Representative Position No. 1
Ugh. UGH. Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. John Stafford is a white, bellicose political hobbyist and Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos is an absolute incrementalist who has done very little with the power she’s accrued over the last 20 years. What horrible choices. We’re voting for Santos because, well… hold on, let us check our notes… mostly because she’s not a huge windbag.
The 37th district, the most diverse in the state, deserves a representative who’s actually going to do something, and for that representative not to be Stafford. Still, Santos is middling on police reform, she defended her vote for a predatory payday lending bill as if it was good for people of color, and she openly admits to knowing jack about climate change. When we asked about her accomplishments last session, she pointed to some workgroups.
She has taken some good votes over the years, though. She refused to vote for the big Boeing tax break, she ultimately voted for a comprehensive sexual health bill this year (despite some setbacks we blamed her for last year), and she’s sponsored bills to help ex-cons reintegrate into society—even if she can’t remember them. And no one in Olympia should be subjected to Stafford’s tedious tirades. Vote Santos.
