Your District — The Briefing

Congressional District 6

WA-6 — Tacoma, Kitsap Peninsula
& Olympic Peninsula

Cook PVI: D+10. Covers the majority of Tacoma, plus the Kitsap Peninsula, Bremerton, Port Orchard, and the Olympic Peninsula. One Democrat, two Republicans on the primary ballot.

The Proximity Test — three questions applied to every candidate. Q1: What did they do before this moment? Q2: Have they been close enough to the problem? Q3: Are they incentivized to solve it — or keep it alive? Click any candidate to see their score.

Score:

Strong

Unclear

Concern

No record

Emily Randall Incumbent (D)

Former WA State Senator · First LGBTQ+ Latina in Congress · Born in Port Orchard · Serving since 2025

Certified: 63.0% — Advances to Nov. 3

Strongest Score ▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did she do before this moment?"

Grew up in Port Orchard — inside the district she represents. Worked for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Planned Parenthood before returning to WA. Served in the WA State Senate from 2019-2024, building a legislative record before running for Congress. This is a career, not an opportunity.

Lifelong roots + 5-year legislative record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has she been in the room?"

Her sister Olivia was born with complex disabilities — when Olivia gained access to expanded Medicaid, Randall became a healthcare advocate from the inside of that experience. The daughter of a shipyard worker and a paraeducator. She knows what working-class families in this district navigate because she was raised in one.

Personal and professional proximity — deep

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

Her legislative focus — affordable healthcare, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ protections, education access — directly serves the working families she grew up in. Member of Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus. No evident misalignment between her background, her platform, and who benefits.

Fully aligned

The cleanest Proximity Test score of all three districts. Born here. Raised working-class here. Built her career advocating for healthcare and reproductive rights before running. First LGBTQ+ Latina in Congress. Her biography is the work — not the backdrop to it.

Endorsed by: Sen. Patty Murray, Rep. Marilyn Strickland, EMILY's List, Planned Parenthood, former Govs. Gregoire and Locke. Won 2024 general with 56.7% of vote.

Teresa Fox Republican

Occupational safety professional

Certified: 23.0% — Advances to Nov. 3

Limited ▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did she do before this moment?"

Occupational safety professional. No prior civic track record, no legislative experience, no documented community organizing in WA-6 before running.

No civic track record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has she been in the room?"

Occupational safety work provides workplace proximity — understanding how regulations affect workers and employers. Limited documentation of proximity to the broader healthcare, reproductive rights, and economic issues that dominate WA-6.

Workplace proximity only

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

Backed by Washington state Republicans whose stated priority includes shifting this district. Limited public documentation of platform specifics. Insufficient record to score confidently.

Insufficient record

Limited public profile and thin track record for a D+10 district with an incumbent who passes every Proximity Test question. The experience gap is significant.

Leon Lawson Republican

Limited public profile

Certified: 8.2% — Did not advance

Insufficient Record ▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did he do before this moment?"

Minimal public documentation available. No evident prior civic, legislative, or community track record in WA-6 before filing for this race.

No documented record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has he been in the room?"

Insufficient public information to evaluate proximity to WA-6 community issues.

Cannot evaluate

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

No public platform documentation found. The Proximity Test cannot be applied without a record to evaluate.

Cannot evaluate

The Proximity Test requires a record to apply. Without documented platform positions, community work, or prior civic engagement, we could not score this candidate ahead of the primary. Check The Primary Record for how this race turned out.

Brian P. O'Gorman Independent

16-year Army field medic, disabled veteran, Shelton

Certified: 2.8% — Did not advance

▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did he do before this moment?"

Sixteen years as a field medic, raised in a military household, followed by grassroots community volunteering after a medical discharge. Real service, no prior elected or policy experience.

Real service record, no political record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has he been in the room?"

Direct proximity to military and veteran health issues through his own service and discharge. Less documented proximity to the district's broader legislative concerns.

Strong in one lane

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

First run for office, framed around frustration with Washington D.C. dysfunction rather than a specific policy agenda. No conflict to flag, also no developed platform yet.

Unproven at this level

A genuine service record in one specific lane. Whether that translates to the range a member of Congress needs is the open question of a first campaign.

Macy Jones No Party Preference

Pro-Palestinian activist, Sequim

Certified: 2.8% — Did not advance

▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did she do before this moment?"

Publicly known for activism on one specific foreign-policy issue. No broader public record on district-level concerns found.

Narrow, single-issue record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has she been in the room?"

Insufficient public documentation on proximity to WA-6-specific issues like healthcare, housing, or the district's economy.

Cannot evaluate

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

Did not respond to local press inquiries during the campaign. No developed platform found beyond her activism.

