State Representative, Pos. 2
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Shea (R) | 25,105 | 57.75% |
| Josh Arritola (R) | 18,365 | 42.25% |
* 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.
About the Race
This is a Republican vs. Republican matchup, and both flaunt their conservative bona fides as a reason to vote for them. Matt Shea, the incumbent, is running on a “liberty” agenda: gun rights, a Christian America and limiting an out-of-control government. Arritola is the less ideological yet still conservative candidate, primarily on issues of taxation, who says his experience owning a business gives him the knowledge to bring jobs to the region. Josh Arritola says finishing the North Spokane Corridor is paramount. Shea, who has not responded to many calls seeking comment, is “pro-jobs, pro-family, pro-guns, pro-life,” according to his website.
The Candidates
Matt Shea
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 50
- City:
- Spokane Valley, WA
- Occupation:
- Lawyer
Education: Graduated from high school in Bellingham. Earned bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Gonzaga University in 1996. Earned law degree from Gonzaga in 2006.
Political experience: Elected to state House every two years since 2008. Serves as assistant ranking minority member on the House’s Labor and Workforce and Judiciary committees.
Work experience: Attorney at M. Casey Law since 2013. Formerly handled personal injury cases at Keith S. Douglass and Associates. Co-founded the Washington Family Foundation. Served 4 ½ years in the army, entering as a lieutenant in 1996, including eight months in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Later served 11 months in Iraq as a captain in the Army and Army National Guard.
Family: Divorced and remarried. No children.
Josh Arritola
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 43
- City:
- Spokane Valley, WA
- Occupation:
- Management consultant
JOSH ARRITOLA
Education: Graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1999. Earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Washington in 2003.
Work Experience: Founded and owns Haploos Inc., a consulting firm for oil, gas, energy and mining companies. The company also encourages its clients to support Christian and anti-poverty causes.
Political Experience: None.
Military Experience: Air Force, 2003-2006.
Family: Married. No children.
Complete Coverage
WALeg Day 17: Splitsville for Washington? History says not likely
OLYMPIA – Eastern and Western Washington are so different they should be two separate states, says a new bill that would set up a way to split them apart. Sound familiar? Maybe that’s because legislators from east of the Cascades have been saying it – and trying to find a way to divvy up the state – for at least 100 years.
Gun activists gather, as control activists plan to grade legislators on which way they vote
OLYMPIA – Voter-approved background checks on private gun purchases are unconstitutional and therefore not law, Rep. Matt Shea told gun-rights activists Thursday on the steps of the Capitol. “An unconstitutional law is no law at all,” said the Spokane Valley Republican, who is also a private attorney. He told activists the measure that passed in November violates state and federal constitutions. But the right to bear arms is inalienable and can’t be taken away by voters or the courts.
Shea tells gun rights activists I-594 not law
OLYMPIA — Rep. Matt Shea told gun-rights activists today voter-approved background checks on private sales violate state and federal constitutions and aren’t law. “An unconstitutional law is no law at all,” said Shea told about 300 protesters on the Capitol Building steps.
‘Constitutionalists’ protest at Spokane Valley Police Precinct
A protest spurred by a Spokane County sheriff’s deputy’s statement that angered self-described constitutionalists drew more than 300 people to the Spokane Valley Police Precinct parking lot Saturday afternoon. Many of those in attendance carried rifles, handguns or both. A series of speakers criticized Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and called on him to give back the mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle (MRAP) that the department received for no cost as military surplus.
300 protest against deputy comment; activist says people should be ‘armed equal to the police’
A protest spurred by a Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy statement that angered self-described constitutionalists drew more than 300 people to the Spokane Valley Police Precinct parking lot Saturday afternoon.
Washington election: Campaigns spending heavily as deadline nears
OLYMPIA – With control of the Washington Senate in the balance, legislative candidates could pull in record amounts of money, and some ballot measure campaigns are spending heavily as the election deadline approaches. Their fates may be decided by a relatively small number of voters. Early turnout is light throughout the state, and less than half of Spokane County’s eligible voters are expected to return their ballots this fall.
