The Washington State Legislative District 10 is one of the few competitive districts in the state this election. The Position 1 seat has four Democrats and one Republican hoping to replace retiring longtime Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton. Dave Paul, D-Oak Harbor, holds the Position 2 seat, which he wrested from Rep. Dave Hayes by just over 700 votes in 2018.

Sen. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, retired last fall from the District’s Senate seat. Ron Muzzall, a farmer from Oak Harbor was appointed to replace her. Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson, also of Oak Harbor, is the Democratic Party candidate.

La Conner’s Bill Bruch and Progressive Taylor Zimmerman of Conway are challenging Paul. Zimmerman will spend less than $5,000. His campaign emphasizes sparing the area from urban sprawl to preserve the region’s natural features.

The 10th District is comprised of Island County, the northwest corner of Snohomish County, and southwest Skagit County, to SR 20.

Washington has 49 legislative districts, each with a Senator and two Representatives. Representatives serve two-year terms. The Senate and House of Representatives meet in session annually to create new laws, change existing laws and enact state budgets.

The 2019-2021 operations budget is $53.5 billion dollar for the period July 2019-June 2021.

Since July 1, legislators salaries are $56,881 annually.

Source: Washington State Legislature