Cannot evaluate

Not enough public record to apply the test fully ahead of the primary. Check The Primary Record to see how this race turned out.

Congressional District 8

WA-8 — Eastern Pierce &
Southeast King County

Cook PVI: D+3. One Democrat, four Republicans on the primary ballot. Top two advance to November. Schrier has held this seat since flipping it blue for the first time in 2018.

Score:

Strong

Unclear

Concern

No record

Kim Schrier Incumbent (D)

Pediatrician — First pediatrician elected to Congress · Serving since 2019

Certified: 42.5% — Advances to Nov. 3

Strong ▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did she do before this moment?"

17-year pediatric career in Issaquah serving Pierce County and surrounding communities. Became politically active in 2017 specifically when healthcare was threatened — a year before running. This is a career, not an opportunity.

Clear track record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has she been in the room?"

She has Type 1 diabetes — she is the patient and the doctor simultaneously. She sat with mothers crying about healthcare costs in her office for nearly two decades. Maximum proximity to the healthcare and family welfare issues she legislates on.

Maximum proximity

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

Strong overall — lowered insulin costs, fought ACA repeal, secured rural maternal healthcare legislation. Two flags worth knowing: she voted for the Laken Riley Act in 2025 alongside Republicans, and in July 2026 she voted against Rep. Massie's amendment to strip $3.3 billion in security assistance to Israel, siding with roughly half her caucus against the progressive members who broke from leadership on the same vote. Neither is disqualifying, but both are real data points on where she lands relative to her party's more progressive wing.

Largely aligned — two votes worth tracking

The most evaluable candidate in WA-8. 17 years in this community, four terms defending this seat, legislation that has materially improved people's lives. The Laken Riley Act vote is a real data point — voters get to weigh it.

Endorsed by: EMILY's List, WA Education Association, labor unions, progressive healthcare organizations

Trinh Ha Republican

Educator, Ph.D. · Former VA consultant · Vietnamese refugee background

Certified: 23.7% — Advances to Nov. 3

Limited ▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did she do before this moment?"

Academic and policy career including VA consulting. Her family fled Vietnam — real lived experience of government consequences. But no community-level track record engaging with WA-8 families' specific issues before running.

Personal history, no local track record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has she been in the room?"

Academic and policy proximity — she has studied the issues. Her VA consulting work provides government proximity. But she hasn't been in the community rooms where WA-8 families navigate healthcare costs, school funding, and daily economic pressure.

Policy proximity, limited community proximity

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

Described as "not America First" — a meaningful distinction from the current GOP mainstream. But her policy positions and funding sources are not well-documented publicly. Insufficient record to score confidently.

Insufficient record

Interesting background. More substantive than most challengers in this field. But no community track record in WA-8 and limited public documentation of where her policy incentives actually point.

Andres Valleza Republican

Former Parole Officer · Juvenile counselor · School worker · Born in Sunnyside, WA

Certified: 3.1% — Did not advance

Mixed ▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did he do before this moment?"

Worked in schools, group homes, juvenile detention, and as a parole officer. This is genuine frontline experience with the communities most affected by systemic failures — before any campaign.

Real frontline experience

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has he been in the room?"

Yes — this is his strongest score. He has been in juvenile detention, in group homes, in parole offices. He has been face-to-face with the people who fall through every crack. That proximity is real and rare.

Strong proximity — rare for a Republican candidate

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

His "traditional values and law enforcement" framing points his proximity toward punitive policy rather than systemic reform. The people he's been close to need different things than what his platform offers them. Proximity without policy alignment is a Q3 flag.

Proximity exists — policy direction is the concern

The most interesting Q2 score of the Republican challengers. He's actually been in the room. But the policy direction his platform takes that proximity — toward law-and-order rather than structural support — is the honest Q3 concern.

Spencer Meline Republican

Restaurant owner · Cashmere, WA · Homeschooling parent

Certified: 16.2% — Did not advance

Thin ▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did he do before this moment?"

Restaurant ownership and homeschooling. No prior civic engagement track record, no community organizing, no policy work before this campaign.

No civic track record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has he been in the room?"

As a small business owner he has genuine proximity to regulatory burden and cost pressures on businesses. His platform focuses here — which is at least a proximate interest.

Business proximity only

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

Faith-centered, parental rights platform. No institutional backing flagged. Limited public documentation of broader incentive structure.

Insufficient record

Limited preparation for a seat this consequential. The experience gap between Meline and the incumbent is significant across all three Proximity Test questions.

Bob Hagglund Republican

IT Professional · 2024 Lt. Gov candidate · 2022 Sec. of State candidate

Certified: 12.0% — Did not advance

Concern ▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did he do before this moment?"

