Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Haskell (R) | 52,937 | 57.88% |
| Breean L. Beggs (D) | 38,530 | 42.12% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
The Candidates
Larry Haskell
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 70
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Education: Graduated from O'Day High School in Seattle in 1972. Earned an associate degree from Seattle Central Community College in 1976, a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Washington in 1979 and a law degree from Seattle University in 1997.
Political experience: Appointed to Airway Heights City Council in 1999 and elected in 2002. Left the council for military service then re-elected from 2005 to 2010. Served on Cheney School Board from 2007 to 2012. Elected Spokane County prosecutor in 2014 and 2018.
Work experience: Active duty in the United States Air Force from 1972 to 1976 and commissioned officer and pilot starting in 1979. Member of the Air National Guard from 1998 to 2002. Returned to active duty from 2002-2005, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. Worked as a Spokane County deputy prosecutor from 1998 until 2012. Worked as special assistant U.S. Attorney from 2012-2013. Elected Spokane County prosecutor in 2014 and 2018.
Family: Married to Lesley Haskell. Has five children, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Fundraising: Raised $34,718 as of July 8, including contributions from Spokane County deputy prosecutors John Grasso, Dale Nagy, Larry Steinmetz and Preston McCollam, local attorney Rob Cossey, and Spokane Valley council members Arne Woodward and Rod Higgins.
Breean L. Beggs
- Party:
- Democrat
- Age:
- 61
- City:
- Spokane, WA
Why he’s running: Beggs is running for a second term amid what he believes is a wave of momentum behind the city. “Spokane is, right now, what I call ‘in play.’ It can really take the next step, and the momentum is strong. I’m someone who brings people together, especially from opposing viewpoints. I have enough knowledge with 3 three and a half years on the council to really facilitate moving forward together.”
His pitch: In his three-plus years on the City Council, Beggs believes he has established himself as a member who brings people together from opposing viewpoints and finds compromise. Beggs has been deployed to find common ground in the city’s approach to emergency communications.
Education: Graduated from Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington. Earned a bachelor’s degree from Whitworth University in 1985 and a law degree from University of Washington School of Law in 1991.
Political experience: Beggs was first nominated to fill a vacancy on the City Council in 2016. He won election to that same seat in 2017. He lost the race for Spokane County prosecutor in 2014.
Work experience: Beggs, an attorney, worked as the director of the Center for Justice from 2004 to 2010. He represented the family of Otto Zehm in a lawsuit against the city. Works as a private practice attorney in Spokane with Paukert & Troppmann PLLC.
Family: Married. Has three children.
Complete Coverage
Haskell, Beggs share mixed view of Tucker
Candidates for Spokane County prosecutor in a debate this week gave current prosecutor Steve Tucker a mixed report card on his charging decisions and professional conduct in several recent, high-profile cases. Throughout their campaigns and in the debate, both have criticized Tucker for his low public profile and failing to fully explain his decisions, some of which they questioned. On at least one case, however, the two agreed the 16-year officeholder got it right.
County agrees to $350,000 settlement with jail inmates
More than 1,000 people jailed in Spokane County in the past six years for failing to pay court-ordered fines will benefit from a class-action lawsuit that prompted the jail to change policy. The settlement, valued at about $350,000, applies to all those booked into the jail for what the courts call legal financial obligations – fees, fines and court-ordered restitution that haven’t been paid.
Q&A with prosecutor candidates Haskell, Beggs
Spokane County prosecuting attorney candidates were allowed 50 words to respond to each of five questions. Their responses are listed in the order the candidates appear on the ballot. Why are you running for county prosecutor?
Republican incumbents carry the day in local races
A slate of inconsequential primaries delivered results Tuesday night as both candidates in a number of two-person races moved forward to November’s general election with a better idea of where their support lies. It was a night for incumbents in the Republican Party as state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and state Rep. Matt Shea all took commanding leads of at least 10 percentage points over their opponents. In the largest spread, Knezovich walloped his challenger, Doug Orr, besting him by 33,000 votes of just 74,000 cast in early returns.
Breean Beggs, Larry Haskell tout skills at prosecutor debate
The two men vying to replace longtime Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Tucker touted competing advantages at a debate downtown Wednesday night. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Larry Haskell, running for the GOP, said his 16 years of experience in the office and assisting federal prosecutors should make him a clear favorite over his opponent. Democratic candidate Breean Beggs, a private practice civil attorney who led the Center for Justice for several years, said he would bring fresh ideas to the office that would upend the status quo.
Shawn Vestal: Coroner would help clear air about police shootings
Seven years ago, Prosecutor Steve Tucker had an interesting idea. Tucker was coming under criticism at the time for his office’s slow handling of its review of the Otto Zehm case. Perhaps, Tucker said then, we should conduct coroner’s inquests into cases where someone dies in confrontations with police: seat juries of citizens to review the deaths, provide a public window into the investigative process, and lay the groundwork for any decision by prosecutors about whether the police actions were lawful.
Washington Senate hearing considers crime bills
OLYMPIA – The state could have new ways to crack down on some of Spokane’s biggest crime problems like car theft and repeat burglars, as well as take early aim at the “knockout” assault fad through a trio of bills considered by a Senate panel Wednesday. At times, the Senate Law and Justice Committee hearing seemed to come straight from the Spokane police blotter, with bills sponsored by Chairman Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, and endorsed by Spokane law enforcement officials to fight local problems.