Maycumber challenged by ‘constitutional conservative’ in Republican battle for northeastern Washington House seat

The Republican floor leader of the state House faces a challenge on the November ballot from the far right of her party.

Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber, of Republic, appears to be in a strong position heading into the November election. She won nearly 71% of the vote in the August primary for her seat, position 1 in Northeastern Washington’s 7th Legislative District. Her opponent, Lonny Ray Williams, tallied 29%. Maycumber raised nearly $230,000 for her campaign compared to about $9,000 for Williams.

Maycumber also has assembled wide backing from law enforcement groups like the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs; unions, including the Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council; and business and farming groups, including the Washington State Farm Bureau Political Action Committee and Washington Realtors.

Williams’ website shows that he’s been endorsed by a number of patriot groups as well as state Rep. Bob McCaslin, a Spokane Valley Republican who is giving up his seat in the Legislature to run for Spokane County auditor.

The 7th District covers much of northeastern Washington, including part of northern Spokane County and part of Okanogan County as well as Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties.

Williams owns a pig farm near Republic and is the editor of the Pamphlet, billed as a monthly publication “about our true history and how it applies today.”

The Pamphlet is a mix of history lessons, canning recipes, information on how to raise food and calls for patriots to stand up for freedom. In articles for the publication, Williams often writes that the government is tyrannical and that patriots need to stand up against it. “Many of us are now branded as terrorists by some in government,” he wrote in Volume 2, Issue 1. “By taking the same position as our Founding fathers, our own government has branded us as traitors.”

A recent issue criticized the United States for backing Ukraine against Russia and warned that the federal government was “going rogue” and “more hostile and militant towards its citizens.”

The Pamphlet often engages in conspiracy theories.

For instance, Williams, who uses the name Wade John Taylor when writing for the Pamphlet, blames the United States and “the Coup of Ukraine in 2014” for the current invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

“They intentionally provoked and drew Russia into war this year to cover the planned economic collapse of the western system,” he wrote in Volume 2, Issue 7. He goes on to write that he is no friend of Russia but “Russia now stands for more freedom than that of my own government.”

In his most recent issue, Williams warns that this winter will be “Biblical” and advises his readers to raise rabbits for meat and create stockpiles of food. “Society will not end this winter, large sections of collapse will happen, but the show will go on,” he wrote.

Williams said he decided to run because politics have become too divisive and no one is paying attention to the problems that need to be solved.

“That’s what makes me disgusted,” he said. “That’s why I stood up. We all need to wake up and grow up.”

A key issue for Williams is education. Test scores have been dropping despite extra money being spent on education, he said. He believes students aren’t being taught critical thinking skills and that if parents decide to home-school their children or send them to private school, the state should pay the parents or the private school the same amount of money that would be allocated for the child if he or she attended public school.

When one of his daughters was a teenager, she was getting good grades but didn’t understand what she was being taught, Williams said.

“We pulled our daughter out of school because of the things she was being taught,” he said. “We had her tested and she was three grades behind.”

Home school has been a success for his daughter, who is now 17. “Our daughter is now a self-learning machine,” he said.

Maycumber, who owns a cattle ranch and grows alfalfa and grain, has held her seat since she was appointed to the position in 2017 to replace her former boss, Shelly Short. Maycumber had worked as Short’s legislative aide since 2009.

She said she believes the top issues in the district are the cost of living and crime. “I hear a lot about crime,” she said. “You’re seeing it everywhere now.”

She believes the rise in property crime and drug use is caused by the 2021 State Supreme Court case known as the Blake Decision, which ruled that the state’s felony drug possession law was unconstitutional. “That’s been one of the biggest issues I’m hearing from people,” she said.

One of her goals is also to increase the amount of money available for community-oriented policing, which requires a higher number of police officers per capita. She also wants to amend a recent police reform law that limited when police can pursue a vehicle.

Williams said he attended a rally in Olympia last fall to show his support for doctors and nurses who were fired after refusing a COVID vaccine. He said he asked Maycumber what she was going to do about it and she said nothing.

“That shocked me,” he said. “Their rights are being violated. We need leadership in those moments. We need to stand up for people’s rights.”

He is a self-described constitutional conservative. “I’ve learned from researching our Founding Fathers that we don’t know our history,” he said. “I don’t believe in legislating morality. It’s not right for one person to say this is right, this is wrong.”

Williams said he knows he’s going up against the establishment.

“I believe in the party of Reagan, but I don’t think that exists anymore,” he said. “We have a Liz Cheney party of corruption. We must protest in some way. It’s coming from both establishments. The vast majority of us are in the middle.”

In the last two years, Maycumber said she worked to pass a bill that provides equitable access to credit, particularly in rural areas.

“My tribal communities use these programs to boost tribal entrepreneurship,” she said.

She also sponsored a bill with the original goal to cap the price of insulin. An insulin work group was created to study the issue.

“We do need the conversation on why certain drugs have increased,” she said.

Neither candidate responded when asked after their interview to explain their view on the state’s abortion laws in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned. However, both addressed the issue in surveys sent out by We Believe, We Vote, which asked a series of questions relating to religion.

In a written comment, Williams said, “Life begins at conception. Full stop. Anything less is murder in my opinion and I will seek to protect the lives of all those who cannot protect themselves.”

Maycumber did not submit a written comment to the survey, but indicated that she “strongly agreed” that the state’s Reproductive Privacy Rights Act should be challenged or repealed. The law allows women to make reproductive health care decisions, including abortion.

Williams said he rebuilt his life after suffering a stroke in 2008 and he’ll bring that determination to the 7th District.

“I will not quit,” he said. “I’m not going to accept that this is the best that we can do for you and your family. I want to represent the individual people. The common people need help.”

Maycumber said she wants to be a voice for and fight for the district.

“I’m from the 7th District,” she said. “I grew up here. I’m raising my children here. I’m just honored to be a part of that, to be a part of the community. I want to make sure my children have the same opportunities I did.”