Shea, Arritola fight for 4th District
There was a moment in last week’s sole debate between state Rep. Matt Shea and his challenger, Josh Arritola, that summed up the race between the two Republicans. Arritola dispensed with a question regarding his disbelief in the human impact of climate change and pivoted to a recitation of fees connected to an off-road vehicle law Shea sponsored.
4th District legislative candidate Q-and-A
Legislative candidates for the state House Position 2 in the 4th Legislative District were allowed 50 words to respond to each of five questions. The incumbent in the race, state Rep. Matt Shea, did not respond to repeated requests to participate in this candidate Q&A.
Shawn Vestal: Arritola, Shea both were in good form for debate
Everybody says they want more civility in politics. But there is nothing quite so bracing as an old-fashioned political fistfight in a room full of people who give a damn. Josh Arritola and Rep. Matt Shea swung hard at each other Monday night, in what will probably be the sole debate between the two Republican candidates for a 4th District legislative seat. The room was packed and buzzing, and each candidate was well-prepared with specifics and fast on his feet. As with a prize fight, one might have wondered just who was edified by the spectacle, but it was fun as heck to watch.
Shea, Arritola spar in GOP debate; Wilhite, McCaslin outline stances
Twenty minutes before a Republican debate in Spokane Valley, the Greenacres venue filled to capacity and late-comers were being turned away. The room, packed with 150 people, became stifling with heat. It didn’t take much longer for things to heat up between the candidates.
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.
Shawn Vestal: GOP shies from criticizing Matt Shea publicly
Did you know Matt Shea was an Oath Keeper? Did you know he likes to sit around with other Oath Keepers – self-declared patriots and apocalyptic prophets – and check out night-vision goggles and talk about guns?
High-profile challengers in race for Washington’s 4th District state House seat
State Rep. Leonard Christian is an incumbent in the unusual position of facing two primary opponents who have as much or more name recognition as he has. Christian, who was appointed a state representative early this year to fill a vacancy, is challenged by Diana Wilhite, a former Spokane Valley mayor who has been active in local politics for decades, and Bob McCaslin, who shares the name of his late father who served in the state Senate for more than 30 years.
Doug Clark: Spokane saddled with Bundy buddy Shea
Today I’d like to make an endorsement. And that is to return Matt Shea.
Nevada rancher’s slavery comments alienate supporters
LAS VEGAS – A Nevada rancher who became a conservative folk hero for standing up to the government in a fight over grazing rights lost some of his staunch defenders Thursday after wondering aloud whether blacks might have had it better under slavery. Republican politicians from around the country who have rallied to Cliven Bundy’s defense in recent weeks denounced the comments and distanced themselves from the rancher, including Washington state legislator Matt Shea, potential 2016 presidential contender Sen. Rand Paul and Nevada Sen. Dean Heller. Democrats were quick to pounce on the comments and label Bundy a racist.
Editorial: Rep. Matt Shea should know better than to support lawbreaking Nevada rancher
Voters in Legislative District 4 should be concerned that Rep. Matt Shea would venture off to Nevada to support a scofflaw engaged in a dangerous standoff. Defiant rancher Cliven Bundy’s protest against paying grazing fees has become a cause celebre among people, like Shea, who believe the states can nullify federal laws they believe to be unconstitutional. This doctrine of nullification has been drubbed in the courts. In any event, the state of Nevada isn’t protesting grazing fees, so a passel of officeholders with fringe views on the Constitution have descended on the Bundy ranch to say, “See! This is what we mean!”
Rep. Matt Shea travels to Nevada to support defiant rancher
Spokane Valley state legislator Matt Shea traveled to Nevada last weekend to support defiant rancher Cliven Bundy’s stand that he doesn’t have to pay grazing fees on federal land. Shea is among a small coalition of legislators from Western states calling for federal lands to be handed over to states. The Nevada episode led to a standoff between Bundy and a large group of armed protesters against agents with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.