A number of big issues and important races are facing local voters this fall, so The Leader spoke with David Morris, who chairs the central committee of the Jefferson County Republican Party, and Marty Gilmore, who chairs the executive board of the Jefferson County Democrats.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the main — and single — point of agreement between the two parties’ county grandees was the importance of the three races in the state’s 24th legislative district, as two of its three incumbents are not running for another term.

Kevin Van De Wege, the Democratic incumbent of the Washington State Senate District 24 seat, is stepping down at the end of his current term in 2025, leaving Democrat Mike Chapman and Republican Marcia Kelbon to compete for the open seat.

Chapman is currently the incumbent of the Washington House of Representatives District 24 Position 1 seat, but he’s also stepping down at the end of his current term in 2025, leaving Democrat Adam Bernbaum and Republican Matthew Roberson to compete for the open seat.

Steve Tharinger, the Democratic incumbent of the Washington House District 24 Position 2 seat, is running against Republican challenger Terry Roberts.

Morris complimented Kelbon’s work ethic on the campaign trail, noting how she’d knocked on at least 5,000 doors within the district, while Gilmore contrasted what he touted as the trio of Democrats’ merits against their Republican opponents.

“Chapman is already well-known, and speaks to people’s concerns,” Gilmore said. “Bernbaum already has the knowledge, experience and contacts to hit the ground running, while Tharinger continues to be quietly effective for the North Olympic Peninsula.”

Morris identified what he saw as key issues for local voters, including his assertion that inflation has outstripped wages by as much as 20%, although he acknowledged that some of the Jefferson County Republican Party’s other concerns, such as crime and illegal immigration, are not as severe within Jefferson County as they are in King and Pierce counties.

For Gilmore, the key issues include a lack of affordable housing for local workers, which he sees as affecting the county’s economy, and what he cited as the impacts of climate change, from rising sea levels to a proliferation of wildfires.

To that end, perhaps the most significant point of divergence between Morris and Gilmore is on Washington Initiative Measure 2117, which concerns carbon tax credit trading.

Morris condemned the state’s carbon tax as a regressive tax that disproportionately draws from lower-income motorists, since those who are more wealthy can more easily afford it. Gilmore argued the carbon tax is “not that onerous,” especially since he attributed most of the per-gallon increases to oil corporations protecting their profit margins

The two party officials were likewise on opposite sides regarding corporate income taxes, which Morris asserted simply get passed on to the consumer’s purchase prices anyway, and capital gains taxes, which Gilmore noted that he’s paid himself, which he regarded as “the fair thing to do,” especially in light of the state’s underfunded educational programs.