Waters & Stuebe Fight for Seats in Southwest Washington 2026

Key Points

• The 17th Legislative District, spanning Clark, Klickitat, and Skamania counties along the Columbia River, has emerged as a central battleground for control of the Washington State Legislature.
• Republican incumbents are working to preserve long-held seats, while Democratic gains in both House positions could push the party closer to achieving a legislative supermajority in Olympia.
• Incumbent Republican Representative Kevin Waters of Stevenson is facing his first election challenge since 2023 from Democratic candidate Ben Christly, with discussions centered on rural school funding, timber industry revitalization, and small business incentives.
• Incumbent Republican Representative David Stuebe of Washougal, who won by roughly 800 votes in 2024, is defended against former Vancouver City Council member Diana Perez, with candidates focusing on local economic self-reliance, rural childcare access, and infrastructure modernization.
• The races are among the most expensive in the state this election cycle, featuring hundreds of thousands of dollars in direct candidate fundraising alongside heavy independent expenditures from major political action committees (PACs).
• Candidates across party lines expressed concern that state policies originating from urban Seattle lawmakers often fail to address the distinct needs of rural Southwest Washington communities.

Olympia (Evening Washington News) October 31, 2026 – As Election Day approaches, competitive and high-cost legislative races are unfolding across a quiet stretch of Southwest Washington. The 17th Legislative District—which covers portions of Clark and Klickitat counties along with all of Skamania County along the Columbia River—is witnessing a sharp political tug-of-war as Republican incumbents attempt to defend seats long held by their party against well-funded Democratic challengers. With Democrats seeking to move closer to a legislative supermajority and Republicans fighting to maintain their caucus numbers, significant financial resources and independent political action group expenditures are pouring into the rural district.

What Issues Are Shaping the House Position 1 Race Between Kevin Waters and Ben Christly?

As reported by journalist Shauna Sowersby of The Seattle Times, incumbent Republican Representative Kevin Waters of Stevenson is defending his seat against Democratic challenger Ben Christly in his first contested race since joining the Legislature in 2023. Waters ran unopposed during the 2024 election cycle.

Waters, who has deep multigenerational family ties to the area and owns Backwoods Brewing Company in Carson, pointed to the structural economic shifts in Skamania County. As reported by Shauna Sowersby of The Seattle Times, Waters stated in August that the region was historically a key player in the timber industry in which his family was involved, but the local economy has since transitioned toward tourism as a primary economic driver.

Highlighting the shuttered Stevenson Elementary School, Waters noted that this economic transition, paired with a reduced tax base and population out-migration, has severely impacted local education systems. As reported by Sowersby of The Seattle Times, Waters explained that he intends to identify sustainable funding solutions for rural schools to prevent further facility closures and secure capital for school infrastructure investments. Additionally, Waters advocates for revitalizing the local timber sector; he sponsored passed 2025 legislation allowing the Superintendent of Public Instruction to appoint a member to the Board of Natural Resources, though a separate proposal requiring public works projects over $500,000 to utilize timber from Washington and Oregon failed to pass.

Challenging the incumbent, Democrat Ben Christly argued that the state faces a resource allocation issue rather than a total spending deficit. As reported by Shauna Sowersby of The Seattle Times, Christly stated: “I see so many missed opportunities in Southwest Washington.” Christly emphasized that public schools, particularly within rural districts, have not been adequately prioritized by state leadership and called for full state funding of public education.

Christly also prioritized support for small businesses, contending that state and municipal governments forfeit revenue by extending generous tax breaks to major corporations. Describing the 17th Legislative District as “diverse, thriving and growing,” Christly argued that the area must actively attract innovative industries that are routinely diverted to major urban hubs like Seattle, while also expanding local healthcare access.

How Are David Stuebe and Diana Perez Approaching the House Position 2 Contest?

In the district’s Position 2 contest, incumbent Republican Representative David Stuebe of Washougal is seeking re-election after securing his seat in 2024 by a margin of just over 800 votes against Democratic opposition. Stuebe, who also serves as the Mayor of Washougal, faces Democratic nominee Diana Perez, a former member of the Vancouver City Council.

As reported by journalist Shauna Sowersby of The Seattle Times, Stuebe highlighted his legislative track record and regional development projects, including downtown revitalization initiatives and commercial developments in Washougal. Stuebe stated that he aims to strengthen the local economy so residents are not forced to travel across state lines to the Portland metropolitan area for everyday commercial needs.

In terms of legislative work, Stuebe sponsored a grant program in 2025 to finance backcountry search and rescue groups, which did not pass into law. In 2026, he sponsored legislation permitting Medicaid support for emergency ambulance services, a measure designed to provide federal financial assistance to rural healthcare providers, which was subsequently signed into law by the governor.

