Oct. 2026 (Week 1): Get Involved, Five Weeks Out
The time has come. We’re now in the final weeks leading up to the election, and so much is on the line. Polls might show Democrats far and wide coming out ahead, but that is only speculation. Even races with optimistic chances look like they’ll be close. If people don’t vote, people aren’t heard. Polls are not results. Votes cast and counted are results.
Here are a few races we want to put special emphasis on:
- Five (FIVE!) Washington state’s Supreme Court Justices will be on the ballot this year. We need to ensure that our communities receive just and fair support. These state supreme court races will be crucial in shaping how the people of our state weather the years ahead.
- Three initiatives will be on the ballot this fall, all courtesy of Brian Heywood. All three must be defeated.
- I-638 would require girls (but notably: not boys!) to undergo genital inspection to play sports at school.
- I-001 risks removing protections for children in abusive homes and would all but require outing students to their caretakers.
- I-645 is a last-ditch effort to repeal implementation of the “Millionaires’ Tax” on income earned beyond a million dollars.
- Over in the 12th Legislative District, Democrat Stacy Willoughby could flip an important seat. She’s facing a well-funded, extreme-right MAGA opponent. This seat is ready to flip and the people of LD12 are ready for change!
Of course, these aren’t the only races that could use your help. Our endorsements are the result of scores of interviews with candidates at every level. Every one of them would welcome your involvement.
Looking for a little more inspiration? Check out the Northwest Progressive Institute’s FallFest event this Sunday, Oct 4th in North Bend and online. You’ll hear from King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, State Senator Victoria Hunt, as well as several candidates for Washington State’s Supreme Court, and candidate Stacy Willoughby.
And as always, there’s a lot more going on.
Get Involved
- Local and State Party Events – Washington State Democratic Party
- Calendar – King County Democrats
- Washington for All: Sign up for ICE Mobilization Alerts · Washington Indivisible Network
- Volunteer Opportunities, Events, and Petitions · No Hate in WA State on Mobilize
- Events | Elect Stacy Willoughby
- Ballot Box Observers: 2026 General Election Adopt A Ballot Box
- Take Action | Indivisible
- Washington State Democrats – Winnable
- Volunteer Opportunities, Events, and Petitions Near Me · Mobilize
- NPI’s 2026 FallFest – Northwest Progressive Institute
- Bop to the Box! Stronger Together by Voting Together — West Seattle Indivisible
Strategize
- As Seattle sees surge in ICE arrests, residents, advocates on edge | The Seattle Times
- Op-Ed: What MAGA Doesn’t Want You to Know About I-645, I-001, and I-638
- Seattleites talk priorities for next police chief, regaining public trust
- Voters Have a Message for Democrats – The Atlantic
- Supreme Court trust plummets among Americans: new poll
- The Most Likely Avenue for Supreme Court Reform | The New Republic
- The Problem With Democrats’ Favorite Policy Proposal – The Atlantic
- Republicans spent years targeting progressive dark money. That could now boomerang on Trump. – CBS News
- Elon Musk is Running a Fake Voter Registration Site Designed to Steal and Sell Data – MeidasTouch
- The SCREEN Act is a Christian Nationalist Nightmare
- How do you reclaim Christianity from the extremes? | Vox
- How To Fight A Data Center
- In Texas, Something Seismic Is Happening—and It’s All Trump’s Fault | The New Republic
- Donald Trump approval rating shows highest disapproval in this term
- Trump ads paid for by US government allegedly violate anti-propaganda laws – Ars Technica
- Chuck Grassley, 93, Laments a Democrat Could Replace Him If He Dies in Office | Truthout
- Democrats running for office turn sharply against their own party
Stay Informed
- Washington’s secretary of state says video games are ‘soft power’
- Alaska Airlines expanding service at Paine Field in Everett
- The Eastside moves differently now: Six months in, the 2 Line’s Crosslake Connection is delivering a mobility revolution – NPI’s Cascadia Advocate
- Auburn Valley Humane Society overwhelmed by 170 cats, seeks community help | king5.com
- Everett Link Draft EIS Review – Seattle Transit Blog
- ICE Cites Brett Kavanaugh’s SCOTUS Opinion to Defend Targeting US Citizen – Newsweek
- Linda McMahon rolls back Title IX protections for trans students
- The Supreme Court is building power no one gave it | SCOTUSblog
- Industry titans’ warning to Congress: Do what we say or health insurance premiums are going up – POLITICO
- Key data missing for half of US child labor deaths, official report finds | Child labor | The Guardian
- US allies are increasing ties with other countries to reduce their dependence on America – CSMonitor.com
- Lenders Don’t Trust the United States Anymore – The Atlantic
- Australia launches urgent review after OpenAI program hacks government health portal – BBC News
- Google says its Gemini AI model hacked three other companies | Google | The Guardian
- This is Trump’s beginning of the end
- Azerbaijan faces an obsolete law while its oil transit route turns vital
- Where Work-Life Balance Is Best and Worst in the U.S.
Let’s make this a midterm to be proud of.
Kristopher Katz, Vice Chair for Communications
King County Democrats
King County Democrats
P.S. Previous newsletters and other messages from us can be found here.
Paid for by King County Democrats, PO Box 9100, Seattle, WA 98109