Spokane County filing week kicks of with three surprise candidates, but few bombshells

Filing week, the five-day window when politicians have to fill out paperwork to appear on the August primary ballot, got off to an unsurprising start Monday.

In Spokane County, nearly all of the candidates who filed already had announced their candidacies.

At the federal level, two Democrats filed to run against Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Ann Marie Danimus owns a Spokane Valley marketing firm, while Natasha Hill is a local attorney.

Four candidates filed to run for Secretary of State. Democratic incumbent Steve Hobbs, who was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee last year to replace Republican Kim Wyman, will look to fend off Republicans Bob Hagglund and Keith Wagoner, as well as Julie Anderson, who didn’t list a party preference.

Spokane County’s three commissioners will vie for another term. Republicans Al French, Mary Kuney and Josh Kerns filed Monday.

Republican Don Harmon filed to run for commissioner against French. Harmon is a 76-year-old who served as Airway Heights’ mayor from 1994 to 1998.

Spokane City Councilman Michael Cathcart, a Republican, and former Spokane City Councilwoman Amber Waldref, a Democrat, formalized their runs for District 2, which covers east Spokane.

Multiple Republican, incumbent Spokane County elected officials filed Monday. Prosecutor Larry Haskell, Treasurer Michael Baumgartner, Assessor Tom Konis and Clerk Tim Fitzgerald all hope to stay in county leadership.

In Legislative District 3, incumbent Spokane Democrats Marcus Riccelli and Timm Ormsby – who both formally filed on Monday – have challengers.

Republican Scotty Nicol, who most recently worked as a legislative assistant for Spokane City Councilwoman Karen Stratton and has also been an assistant to Mayor Nadine Woodward and City Administrator Johnnie Perkins, filed to run against Riccelli. Patrick Spurlock, a formerly incarcerated man who grew up in Compton, California, filed to run against Ormsby without a party affiliation.

In the 4th Legislative District, Liberty Lake Republican Rep. Rob Chase hopes to retain his seat. Republican Suzanne Schmidt filed and hopes to take over the position Spokane Valley Republican Rep. Bob McCaslin will leave at the end of the year.

Republican incumbents Rep. Mike Volz and Sen. Jeff Holy, both of Spokane, filed to run for election in the 6th Legislative District.

All three incumbents in the 7th Legislative District filed on opening day: Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber (R-Republic), Rep. Joel Kretz (R-Wauconda) and Sen. Shelly Short (R-Addy).