| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Rob Chase (R) | 52,902 | 63.65% |
| Ted Cummings (D) | 30,208 | 36.35% |
* 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.
Education: Graduated from Kellogg High School in 1972. Graduated from Eastern Washington University in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, operations management.
Work experience: Is semiretired, but has recently worked as a U.S. Census Bureau enumerator and security guard for Phoenix Protective Corps in Spokane Valley. Worked as an expeditor with Haakon Industries based in Cheney from 2006 to 2007. Held mortgage origination and real estate licenses. Served in U.S. Army Reserves from 1972-1978. Now volunteers with Spokane Fatherhood Initiative.
Political experience: Elected as a state representative in 2020. Served one term and lost his re-election bid in 2022. Elected Spokane County treasurer in 2010 and 2014. Republican Party precinct committee officer. Ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2000, U.S. House in 2002, Spokane County commissioner in 2012 and 2018, and Spokane Valley City Council in 2023. Served as Eastern Washington coordinator for Ron Paul for President in 2008 and 2012, and Eastern Washington coordinator for Clint Didier’s 2010 Senate campaign.
Family: Married to Chris Chase and has four children.
Campaign contributions: Has raised more than $16,700 as of Oct. 2, including a $400 loan to himself. Notable donors include the Spokane Home Builders Association; outgoing state Sen. Mike Padden and his wife, Spokane Valley City Councilwoman Laura Padden; Spokane County GOP Chair MJ Bolt; Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley; Spokane Valley Councilman Rod Higgins; the Idaho Free Enterprise Institute; Mary Moldenhauer, widow of esteemed musicologist Hans Moldenhauer; and Duane Alton, a prolific donor to conservative politicians and causes who founded Alton’s Tires.
Education: Graduated from Gonzaga Preparatory School in 1979. Earned an associate degree from Spokane Community College in 1997.
Work experience: Worked at Kaiser Aluminum’s Mead smelter from 1988 until a strike and lockout in 1998. Worked as a supervisor for Alcoa Aluminum in New York from 1998 to 2004. Returned to Kaiser in 2004 at the company’s Trentwood plant. Has served as a vice president for the Washington State Labor Council since 2018.
Political experience: Ran for U.S. Senate in 2016. Ran for state representative in the 4th Legislative District against Matt Shea in 2018. Ran for Spokane County commissioner against Josh Kerns in 2020. Ran for state House Position 1 in the 4th Legislative District in 2022.
Family: Married to Denise Cummings. Has two adult sons and one granddaughter.
Campaign contributions: Opted for mini-filer path, meaning he does not need to report donations or expenditures as long as totals remain below $7,000.
OLYMPIA – Monday’s start of Washington’s 105-day legislative session also marked a new beginning for several Spokane-area lawmakers.
Spokane and Spokane Valley voters helped the candidates favored to win in each of their respective state House and state Senate races breathe a sigh of relief Tuesday.
Spokesman-Review reporter Nick Gibson and 4th legislative district candidate Rob Chase, who previously served in the Legislature and as Spokane County Treasurer from 2010 to 2018, join the Candidate Conversations podcast to talk about Chase’s goals and the challenges presented against his beliefs. (This video contains Chase’s opinions about the use of ivermectin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stressed that clinical trials “do not demonstrate that ivermectin is effective against COVID 19 in humans.” Further, the FDA says using ivermectin to treat COVID can be harmful and that it has received reports of patients who needed hospitalization “after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for animals.”)
It’s hard to imagine a pair of candidates more diametrically opposed than the two men vying for an open representative seat in eastern Spokane County.
Crowded fields or not, Spokane and Spokane Valley voters turned their state Legislature races into three-person heats with only two spots to secure in November’s general election.
It’s still unclear who Spokane and Spokane Valley voters will choose this November to represent them in the Washington State Legislature.
Voters have narrowed the crowded field of candidates vying for the three state Legislature positions representing Spokane Valley, but two races are still too close to call.
A half dozen seasoned politicians and first-time candidates are vying to represent Spokane Valley and much of eastern Spokane County in the state Legislature, after the incumbent left the seat wide open.
Candidate filing week has come to a close, bringing with it a few surprise last-minute candidates jumping into crowded and highly competitive races.
Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley is hoping to win a second public office.
Arne Woodard, the longest serving city councilman in Spokane Valley’s brief history, lost to Al Merkel by 30 percentage points.
