Fuse has released our list of early endorsements for 2026. The candidates are all strong leaders with progressive values in important races who we are proud to support.
UPDATED 06/03/2026
Congress
Rep. Pramila Jayapal for Congress (CD 7)
Rep. Pramila Jayapal has been a fearless champion for working people, leading the fight for affordable healthcare, reproductive freedom, climate action, and economic justice. As Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, she has helped lead the charge to put working people first by championing workers’ rights, advancing immigrant justice, and protecting our democracy. Jayapal has also been at the forefront of organizing and mobilizing resistance to the Trump administration, including launching the Resistance Lab initiative to train and empower activists across the country to take action and build lasting political power. At a time when fundamental freedoms and our democracy are under attack, we are proud to support a proven progressive leader who consistently delivers for Washington families and stands up to MAGA Republicans.
Statewide Initiatives
No Hate in Washington State
While Washington families are struggling to pay for food, housing, and health care, mega-millionaire Brain Heywood from California is spending millions on two poorly-written initiatives that threaten the safety of all Washington kids. IL26-001 will roll back a key student privacy law, while IL26-638 is a trans youth sports ban that would force all girls to undergo invasive genital examinations just to play on a team with their friends. Heywood once again bought his way onto the ballot to put forth these measures in a cruel attempt to distract from the real issues facing students and families by attacking vulnerable kids. Instead of wasting time on dividing neighbors from each other we should focus on ensuring schools are safe, welcoming, and well-funded for every student.
State Legislature
Rep. Sharlett Mena for State Senate (LD 29)
State Representative and former Fuse Washington board member Sharlett Mena is running to succeed retiring state Senator Steve Conway in the 29th Legislative District. In the House, Mena has been a progressive champion on tax reform, housing, and environmental justice. She is also an active community organizer who has led actions for immigration reform and voting rights. In 2021, Mena co-founded Voter Turnup, a movement led by people of color focused on voter registration, cultural expression, and civic engagement. Electing Mena would add another strong progressive vote and voice to the state Senate.
Jessica Forsythe for State House (LD 48, Pos. 2)
Jessica Forsythe, a current Redmond City Council member and the former Executive Director of Emerge Washington, is running to bring more progressive leadership to the 48th legislative district. Forysthe’s campaign is focused on protecting the environment, improving affordability for working people, and investing in education. Her opponent, Rep. Amy Walen, has repeatedly opposed efforts to advance housing affordability and fix Washington’s upside-down tax code, including joining the GOP in opposition to the Millionaires Tax. Electing Forsythe is a great opportunity to replace a conservative Democrat with a progressive voice in the state House and help advance policies that better support working people in Washington.
Vanessa Kritzer for State House (LD 45, Pos. 2)
Former Redmond City Councilmember Vanessa Kritzer is running for state House to continue fighting for policies to improve affordability, protect our environment, support education, and build more affordable homes. Vanessa serves as the Executive Director of the Washington Association of Land Trusts, which unites more than 35 conservation groups across the state to protect and steward our lands and waterways. Vanessa is a proven leader who will fight for our kids, protect our environment, and deliver for communities across the district. We are confident she will be an exceptional legislator because of her strong record of leadership, policy expertise, and results-driven advocacy.
Renee Hernandez Greenfield for State House (LD 26, Pos. 2)
The 26th is one of Washington’s most competitive swing legislative districts. Renee Hernandez Greenfield is the former Vice Chair of the Kitsap County Democrats and a strong Democratic candidate running to claim retiring GOP Representative Michelle Valdez’s open seat. Greenfield’s campaign is focused on improving education, fighting for climate resiliency, supporting working people, and creating real affordability. Her leadership roles include managing early learning centers and overseeing programs like Early Head Start and Head Start, where she supported the development of children from birth to school age. Her career reflects her passion for improving the lives of children and families, particularly in underserved and Indigenous communities. Electing Hernandez Greenfield would flip a key seat in the state House, bring a strong progressive voice to Olympia, and help keep a far-right Republican out of the state Legislature.
Senator Deborah Krishnadasan for State Senate (LD 26)
This is another important race in a highly competitive district. Sen. Deborah Krishnadasan was appointed to fill the vacancy created by Emily Randall’s election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024 and retained the seat with a five-point victory last year. Krishnadasan grew up on a Puyallup farm in a union household and has been a local education advocate working for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, as well as Microsoft. During her time in the Legislature, Krishnadasan supported bills to establish anti-discrimination protections for students, increase education funding, and defend reproductive healthcare. Her campaign is focused on lowering costs, funding education, and expanding healthcare access. Defending this seat will be key to maintaining our progressive majority in the state Senate.
