Former Third Congressional District Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler announced Thursday that she raised more than $152,000 in her first month running for state commissioner of public lands.
According to Herrera Beutler, the amount is twice as much as the previous record a candidate for public lands commissioner has raised in their first month on the campaign trail.
A Republican, Herrera Beutler announced her candidacy for the statewide office on Oct. 10.
“I talk about the need to manage public lands to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire everywhere I go, and people are responding,” Herrera Beutler said in a statement. “We will protect our lands and waters for all Washingtonians to enjoy.”
According to data from the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) on Nov. 14, state Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Lake Sutherland, raised the most in the race, bringing in nearly $165,000 since he announced his candidacy for the position in June.
According to Herrera Beutler, 85% of her funding comes from individual donors, with 9% coming from businesses and 6% from political action committees.
“This is a grassroots campaign, meaning the residents of Washington are the ones behind this swelling momentum,” campaign manager Pam Peiper said in a statement. “We’re honored that so many people from all around the state are investing their time and money in our cause.”
Herrera Beutler represented Southwest Washington in the House of Representatives for 12 years before falling to challenger Joe Kent in the August 2022 primary. Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez ended up winning election the following November.
Following her announcement of a campaign to serve as public lands commissioner, Herrera Beutler told The Chronicle the position would allow her to work with conservation groups, landowners and representatives from the timber and sports industries across the state.
“We’re raising our family in the path of the Yacolt Burn, which stood for over a century as the largest forest fire in Washington state history,” Herrera Beutler said in an interview with The Chronicle in October. “In just the past decade, that terrible record has already been surpassed three times. I won’t leave my kids a legacy of burning forests and choking smoke. We can and will do better.”
Herrera Beutler is running to replace current Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz, who previously announced she would not seek reelection.
Franz initially launched a candidacy for governor, though she ended that campaign Friday and announced a bid for Washington’s Sixth Congressional District.
The move came after current U.S. Rep. Democrat Derek Kilmer announced Thursday he wouldn’t seek reelection.
In addition to Herrera Beutler and Van De Wege, five other candidates have announced campaigns to serve as public lands commissioner, according to the PDC. As of Tuesday, their fundraising figures include:
• King County Council Member Dave Upthegrove, a Democrat who has raised $155,000
• Washington state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Rebecca Saldaña, a Democrat who has raised $79,000
• Former state Senator Mona Das, a Democrat who has raised $57,000
• Department of Natural Resources Director of Tribal Relations Patrick DePoe, a Democrat who has raised $52,000
• Sue Kuehl Pederson, the 2020 Republican nominee for commissioner of public lands, who has raised $2,200
The candidates will compete in a primary election on Aug. 6, 2024. The top two candidates in the primary will move on to the 2024 general election, which will take place on Nov. 5.