IT professional with a pattern of serial candidacy — ran for Secretary of State in 2022, Lieutenant Governor in 2024, now Congress in 2026. The work before the spotlight is running for office. That's the pattern.

Serial candidacy, no policy track record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has he been in the room?"

No evidence of proximity to the issues facing WA-8 families. IT background does not translate to healthcare, education, agriculture, or the other dominant concerns of this district.

No relevant proximity

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits if he keeps running?"

Three races in four years — different offices each time. The Q3 question here is about what drives serial candidacy. Running is the platform. That's a meaningful incentive signal.

Running is the platform

The Proximity Test is unambiguous here. Three campaigns across three offices in four years with no community track record is not preparation — it's audition. The test fails on all three questions.

Endorsed by: Douglas County Republican Party

Keith Arnold Democrat

Accounting technician, Auburn, repeat candidate

Certified: 2.4% — Did not advance

▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did he do before this moment?"

Works as an accounting technician and has run for office in prior cycles. No documented public record of civic work, committee service, or policy engagement beyond candidacy itself.

Repeat candidacy, thin record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has he been in the room?"

Insufficient public documentation to evaluate proximity to WA-8's specific issues, primarily challenging his own party's incumbent in the primary.

Cannot evaluate

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

No developed public platform found distinguishing his candidacy from Schrier's.

Cannot evaluate

A repeat candidacy without a public record to check yet. Worth a direct look at his voters' pamphlet statement before assuming anything either way.

Congressional District 10

WA-10 — Tacoma, Lakewood,
Puyallup & Olympia

Cook PVI: D+9. Two Democrats on the primary ballot — both advance to November in what is a safe Democratic seat. This is a race between two candidates who both pass significant parts of the Proximity Test. The distinctions matter.

WA-10 is D+9 — both candidates advance from the primary. Your vote here is about shaping November. Strickland enters with an 8-year track record and incumbency. Arafat brings genuine community roots and an anti-corporate-PAC stance. Read both carefully.

Marilyn Strickland Incumbent (D)

Former Mayor of Tacoma · First African American to represent WA at federal level · Serving since 2021

Certified: 46.4% — Advances to Nov. 3

Strong Record ▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did she do before this moment?"

Born in Seoul, raised in Tacoma's South End, attended Mount Tahoma High School. Worked her way from clerical to Starbucks manager to city council to Mayor of Tacoma for 8 years. She didn't arrive at this community — she is from it.

Lifelong community roots + 8-year mayoral record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has she been in the room?"

She has been in every room. Raised in the South End, she knows housing precarity, economic inequality, and community need firsthand. As mayor she had to make decisions with real consequences. In Congress: $120M for the district, $850K for Tacoma Housing Authority this year alone.

Maximum proximity — she's from here

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

Her legislative record shows material benefits going to WA-10 families. One nuance: she opposed the Seattle head tax as Chamber of Commerce president (pro-business position), and received an ethics sanction in 2010 for accepting frequent flyer miles from a local businessman — she accepted the sanction and repaid the value. Not disqualifying. Know the record. Also worth noting: in July 2026, she voted against Rep. Massie's amendment to strip $3.3 billion in security assistance to Israel, consistent with her seat on the House Armed Services Committee, though the vote split her party nationally, with roughly half of House Democrats voting the opposite way.

Largely aligned — nuances worth knowing

The richest Proximity Test case in these two districts. Raised here, built her career here, served as mayor for 8 years, now delivers federal dollars to this community. The record is documented and substantial. The ethics nuances are real but minor and resolved.

Congressional Black Caucus, Armed Services Committee member. Secured $120M+ for district from Infrastructure Act. $850K Tacoma Housing Authority funding (2026).

Adam Arafat Challenger (D)

20-year Army veteran · Pierce County infrastructure project manager · Spanaway resident · No PAC money

Certified: 9.2% — Did not advance

Credible ▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did he do before this moment?"

20 years in the Army leading aviation maintenance and airfield operations. Now manages complex county capital projects in Pierce County. This is a career of public service — not a launch pad built for this moment. He was doing the work before deciding to run.

Real career of public service

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has he been in the room?"

Lives in Spanaway. Works in Pierce County government delivering infrastructure on the ground. He sees crowded classrooms, housing costs, and rising expenses firsthand — as a parent, a neighbor, a county worker. This isn't distant observation. He's in it.

Lives and works in the community

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

No corporate PAC money. No AIPAC money. Explicitly pledged to answer to voters, not institutions. That's a meaningful structural incentive signal. The limit: no legislative record exists to verify the pledge. You're betting on character and alignment, not a track record.

