Housing, abortion, more divide House candidates in state’s 10th District

OAK HARBOR — A two-term Democrat is facing a challenge from a first-time candidate in a race for a seat in the 10th Legislative District.

Dave Paul was first elected state representative in 2018. His challenger is Karen Lesetmoe, a Republican. Both live in Oak Harbor.

Paul is the only Democrat representing the 10th district, which includes Island County, north Snohomish County and south Skagit County. He won re-election in 2020 by 738 votes or less than 1% of votes cast.

Paul, 54, is the director of community relations at Skagit Valley College.

Lesetmoe, 45, is a Navy veteran and realtor.

In the primary, Paul led by a vote of 54.2% to 45.6%.

Paul said he has worked hard on bipartisan solutions.

“Voters in the district have seen me do that work and know I will continue to do the work for the next two years,” he said.

Lesetmoe saw it differently. She said Paul has failed to “provide meaningful tax relief and public safety” over his two terms.

“Instead his voting record shows that he’s more concerned with his party’s ideology than the people he was elected to represent,” she said.

Paul voted against the nearly $17 billion, 16-year “Move Ahead Washington” transportation package passed last session, which raised fees for drivers. He was one of only three Democrats to join Republicans in voting no.

“I didn’t vote for that measure because the state was operating in a surplus,” Paul said.

As an educator, Paul said he’s proud of a bill he sponsored to create a summer pilot program for Running Start. He has proposed other bills to waive fees for lower-income students in dual-credit programs like Running Start and to expand K-12 career and technical training.

Lesetmoe immigrated from the Philippines at 6. She grew up in Southern California, joined the Navy at 28 and served in aviation administration. She was stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island between 2004 and 2008 and became a realtor in 2010.

She cited her “boots on the ground experience” as a strength. She said she’s an advocate of giving people a “hand up instead of a handout.”

In the past two years, Lesetmoe said she has seen many clients move out of state. She said they left due to frustrations over COVID rules, school closures and a high cost of living.

“I see America as a land of opportunity and not of oppression,” she said.

Like other Republicans, Lesetmoe criticized recent changes in the law regarding policing.

“It needs to do good and not just sound good,” she said.

On education, Lesetmoe said she supports more “parental involvement” and transparency about what kids are learning in public schools.

She wants to suspend the state’s gas tax and possibly lower the sales tax.

Paul noted he backed legislation last session to amend police bills. In September, he said he attended a roundtable with law enforcement about possible fixes to the state Supreme Court’s Blake decision. The court ruled a person could not be charged with a felony if they were unknowingly in possession of an illegal narcotic.

Paul said he wants to push for property tax relief next session. Specifically, he wants to expand exemptions on property taxes for lower- and middle-income households. He noted a previous proposal for a one-time sales tax holiday on Labor Day.

On housing affordability, Paul wants to reimburse builders for fees if they meet specific criteria.

“We need them to build more 1,000-square-foot homes,” he said.

Lesetmoe agreed more townhomes and condos are needed, but criticized extra building costs legislators have added. She opposes proposals to ban natural gas and require electric heating in new homes, a measure spurred by state statutes to reduce carbon emissions.

In July, Paul expressed disappointment in the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“I strongly support women’s reproductive rights, access to family planning, and the right to privacy,” he said.

Lesetmoe said she is against abortion. She shared she had a “crisis pregnancy” in high school and gave birth to her oldest daughter.

“Abortion has been the law of the land in Washington state since the ’70s,” she said. “And that’s not going to change.”

Jacqueline Allison: 425-339-3434; jacqueline.allison@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jacq_allison.