Ellen Dennis

Current Position: statehouse reporter

Ellen Dennis came to The Spokesman-Review in June 2023. She is the legislative reporter in our Olympia Bureau covering Washington state legislature. Ellen previously worked as the public safety reporter for the Everett Herald.

Email: ellend@spokesman.com
Phone: (206) 486-5723

Most Recent Stories

News > WA Government

Ballots are are arriving for Washington’s primary elections. Here are the top contenders for governor

Sun., July 21, 2024

Ballots dropped Friday for the Aug. 6 state primary elections. This year marks the first incumbent-free contest for governor since Jay Inslee was elected in 2012, barely beating out his Republican opponent Rob McKenna by a 3% margin of the vote.

News

Washington state will soon elect a new lands commissioner in the midst of a climate crisis. Here’s who’s running for office.

UPDATED: Wed., July 17, 2024

As longer, hotter summers continue to light the state’s forests on fire and climate change sparks debates over how best to power the state, Washington state’s next Commissioner of Public Lands will have a lot on their plate.

News > Local government

WSU professor says assassination attempt is stark reminder that heated political rhetoric must cool

UPDATED: Sat., July 13, 2024

Saturday’s alleged assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump could be a moment of unity, for partisan politicians to ease back toward civility. Or it could just make things worse, said Cornell Clayton, director of the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University.

News > Local government

Washington, Spokane-area political leaders react to ‘horrendous’ shooting at Trump rally that injured former president

UPDATED: Sat., July 13, 2024

As news broke that former U.S. President Donald Trump had reportedly suffered a gunshot wound from an assassination attempt at a campaign rally Saturday afternoon, local political figures expressed shock and outrage.

News > WA Government

Washington will soon elect a new insurance commissioner for the first time in decades. Here’s a look at who’s running and why you should care:

UPDATED: Sat., July 20, 2024

For the first time in 24 years, Washington State’s insurance commissioner will not seek re-election, leaving the statewide race to take his place incumbent-free.

News > Nation

An ‘unmitigated disaster’: Local political experts weigh in on first Trump-Biden debate

UPDATED: Thu., June 27, 2024

U.S. President Joe Biden stumbled over his words repeatedly in his first presidential debate with former President Donald Trump leading up to the November election, and the Republican frontrunner responded to Biden’s verbal attacks with lies about his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection along with fibs about the economy.

News > WA Government

At state convention, Washington Democrats narrowly reject proposal to block nuclear power

UPDATED: Tue., June 25, 2024

On the third and final day of the convention, delegates filed into a big event room at the Meydenbauer Center and spent roughly eight hours going through party business. In that time, the group voted on a handful of resolutions. The group narrowly rejected two resolutions stating that nuclear energy is “not the solution to climate change,” and that the state should not use funding for clean energy to support construction or expansion of small modular nuclear reactors.

News > WA Government

At state convention, Washington Democrats pass cease-fire resolution after pro-Gaza protesters show up

UPDATED: Tue., June 25, 2024

The three-day event, which drew a crowd of more than 700 delegates and politicians, took place east of Seattle in nearby Bellevue at a convention center.

News > WA Government

Washington gubernatorial hopeful, other candidates left off speaking bill at this year’s state Democratic convention

UPDATED: Sat., June 22, 2024

Organizers of the three-day event at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue appeared to have designed the lineup of speakers in a way that would mask any divisions in party ranks. Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Mark Mullet, a state senator from Issaquah, wasn’t invited to speak at the event, so he chose to skip it all together. Also not invited to speak were state attorney general candidates Nick Brown, a former U.S. attorney, and state Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, along with state lands commissioner hopefuls Dave Upthegrove, a member of the King County Council, and state Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Lake Sutherland.