State Representative, position 1
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Volz (R) | 34,485 | 55.20% |
| Lynnette Vehrs (D) | 27,992 | 44.80% |
* 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
The legislative district extending southwest of Spokane and wrapping north toward Nine Mile Falls, including Airway Heights, is up for grabs after incumbent Rep. Kevin Parker chose not to run. Although Parker, a Republican, held the seat for eight years, prior to him, Democrat Don Barlow held it. This year Democrat Lynette Vehrs faces Republican Mike Volz.
Vehrs, a retired nurse, won 44 percent of the primary vote, while Volz, Spokane County’s chief deputy treasurer, took 29 percent. They beat out two other candidates, including a Republican who had the backing of U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
Vehrs has worked with legislators as a policy adviser for the Washington State Nurses Association. She says she will focus on health care policy if elected. So far her campaign had reported raising about $76,500 as of late September. Volz intends to remain the deputy treasurer for Spokane County. He said he’d focus on fiscal policy and will work to lower taxes. His campaign has raised about $36,000.
The Candidates
Mike Volz
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 59
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Education: Graduated from Ritzville High School in 1983. Graduated from Eastern Washington University in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in business with a dual concentration in accounting and finance. Graduated with a masters of business administration in 2005 from Gonzaga University. Is a certified public accountant.
Political experience: Elected state representative for 6th Legislative District in 2016 and re-elected every two years since. Lost run for Spokane County auditor to Vicky Dalton in 2006.
Work experience: Chief deputy county treasurer for the last 10 years. Previously worked four years as assistant director of finance at Spokane Transit Authority, seven years as senior finance manager and accountant at Spokane County Treasurer’s Office, one year as a financial analyst for Empire Health Services, two years as controller for small music company The Production Group, and three years as private security guard for Argos Systems. Served three years as military police officer in the Army in West Germany in the 1980s and at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Served in the National Guard after Army.
Family: Married to Diane Volz. Has three children
Campaign finances: Raised more than $91,000, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission, as of Oct. 2, 2024. Top donors include Amazon, BNSF Railway, Washington State Troopers Political Action Committee, Kaiser Aluminum, Avista Corp., Puget Sound Energy, Washington Indian Gaming Association, STCU, Washington Association of Realtors, Tulalip Tribes of Washington and the Washington Hospitality Association.
Lynnette Vehrs
- Party:
- Democratic
- Age:
- 70
- City:
- Spokane, WA
Education: Graduated from the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education in 1976. Earned master’s degree at WSU College of Nursing in 2009.
Work experience: Former instructor at the Washington State University College of Nursing, retired nurse.
Political experience: State committeewoman with Spokane County Democrats, elected to the legislative health policy council of the Washington State Nurses Association.
Family: Married. Three daughters, three stepdaughters.
Complete Coverage
Washington state House votes to extend schools’ taxing authority
House agrees to extend school districts extra taxing authority for one year.
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.
New York Times article references Spokane legislative race
A New York Times’ reporter interviewed Democratic candidate Lynnette Vehrs after Vehrs called for her opponent Mike Volz to “denounce the words and actions of Donald Trump and withdraw his support for the Republican nominee.”
Democrat in 6th Legislative race calls for Republican opponent to denounce Trump
The national debate about whether down-ticket Republicans should stand by Donald Trump following comments he made 11 years ago about groping women has trickled into the race for a House seat in Spokane County’s 6th Legislative District.
Mike Volz, Lynnette Vehrs grapple for House seat left vacant by Rep. Kevin Parker
After a tumultuous primary race, a retired nurse and the chief deputy treasurer for Spokane County are competing for the seat formerly held by four-term lawmaker Kevin Parker.
6th Legislative District: Lynnette Vehrs and Mike Volz agree on the need to fully fund education, but little else
The two candidates vying for the 6th Congressional district positioned themselves as representing a continuation of Rep. Kevin Parker’s eight-years in office, and new, more liberal leadership focused largely on health care reform, Monday.
Lynette Vehrs, Mike Volz will vie for Rep. Kevin Parker’s seat in November
In the race to replace state Rep. Kevin Parker, voters in November will be able to choose a retired nurse or the chief deputy county treasurer. Democrat Lynette Vehrs topped four other candidates in Tuesday’s primary with 44 percent of the vote to easily move to the general election. Joining her on the ballot will be Republican Mike Volz, the chief deputy county treasurer, who took 29 percent.
Washington’s 6th District draws five challengers to succeed Rep. Kevin Parker
Five candidates have filed to succeed Kevin Parker, a popular Republican lawmaker who announced in May he would not seek his fifth term in the House of Representatives. The field includes three Republicans, an independent and a Democrat seeking to be the first left-leaning lawmaker elected in the district since 2008.
Editorial: Vehrs for legislative District 6
In a relatively conservative district, she won’t survive as lockstep liberal, so our hope is that she gravitates to the center. Nonetheless, she is the most pragmatic, knowledgable candidate and gets our endorsement