Strong signal, no record to verify yet

A genuinely credible challenger. The Proximity Test is strong on Q1 and Q2 — real service, real roots. Q3 is the honest limit: he's made the right promises, but there's no vote record to evaluate. Both candidates in WA-10 are serious. This is a real choice.

No corporate PAC money. Lives in Spanaway. Endorsed by Courage for Democracy. Platform: lower costs, expand healthcare, clean up government.

Kurtis Engle Union Party

Disabled Navy veteran, Lacey, frequent candidate

Certified: 0.5% — Did not advance

▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did he do before this moment?"

Navy veteran with a documented history of running for office in multiple prior cycles under a minor party. No public record of civic work or platform development beyond repeated candidacies.

Repeat candidacies, thin record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has he been in the room?"

Veteran status gives some proximity to military and disability issues. Insufficient documentation on WA-10-specific concerns.

Narrow proximity at best

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

No developed public platform found for this cycle.

Cannot evaluate

A pattern of running, not a documented record of governing or platform work. Worth checking his voters' pamphlet statement directly.

Alex Scheel Democrat

Beer merchandiser, Iraq War veteran, Tacoma

Certified: 8.1% — Did not advance

▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did he do before this moment?"

Iraq War veteran now working as a beer merchandiser, publicly identifying as a Democratic Socialist activist. Real working-class experience, no prior elected or organizational leadership found.

Working-class record, no institutional record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has he been in the room?"

Direct proximity to working-class wage and labor conditions through his own job. Military service gives proximity to veteran issues too.

Real, lived proximity to labor issues

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

Activist identity suggests alignment with labor and working-class priorities, challenging his own party's incumbent from the left. No developed legislative platform yet to check that against.

Values clear, platform undeveloped

Genuine working-class and veteran proximity. First run for office, so there's no legislative record yet to weigh against the values.

Derek Maynes No Party Preference

Businessman, Iraq War veteran, Graham, '16 State Rep. candidate

Certified: 0.9% — Did not advance

▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did he do before this moment?"

Iraq War veteran, small business owner, and a prior state legislative candidate in 2016. A real, if thin, record of civic candidacy over a decade.

Some record, mostly candidacies

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has he been in the room?"

Small business ownership gives some proximity to local economic conditions in the district. Military service adds veteran-issue proximity.

Modest, unverified proximity

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

No current public platform documentation found for this cycle.

Cannot evaluate

A decade of intermittent candidacies. Worth checking his current platform directly rather than assuming it matches his 2016 run.

Chris D. Chung Republican

Pharmacist, Lakewood, '25 mayoral & '24 insurance commissioner candidate

Certified: 34.7% — Advances to Nov. 3

▾

Q1 — Before the spotlight?

"What did he do before this moment?"

A pharmacist with two prior runs for local and statewide office in the past two years. Real healthcare-sector professional experience, no elected record yet.

Professional record, no elected record

Q2 — Proximity to the problem?

"Has he been in the room?"

Pharmacy practice gives direct proximity to healthcare access and drug cost issues specifically. Less documented proximity to the district's other core concerns.

Strong in healthcare, thinner elsewhere

Q3 — Incentives aligned?

"Who benefits?"

Two runs in as many years suggests genuine appetite for office; no developed WA-10-specific platform found yet distinguishing this run.

Frequent candidacy, undeveloped platform

Real healthcare-sector proximity. Worth reading his actual platform for this specific race rather than assuming it carries over from his prior campaigns.

A note on WA-10: Both candidates advance to November — this isn't an elimination race. Your primary vote signals which direction you want the district to move. Strickland brings a documented record of community investment. Arafat brings anti-PAC independence and South Sound roots. Both pass the core Proximity Test questions. This is a real choice about what kind of representation you want.

Your District.
Your Candidates.

WA-6 — Tacoma, Kitsap Peninsula
& Olympic Peninsula

WA-8 — Eastern Pierce &
Southeast King County

WA-10 — Tacoma, Lakewood,
Puyallup & Olympia

You know who's on your ballot.
Apply the test. Vote the result.

Your District.Your Candidates.

WA-6 — Tacoma, Kitsap Peninsula& Olympic Peninsula

WA-8 — Eastern Pierce &Southeast King County

WA-10 — Tacoma, Lakewood,Puyallup & Olympia

You know who's on your ballot.Apply the test. Vote the result.

Your District.
Your Candidates.

WA-6 — Tacoma, Kitsap Peninsula
& Olympic Peninsula

WA-8 — Eastern Pierce &
Southeast King County

WA-10 — Tacoma, Lakewood,
Puyallup & Olympia

You know who's on your ballot.
Apply the test. Vote the result.