State Representative, position 2
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Timm Ormsby (D) | 29,312 | 62.35% |
| Laura Carder (R) | 17,702 | 37.65% |
* 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
Of the 15 legislators who represent at least a portion of Spokane County, Democrat Timm Ormsby has the second-longest tenure and was named chairman of the House Appropriations Committee in May. He says his top priorities include developing a plan to meet court-mandated obligations for mental health and education, while also protecting other social services critical to constituents in the 3rd District, one of the poorest in the state. He is open to increasing some kinds of taxes to pay for boosting education and supports increasing the minimum wage.
Ormsby’s Republican challenger, Laura Carder, is running a low-budget campaign. She opposes increasing the minimum wage or raising taxes to increase education funding. Her platform includes teaching “creation science” alongside evolution, increasing private-sector jobs while reducing government social services, and granting immunity from legal action to Christian-run businesses that don’t want to provide their services to same-sex couples.
The Candidates
Timm Ormsby
- Party:
- Democratic
- Age:
- 65
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Education: Graduated from North Central High School in 1977.
Political experience: Appointed to current House seat in 2003. Elected to seat every two years since 2004. Current chairman of House Appropriations Committee and member of House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee.
Work experience: About 40 years in construction, primarily as a concrete finisher. Business representative for Northeastern Washington-Northern Idaho Building Trades Council since 2000. President of Spokane Regional Labor Council. Board member of SNAP and Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. Member of Spokane Area League of Women Voters. Past board member of Spokane County United Way.
Family: Married. Has three adult children.
Laura Carder
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 77
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Education: Graduated from Yorktown High School in Virginia in 1965. Attended Radford Ladies school, then earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from San Francisco State in 1969.
Work experience. Worked as a computer programmer for McDonnell Douglas for 12 years, then held a series of temporary jobs. In recent years she has held seasonal jobs at the Spokane County Fair, the Orange County Fair and at Knotts Berry Farm.
Political experience: Served as a Republican Party precinct committee officer for several years. Ran unsuccessfully for Spokane School Board in 2009 and state representative in 2006, 2008 and 2016.
Family: Single
Campaign fundraising: Carder has chosen the mini reporting option, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, meaning she has pledged to raise and spend no more than $5,000.
Complete Coverage
Washington House adopts rules after debate over ‘fund education first’
A routine vote over House rules turned into a brief debate over one of the GOP’s favorite budget ideas: Fund education first
Washington state House votes to extend schools’ taxing authority
House agrees to extend school districts extra taxing authority for one year.
Washington House approves delay in ‘levy cliff’
School districts would get another year of higher property tax collections under the first bill the full House passed Monday.
Will Washington schools get $1.75 billion more in 2018? Panel split.
Estimate of $1.75 billion per year extra for public schools put into Washington’s budget outlook.
Spokane lawmakers could be in strong positions in 2017 Legislature
Spokane’s legislative delegation not likely to lose any clout even though the election is pointing to some changes likely in next year’s session.
Incumbents, Republican Mike Volz preferred by voters in state legislative contests
Incumbents on both sides of the aisle appeared headed for additional terms in Olympia as ballots were counted Tuesday. Republican Mike Volz was poised to earn the House seat vacated by popular lawmaker Kevin Parker, who announced he wouldn’t seek re-election earlier this year.
Carder, Ormsby fight to represent
Incumbent Timm Ormsby faces Republican Laura Carder in the 3rd Legislative District.
Timm Ormsby faces two challengers for House seat
Opponents of state Rep. Timm Ormsby in the Aug. 2 Washington primary say it’s time for the incumbent to go. “He’s been there long enough,” said Republican Laura Carder. “I think he is taking the voters way too much for granted.”
Timm Ormsby the easy pick in 3rd District
This district, one of the poorest in the state, has been a longtime Democratic stronghold, and Republicans have struggled to field a strong candidate. This year is no different, with incumbent Rep. Timm Ormsby facing weak opposition.
Lead testing at Washington schools inconsistent
For about $5 per student in Washington’s public schools, every parent could know if the drinking water in their child’s school was free of lead.
Ormsby to head House budget panel
Rep. Timm Ormsby was named chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
Teacher raises, mental health salaries in House Democratic budget
House Democrats propose raises for teachers, state mental health professionals in new budget.