The candidates in the race for the 5th Legislative District’s Position 2 seat have spent the election season focused on who would be the least partisan in the Legislature.
Incumbent Rep. Lisa Callan, a Democrat, and challenger Chad Magendanz, a Republican, have veered from the trend of some other races, where candidates have emphasized how far left or right they are compared to their opponent. They both say they reflect their district in eastern King County, one that’s historically been red but is now considered solidly purple — and they both have experience winning the district seat.
That hasn’t stopped their political parties from contributing significant dollars to their campaigns — the House Democratic Campaign Committee has spent $50,000 for Callan, the House Republican Organizational Committee has spent $70,000 for Magendanz.
The race, though not the most expensive nor contentious, is one both sides are closely watching, representatives say, as Magendanz tries to take back the seat that Callan flipped to Democrat two terms ago.
Callan is running for her third term to represent the district. She worked as a Boeing lead engineer and project manager, and was a software program manager consultant. She served as an Issaquah School Board member beginning in 2013 until she ran for her first Legislature race in 2018, when she beat Republican incumbent Paul Graves. She ran unopposed for the seat in 2020.
She’s proud of her work focused on education and behavioral health as co-chair of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group. She sponsored a bill that allows students to receive excused absences for mental health reasons, and a bill to fund and increase the number of nurses and mental health workers in K-12 schools.
“We’re making sure we are paying attention to what is coming up to kids’ doorsteps,” she said.
Magendanz is a former 5th District legislator and Issaquah School Board member. He was elected representative in 2012 and served for two terms. In 2016 he ran for the Senate seat for the 5th Legislative District and lost by less than a percentage point to Democrat Mark Mullet. Two years later he made another attempt for the House of Representatives, running unsuccessfully against Bill Ramos for the Position 1 seat. Magendanz is a former U.S. Navy submarine officer and software developer, and teaches computer science in the Bellevue School District.
His experience as a teacher, he said, is one of the reasons he decided to run again, citing concerns with learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic and how the state is complying with the 2012 McCleary Supreme Court decision related to school funding. He didn’t plan to run again, he added, but also became concerned with the Democratic majority in Olympia.
“I would say I am reluctantly running for my old seat, that wasn’t the plan,” he said. “I share a lot of the concerns that a lot of the community have with how a one-party rule has impacted Washington. They have to work together, or they get nothing done.”
In the August primary, in which Callan and Magendanz were the only two candidates and automatically moved to the general election, Callan received 55% of the vote. In the other 5th Legislative District race for the Position 1 seat, incumbent Ramos, a Democrat, received 58% of the vote over Republican challenger Ken Moninski, who received 29%.
Callan has raised about $224,000 and Magendanz has raised $143,000 as of Friday. In the Position 1 race, Ramos has raised $129,000 compared with Moninski’s $13,000.
Magendanz said the case was made to him that if Republicans were to get any foothold in King County, he was the one most likely to accomplish it. His positions don’t line up with traditional Republican viewpoints — he says he’s pro-abortion rights, supported backed same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization in the past, and isn’t a fan of former President Donald Trump.
“If you don’t want big government in your wallet, you don’t want it in your bedroom, either,” he said. “I haven’t seen a conflict with being who I am and being in the Republican Party.”
At a candidate forum in Issaquah, Magendanz remarked that he and his opponent were in agreement on abortion rights, though added he would like to see more parental involvement with those under 18. Callan added that she had received the endorsements this election season from Planned Parenthood and Pro-Choice Washington.
The candidates differ in their views on gun control and public safety.
During a portion where each candidate could ask their opponent a question, Callan asked Magendanz what he had done during his time in the Legislature to reduce gun violence. He responded that he is a “strict constitutionalist” who believes in all amendments, including the Second Amendment. He added that he voted for red flag laws and supports training programs for firearm safety. The National Rifle Association gave Magendanz an “A” grade and an “F” grade to Callan, who is endorsed by the Alliance for Gun Responsibility.
Magendanz cited rising crime rates and said to Callan that it’s hard not to make the connection between those statistics and her support of police pursuit limitations and the “Blake fix,” referring to the Washington Supreme Court decision that struck down a law that made it a felony to possess illegal drugs. What would you do to correct those mistakes? he asked. She responded that rising crime is also a national trend and questioned whether there was a link to work done in the Legislature.
“What I want to do and want to lean into, and why I took the positions I did in the Legislature was to make sure we are paying attention to how we keep everybody safe in our community,” Callan said. “That we have standards that are the same across Washington.”
The 5th Legislative District race is one of about 10 where the House Republican Organizational Committee has contributed at least $50,000, according to state House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox, who pointed to Magendanz’s past experience and name recognition in the race.
“He fits the district and I think a lot of people who live in that district probably wish he had been representing them over the last few years,” said Wilcox, who represents the 2nd Legislative District. “We always tell people their job is to represent their district. If their district is moderate, it helps they are moderate.”
Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, a Democrat representing the 34th District, says the 5th isn’t in the top tier of the Democratic Party’s defense districts but that Callan’s showing was closer than Ramos in the primary election, and cited Magendanz’s name recognition as well. The 5th remains one of the closer districts in King County, he added.
“I wouldn’t say I am super worried about it, I think she is in really strong shape,” he said. “She has a great body of work. We saw that in the primary and we will see it in the general.”
Wilcox and Fitzgibbon said their parties are putting the most resources into the 10th and 42nd legislative races, both in swing districts in Northwest Washington.
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