7th District Representative, Position 2
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Joel Kretz (R) | 17,169 | 63.09% |
| Mike Bell (D) | 4,590 | 16.87% |
| Crystal Oliver (D) | 4,239 | 15.58% |
| Christine A. Ives (N) | 1,214 | 4.46% |
* 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 Candidates
Joel Kretz
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 67
- City:
- Wauconda, Washington
Education: Graduated from Mercer Island High School in 1975. Attended Olympic College and Green River College.
Political Experience: Elected to current House seat representing the 7th Legislative District every two years since 2004. Has served as deputy minority leader.
Work Experience: Owns a ranch, raises cattle and horses, and has a small timber business; former president of Okanogan County Farm Bureau.
Family: Married. Has adult son.
Campaign contributions: Raised about $88,700, as of Oct. 5, 2020. Top donors include the Washington Beverage Association Political Action Committee, Georgia-Pacific Company, BNSF Railway Company and Philips 66 Company.
Mike Bell
- Party:
- Democratic
- City:
- Nine Mile Falls, WA
Education: Graduated from Havelock High School in North Carolina in 1969. Graduated from North Carolina State University in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in accounting.
Political experience: Has never held office. Volunteered for Washington's Initiative 735 limiting special interest spending on political candidates.
Work experience: U.S. Navy veteran, volunteer in the Naval Reserve, 1976 to 1979. Accountant at Haskins and Sells from 1979 to 1981. Worked in rural outreach for Billings Deaconess Hospitals, 1981 to 1983. Health care manager at LeMaster & Daniels accounting, 1983 to 1990. Health care manager at Pannel Kerr Forester accounting firm 1990 to 1991. Started a public accountant and consultant firm, Michael R Bell & Co., specializing in the health care industry, 1991 to 2010. Co-founder of Rural Health Clinic Association of Washington.
Family: Married. Has three adult children, three adult stepchildren and seven grandchildren.
Crystal Oliver
- Party:
- Democratic
- City:
- Spokane, WA
Education: Graduated from Ferris High School in Spokane. Earned associate degree in 2011 from Spokane Community College. Earned bachelor's in organizational management from Whitworth University in 2016.
Political experience: Has never held political office. Volunteered on Initiative 502 campaign to legalize marijuana and served as adviser for several state boards, including the State Liquor and Cannabis Board.
Work experience: Co-founder and president of Washington's Finest Cannabis. Has eight years experience as a sales and operations manager for an online marketing company and five years in restaurant management.
Family: Married. Has two children and two adult stepchildren.
Christine A. Ives
- Party:
- No party
- City:
- Omak, WA
Education: Attended White Shield High School in North Dakota, and Omak High School, graduating in 1990. Earned associate degree from Wenatchee Valley College in 1996. Earned an interdisciplinary studies bachelor's degree from Heritage University in Toppenish, Washington, in 1999.
Political experience: First run for office.
Work experience: Paralegal and spokesperson for the Colville Confederated Tribes Legal Office. Paralegal and spokesperson for Wynne Law Firm. Paralegal for Benjamin and Healey, LLC. Member of Colville Tribal Bar and Puyallup Tribal Bar.
Family: Single. Has one daughter.
Complete Coverage
It’s unclear which Democrat will face Joel Kretz for Northeast Washington House seat
Whatever blue wave was seen in other parts of the state, it doesn’t look ready to wipe out long-time Republican state Rep. Joel Kretz, who easily topped three challengers in the primary in the race for a 7th Legislative District house seat. Kretz racked up 63 percent of the vote, while the next two closest candidates, Democrats Mike Bell and Crystal Oliver, drew 16.9 and 15.6 percent of the vote respectively, making the second-place finisher too close to call Tuesday night.
Three candidates challenge Joel Kretz for Northeast Washington House seat
Two Democrats and one Independent are challenging 7th District Rep. Joel Kretz for his seat in the state House of Representatives. The Republican incumbent has gone largely unchallenged for more than a decade.
More candidates file for legislative office
First-time candidates file for Spokane-area legislative seats.
Ethics complaint dismissed against Rep. Joel Kretz for opposing WSU wolf research
A complaint against Rep. Joel Kretz for his opposition to a Washington State University researcher’s work on wolves was dismissed.