Campaign Phone Number
5035679644
Biography (max 750 char)
Ben Christly is a Navy veteran, flight nurse, small business founder, father of three, and elected Clark County Charter Review Commissioner running for State Representative in Washington’s 17th Legislative District. He has spent more than two decades in health care, including emergency, VA, and currently as a flight nurse, and understands the pressures facing working families, retirees, and local businesses. Ben is focused on making Washington more affordable, fully funding public schools, expanding access to health care, supporting small businesses and good-paying jobs, and bringing accountable, community-centered leadership to Olympia.
My top budget priorities are fully funding K-12 education, expanding access to affordable health care, addressing housing affordability, supporting childcare and early learning, and investing in good-paying jobs and infrastructure that help communities thrive. If reductions became necessary, I would start by looking at programs that are not delivering measurable results, duplicative administrative costs, and tax preferences that no longer serve the public interest. I do not believe working families and small businesses should carry a disproportionate share of the burden while large corporations avoid paying their fair share. Budgeting requires accountability, clear priorities, and a willingness to move money from what is not working into what is.
Washington has one of the strongest vote-by-mail systems in the country, and we should continue to protect it. Our elections rely on paper ballots, signature verification, ballot tracking, post-election audits, and local election workers who take this responsibility seriously. Public confidence is weakened when misinformation is used to attack a secure system for political gain, and elected leaders should be clear in rejecting that. Washington should continue to be a national example for secure, accessible elections. We should also strengthen civic education, support county election offices, improve public understanding of how ballots are counted, and make sure every eligible voter can participate.
The most effective public safety strategy is one that is both accountable and practical. Washington should support well-trained law enforcement, improve response times, and make sure communities have the staffing needed to keep people safe. At the same time, we need stronger investments in behavioral health, substance use treatment, domestic violence prevention, youth intervention, reentry support, and crisis response so every problem does not fall only on police. Public safety also means addressing the conditions that lead to crime, including housing instability, untreated mental illness, addiction, and lack of opportunity. I support policies that improve safety, protect civil rights, and build trust between communities and law enforcement.
Local journalism is essential to democracy because it helps people understand what is happening in their schools, cities, counties, courts, and state government. Washington can support access to reliable local information through transparent, viewpoint-neutral policies, such as support for public media, local journalism fellowships, civic information grants, student journalism, public records access, and emergency communication systems. Any support must be independent from political influence.
I support a redistricting process that is fair, transparent, and centered on voters, not political advantage. Washington should continue using an independent redistricting commission, but I would support reforms for 2031 that improve transparency, public input, language access, clear ranking of mapping criteria, and protection for communities of interest. I oppose partisan gerrymandering and do not support mid-decade redistricting for political gain. District lines should be drawn after the census through a clear public process, not shifted whenever one party thinks it can gain an advantage. Voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.
The greatest challenge facing the 17th District is affordability, especially when it is tied to access: access to health care, good-paying jobs, childcare, housing, and safe infrastructure. In Skamania and Klickitat counties, rural residents often travel farther for specialty care, maternity care, and other essential services. Across the district, families are working hard but still feeling squeezed by rising costs. State government should invest in rural health care, protect local hospitals and clinics, expand workforce training and apprenticeships, fully fund schools, and prioritize roads, bridges, broadband, and infrastructure that connect people to opportunity.
Campaign Phone Number
3609072499
Biography (max 750 char)
Thomas Everett Haynes is a Washington resident since grade school, U.S. Army veteran, and small business owner running for State Representative in the 17th District, Position 1. He deployed to Iraq with the 115th Combat Support Hospital and later earned a B.S. in Computer Science from WSU Vancouver. He holds a manufacturing FFL and has worked in cybersecurity and technology. Thomas describes himself as a Pro Gun Liberal: strongly supporting the Second Amendment while advocating for affordable healthcare, funded public schools, accessible housing, and social programs. He believes these aren't opposing values, and that the 17th District deserves more than either or.
My priorities are healthcare, education, housing, and public safety. Those directly affect people's daily lives. On revenue, I'd explore corporate tax structures and targeted adjustments before adding new taxes on individuals. On savings, I'm honest that I don't have a perfect ledger, but I know what I won't cut: schools, healthcare access, and services that keep vulnerable people from falling through the cracks.
Washington's mail-in voting system is a leader in aiding voter engagement, one that is under attack in the legislature and literally- with a firebomb last election cycle. It needs to be protected. I also support exploring ranked choice voting and other alternative voting systems. Beyond the ballot, I'd like to see more accessible ways for constituents to raise concerns outside the initiative process. Civic participation should be easy, secure, and meaningful.
Increased funding for non-officer interventions such as mental health responders, community mediators, crisis services. Our officers are highly trained but only one facet of public safety. Giving them better-resourced partners frees them to focus on what they're most needed for.
Local, independent journalism is critical to our democracy and our lives. It is the vanguard against misinformation and needs support to thrive. However, this is a complex path. The more support from government, the less independent and less trustworthy it becomes. I don't know of a perfect solution, but I am more than ready for the endeavor to find one.
Washington has one of the stronger redistricting systems in the country, and that's genuinely something to be proud of. It's also no reason to stop improving. I'd support strengthening the independent commission model, increasing public transparency in the process, and making sure communities of interest are the primary driver of boundary decisions. I'm drawn to algorithmic tools as a techy person, but algorithms aren't neutral and shouldn't be more than a starting position or baseline.
The Cost of living, not just housing and groceries, but the availability of childcare. Parts of this district are childcare deserts where finding daycare is nearly impossible. That affects everyone's ability to work and build a life. I would support looking into streamlining bureaucratic barriers to entry for childcare providers where we can do so without compromising child safety. The checks are there for a reason, but a review could be helpful.
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