Rep. Natasha Hill for State House (LD 3, Pos. 1)
Representative Natasha Hill is running for re-election for the 3rd Legislative District, Position 1. Hill has been a staunch advocate for policies that help working families like the Millionaire’s Tax, expanding progressive revenue, and building more affordable homes in Spokane. She is running for re-election to continue to build opportunities for working families, fund essential services, support public education, and improve public safety through accountability and more wrap-around services for the communities who need them the most. Fuse is proud to endorse Hill as she fights for working people and balances our tax code so our economy works for the middle class, not the ultra-wealthy.
Aaron Croft for State House (LD 6, Pos. 2)
Aaron Croft is an Air Force veteran running as an Independent to address the affordability crisis, expand healthcare access, rein in the power of wealthy corporations, and support small businesses. He believes in building more affordable homes, and providing more tax relief for seniors and low-income households. Croft’s priorities to expand workers’ rights, limit the power of billionaires in our political system, protect private healthcare decisions, and expand education opportunities for rural and low-income students in Eastern Washington align strongly with Fuse’s progressive values. Former Spokane City Council Member and MAGA Republican Jonathan Bingle is also running for this open seat after losing re-election to progressive insurgent Sarah Dixit last year. We believe Croft’s background and messaging present us with a political opportunity to elect a more values-aligned candidate.
King County
Teresa Mosqueda for King County Council (District 8)
Teresa Mosqueda is a former Fuse Washington board member, lobbyist for the Washington State Labor Council, and Seattle City Council member. She is now running for re-election to the King County Council on a platform focused on creating a healthy, housed, and resilient King County. On the County Council, she has been a champion for working families, housing affordability, climate justice, and progressive revenue. With mounting federal attacks on our most vulnerable communities, her re-election would help us defend workers’ rights, immigrant rights, and our access to health care and housing.
Claudia Balducci for King County Council (District 6)
Claudia Balducci is an impressive progressive champion who has been a leader on a wide range of issues and during her time on the council she has diligently delivered results on safe and accessible streets, mental health facilities, and protections from the MAGA regime. She has secured landmark investments in affordable housing and homelessness. She was a tenacious advocate for opening the East Link light rail early while Sound Transit fixed shoddy construction errors on the floating bridge. Her leadership delivered light rail service to hundreds of thousands of riders ahead of the full crosslake expansion that opened this year.
Spokane County
Amber Waldref for Spokane County Commissioner (District 2)
Spokane County Commissioner Amber Waldref is running for re-election as one of only two Democrats who currently sit on the County Commission. Since taking office in 2023, she has advocated for regional approaches to reduce homelessness, partnered with school districts to empower children, youth, and families, and collaborated with the community to expand good-paying jobs in healthcare and education. In her second term, she’s committed to addressing housing affordability, fixing our justice system, and funding opioid and mental health treatment to improve the health and safety of all residents. Waldref is running unopposed for re-election, but continued support for her on the County Commission is critical as she is one of only two progressive voices on a five seat commission.
Danny Tarkenton for Spokane County Prosecutor
Danny Tarkenton is a former Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor, Gonzaga Law graduate, and Army National Guard Veteran running for Spokane County Prosecutor to bring transparency, justice, and accountability back to the position. She is running as an independent but holds strong progressive values, such as expanding models for restorative justice, increasing relationships and engagement with communities of color, and serving as a prosecutor whose loyalty is to the Constitution and to Washington state law, not to federal enforcement priorities of the MAGA regime. The current Spokane County Prosecutor is a MAGA Republican who has made clear his intent to weaponize the legal system to take away our freedoms. Flipping this seat would expand safeguards at the local level against continued attacks and impunity for the rule of law by the federal government.
Yes for Buses Campaign, Spokane Transit Authority Proposition #1
Yes for Buses is a campaign supporting the renewal of the Spokane Transit Authority (STA), a 0.2% sales tax that funds public transit throughout Spokane County. The measure will appear on the August primary ballot. Since 2016, STA has provided over 80,000,000 total rides across fixed-route, paratransit, and rideshare operations, averaging over 34,000 trips on weekdays in 2025. Renewal of this vital funding will allow STA to continue its strong track record of delivering major projects on time and under budget. In this period of highly volatile gas prices, STA offers affordable access to schools, jobs, healthcare, and recreation. A “Yes” vote is a vote for a strong local economy, vibrant cities and towns, and the future of our region.
For questions about our endorsement process please reach out to our Campaigns & Advocacy Director Rosey Barber at rosey@fusewashington.org
Fuse's criteria for endorsements include:
- Supporting candidates who have outstanding leadership qualities and will fight for working people, a healthy environment, and a better future for our children.
- Supporting women, people of color, young people, and LGBTQ+ candidates running for office.
- Supporting strong progressive candidates in competitive races against more conservative opponents.
- Supporting progressives in races where the balance of power in the elected body is at stake and where Fuse’s efforts could help gain or protect a progressive majority.
Our 2026 endorsed candidates will be included in our Progressive Voters Guide when it is released in early July. You can help us support all of these candidates by making a donation to the Progressive Voters Guide here!
