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There are less than five weeks until the Nov. 5 general election, and the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Clark County have candidate forums planned to help voters learn more about candidates running for county and state elections.

Camas-Washougal voters will likely be most interested in the candidate forum featuring candidates running for Legislative District 17, Position 2; Legislative District 18, Position 1; and Clark County Councilor, District 3, which is set to take place this weekend, from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Camas Public Library, 625 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas.

Washington’s 17th District represents voters in the cities of Camas and Washougal. Republican State Rep. Kevin Waters is running unopposed for his 17th District, Position 1 seat. Republican state Rep. Paul Harris will compete against Democratic challenger Marla Keethler for the 17th District’s senate seat, while Washougal Mayor David Stuebe, a Republican, and Democratic candidate Terri Niles compete for the 17th District, Position 2 seat currently held by Harris.

Harris, along with two other Republican candidates — John Ley (District 18, Position 2) and Peter Abbarno (District 20, Position 1) — told the League they could not attend the candidate forums, which also ended their competitors’ chance to speak before voters at a nonpartisan League forum.

“The League has a ‘no-empty chair’ policy, meaning forums cannot be held with a solo candidate when the other declines to participate, to avoid any unfair advantage for either candidate,” the League stated in a news release.

Other candidate forums include an Oct. 1 forum featuring County Councilor, District 4 and Clark Public Utilities Commissioner, Position 1 candidates; and an Oct. 7 forum set for 6 to 8 p.m. at the Vancouver Community Library, 901 “C” St., Vancouver, which will feature candidates running for Legislative District 49’s senate and two representative positions.

The forums are open to the public, and also will run on CVTV, the government access channel, and will be posted for later viewing on cvtv.org.

Campaign contributions show candidates’ differences

As of Monday, Sept. 30, Niles and Stuebe, the two candidates vying for the Legislative District 17, Position 2 seat held by Rep. Paul Harris, a Republican now running in the 17th District’s senate race, had raised more than $221,000 for their primary and general elections.

When it comes to campaign contributions, Niles of Vancouver, who worked for more than two decades as an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, is outpacing Stuebe, a retired United States Marine Corps colonel who has served on Washougal’s city council for five years, and who has said he hopes to remain in his Washougal mayoral position if elected to the state legislature.

As of Sept. 30, Niles had raised $160,937 in campaign contributions — including a little more than $122,000 for the general election — while Stuebe’s campaign contributions now total $60,144, with around $11,000 for the general election.

Setting aside a $30,000 contribution from the House Republican Organizational Committee for the primary election, the majority of Stuebe’s general election campaign contributions are from political action committees ($17,400) and businesses ($9,900), with around $2,000 coming from individuals.

Aside from a $95,000 infusion from the House Democratic Campaign Committee, the majority of Niles’ campaign contributions are split between individuals (around $26,000) and political action committees ($25,000). She also has raised nearly $5,000 from unions, and has dozens of small contributions of $50 or less.

According to data published on Washington’s Public Disclosure Commission website, Niles has raised more than $8,500 from individuals in Clark County, with at least 15 Camas-Washougal residents donating to Niles’ campaign — including $200 from Washougal City Councilwoman and former Washougal Mayor Molly Coston and $100 from Camas City Councilman and Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue Fire Chief John Nohr.

Building, trucking industry PACs give to Stuebe

Stuebe has a handful of general election campaign contributions attributed to individuals listed in his PDC reports, including $150 from Rep. Paul Harris. As of Sept. 30, Stuebe also had seven $1,200 general election contributions from:

• Washington Affordable Housing Council, the political action committee (PAC) for the Building Industry Association of Washington;

• Washington Forest Protection Association, a group representing private forest landowners;

• Trucking Action Committee, which represents the trucking industry;

• Broadband Communications Association of Washington, a trade association of franchised cable television companies in Washington state;

• Puget Sound Chapter NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association) PAC;

• Washington Hospitality Association; and

• Associated General Contractors of Washington, a professional association of contractors in Washington state.

Other general election campaign contributions to Stuebe, according to the PDC, include $600 from T-Mobile US; $500 from American Property Casualty Insurance Association; and $500 from Green Diamond Resource Company, a forest products company that manages more than 2 million acres of forest land across nine states.

Groups representing healthcare workers, educators give to Niles

Niles’ general election campaign contributions, as of Sept. 30, include five $1,000 contributions from the Civil Leadership PAC in Vancouver; OFNHP PAC 5017, representing over 2,500 registered nurses in Southwest Washington and Oregon; Every Town for Gun Safety, an anti-gun violence nonprofit; Port of Vancouver Commissioner Don Orange; and Vancouver philanthropist Michael Lynch.

Niles also has collected $1,200 contributions from:

• SEIU Healthcare, a union representing doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers;

• Kennedy Fund, which bills itself as being “dedicated to advancing the political and community organizing priorities of the • • Washington State Senate Democratic Caucus;”

• Harry Truman Fund, in Seattle;

• Kimberly Shirley, of Medina, Washington, a retired attorney;

• RPEC-PAC, the political action committee representing the Retired Public Employees Council of Washington;

• Washington State School Retirees PAC;

• AFT Cope, the American Federation of Teachers’ Committee on Political Education;

• Win With Women, a Seattle-based PAC “dedicated to the advancement of progressive women into political office and leadership positions;”
• PAC 48 of Washington, the Vancouver-based PAC associated with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 48;

• Washington Education Association PAC, a political action committee with a mission to “recommend and elect pro-public education, pro-labor” candidates.

Niles also has raised:

• $750 from the Washington Housing Alliance, which bills itself as an alliance that seeks to ensure that all Washingtonians “thrive in safe, healthy, affordable homes;”

• $650 from Smart TD, an Ohio-based PAC representing transportation employees, including railroad employees;

• $500 from the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington; and

• $500 from FairVote Washington; and $200 from the Washington State Nurses Association.

Ballots for the Nov. 5 election will be mailed to Clark County voters by Oct. 16, and must be mailed by — or dropped in official ballot boxes by 8 p.m. — Nov. 5.

For more information about the Nov. 5 election, visit clark.wa.gov/elections/november-5-2024-general-special-election.