Fewer and fewer new candidates filing for office in Spokane County as deadline approaches

The tap of new candidates entering elections this year is drying up, with relatively few people joining their respective races in the last two days and even fewer surprises. Friday is the last day for candidates to file with the Washington Secretary of State to appear on ballots later this year.

Spokane attorney and activist Natasha Hill, who also serves as interim editor of The Black Lens, announced her candidacy for state legislature in March and has now formally filed to run. She will face former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart and Republican Tony Kiepe, who has twice run unsuccessfully for Spokane City Council.

Spokane City Councilman Jonathan Bingle formally hopped into the crowded contest to represent Eastern Washington in Congress, joining eight other candidates who have filed and a handful more who have previously declared they would run.

Shocking no one, incumbent Senator Maria Cantwell has filed to run for re-election. Benny Garcia III, an Independent from Grandview, filed Thursday to challenge Rep. Dan Newhouse for his seat in Congress.

Three more people have joined the race to replace Gov. Jay Inslee, who is not seeking a fourth term, in what is likely to be the most crowded field in the state. Of the nineteen people who have filed for that office, Jennifer Hoover, a Republican, is the only one from Spokane. She filed Thursday.