Despite political differences, both Stuebe and Perez expressed shared frustration regarding the influence of urban legislative priorities on rural communities. As reported by Shauna Sowersby of The Seattle Times, Perez noted that policy approaches formulated by lawmakers in the Seattle area have repeatedly been “treated as a one-size-fits-all” framework, stating that this dynamic has caused “the uniqueness of each of the counties” to be lost.

Perez emphasized the necessity of expanding the rural childcare sector to resolve widespread childcare deserts, stating that progress requires cross-party legislative collaboration. Furthermore, Perez advocated for modernizing regional public infrastructure to facilitate the development of affordable housing and essential community amenities.

How Much Campaign Money Is Flowing into the 17th Legislative District Races?

The legislative contests in the 17th District rank among the most financially intensive campaigns in Washington State during the current election cycle, driven by direct contributions and substantial independent expenditure groups.

As reported by journalist Shauna Sowersby of The Seattle Times, campaign finance records indicate the following direct fundraising and political action committee (PAC) involvement across both positions:

• Position 1 Direct Fundraising: Incumbent Kevin Waters has raised more than $420,000, with primary funding originating from the Senate Republican Campaign Committee and the House Republican Organization Committee. Democratic challenger Ben Christly has raised nearly $288,000, largely supported by the House Democratic Campaign Committee and the Washington State Democratic Central Committee.
• Position 1 Independent Spending: Political action groups have directed substantial funds into the race. PACs such as Fix Washington, sponsored by the Evergreen Leadership Fund, have spent more than $590,000 against Christly, while Fuse Votes contributed over $83,000 in independent expenditures supporting his candidacy. Conversely, the PAC Southwest Washington Priorities spent over $176,000 against Waters, while Fix Washington and the Cascade Political Action Committee directed just over $63,000 in support of Waters.
• Position 2 Direct Fundraising: Incumbent David Stuebe has raised over $401,000 in his re-election bid, while Democratic candidate Diana Perez has generated more than $355,000 in campaign contributions.
• Position 2 Independent Spending: While no outside PAC money has been recorded in opposition to Stuebe, Fix Washington and the Cascade PAC have contributed over $65,000 in support of his re-election. For Perez, outside organizations such as Fuse Votes and Southwest Washington Priorities have spent over $85,000 in her favor, whereas groups including Fix Washington and Southwest Communities First have directed over $366,000 in independent expenditures opposing her campaign.

Background of the 17th Legislative District and Washington State Supermajority Dynamics

The 17th Legislative District has historically served as a reliable Republican stronghold within Southwest Washington’s political landscape. Geographically diverse, the district encompasses timberlands, agricultural zones, and riverfront communities across Skamania, Klickitat, and eastern Clark counties. Over recent decades, structural economic shifts away from traditional natural resource extraction have prompted structural adjustments, turning municipal economies toward tourism, light manufacturing, and commuter residential growth connected to the broader Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area.

The heightened financial investment in the 17th District reflects broader legislative strategy in Olympia. In the Washington State Legislature, Democrats hold majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Securing additional seats in traditionally conservative or swing rural districts is critical to the Democratic Party’s objective of attaining a two-thirds supermajority. A supermajority would allow the governing party to pass major revenue bills, authorize state general obligation bonds, and override executive vetoes without requiring minority party votes. Conversely, state Republican campaign committees have targeted the 17th District as a vital defensive line to retain structural voting weight in legislative committees and block potential constitutional-threshold policy changes.

Prediction: How Will the Election Outcome Affect Rural Residents, School Districts, and Local Businesses?

The outcome of the legislative elections in the 17th District will directly influence public policy delivery, education funding formulas, and economic development strategies for communities across Clark, Klickitat, and Skamania counties.

If Republican incumbents Kevin Waters and David Stuebe retain their seats, local business owners and natural resource industries can expect continued legislative resistance against state-level regulatory expansions and corporate tax adjustments. A Republican victory in Position 1 will likely keep timber industry incentives and targeted rural public safety grants, such as Medicaid ambulance subsidies, at the forefront of the district’s legislative agenda. School districts in rural areas like Skamania County would see continued efforts aimed at restructuring capital facility funding mechanisms to assist small-tax-base municipalities.

If Democratic challengers Ben Christly or Diana Perez secure victories, the political dynamic in Olympia could shift toward expanding state-funded social infrastructure across rural regions. Local working families and childcare providers would likely benefit from targeted state grant programs designed to eliminate rural childcare deserts and expand local healthcare infrastructure. Furthermore, a shift in representation could lead to increased state funding commitments for public education, while potentially altering local economic development strategies to emphasize green technology and small business incentives over traditional resource extraction models.