire to bring volunteer positions and programs back to the sheriff’s office.
“I actually started at the age of 16 as a volunteer police cadet,” Murphy said. “I'm really big on volunteers and youth programs because I think it's important, especially locally.”
As he put it, Carlson answered the first question from the crowd without being asked.
“I’m not lost,” he said. “I’m a Democrat, but I’m a rural Democrat, so I figured I’d come up and talk to you guys.”
The most surprising and unfamiliar candidate for this part of Southwest Washington, Carlson described his background and political leanings just like the rest. He told the audience of a deep familial and personal connection to the state's timber industry working for Weyerhaeuser and more recent service with labor representation for loggers.
Carlson addressed accusations from his opponent, McEntire, that he will vote in lock step with the Democrat majority in Olympia.
“I’ve never had a conversation with my opponent, so I don't quite know how he understands that,” he said. “But I can tell you, I won't, because I really haven't … I've always considered myself a centrist, so maybe I'm a centrist who took one little step to the left. That's why I'm a Democrat.”
Carlson was asked to weigh in on the Climate Commitment Act, a tax on income above $1 million a year and transgender athletes competing in sports.
He effectively condemned the Climate Commitment Act, said he was not against taxing the income of high earners but was concerned about a state-wide income tax, and said he was not sure about regulations on youth sports.
“I can see both sides of the coin on it,” Carlson said. “I’m not a big fan of legislating morality, so I really don’t know how I feel about that.”
