SNOHOMISH — Snohomish Mayor John Kartak has filed to run for a state house seat in the 44th Legislative District against incumbent state Rep. John Lovick, who’s already filed to retain his seat.
Kartak is a Republican; Lovick is a Democrat.
Election filing week concluded Friday, May 15.
Kartak said in a text message Thursday that he jumped into the race after a call from a City Council member in a nearby city sparked his interest to run.
“The phone call I received that soon set my campaign in motion was from a neighboring city council member who said that somebody has got to begin representing our Legislative District with some balance,” Kartak wrote from his personal cell phone. “That initial call sparked more calls and conversations with other council members in the district. After much thought and prayer, I only decided less than a week ago to do this. And with much excitement, I am fully committed to running a good race with Representative Lovick and intend to win.”
It’s a no-risk shot for Kartak. He comes up for re-election for Snohomish Mayor in 2021.
The 44th District covers Snohomish, Mill Creek, Bothell and Lake Stevens.
A day after Kartak announced his candidacy, Lovick’s campaign listed that five Snohomish City Council members have endorsed him — all except conservative-leaning City Councilmen Steve Dana and Larry Countryman.
Two years ago, Lovick swamped challenger Jeff Sax. In 2016, he beat challenger Janice Huxford.
Other races
The other state house seat in the 44th will see a primary runoff in August. Democrats April Berg and Anne Anderson will be challenging Republican Mark James, a Marysville Councilmember.
Berg is currently an Everett School Board member. Anderson is the executive director of Victim Support Services, a county nonprofit.
Jared Mead will be vacating this seat. He was appointed to the Snohomish County Council earlier this year and is serving as both a county councilman and state representative.
In the 39th, which includes Monroe, incumbent state Rep. Robert Sutherland, a Republican, is being challenged by Democrat Claus Joens; in 2018, Joens ran for state Senator.
State Sen. Keith Wagoner, a Republican, has a challenger in Kathryn A. Lewandowsky, who lists as being in the Washington Progressive party.
State Rep. Carolyn Eslick. a Republican, is being challenged by fellow Republican Sandy Mesenbrink and Democrat Ryan Johnson.
In Everett, Democrat June Robinson is the incumbent for the state Senator’s seat after she was appointed this month to replace retiring Sen. John McCoy. She’ll face Democrat Kelly M. Fox and Republican Bernard Moody in an August primary.
Democrat Emily Wicks was appointed to Robinson’s state representative seat. Wicks is running for election in a field of five candidates: Democrats Lacey Sauvageau and Bruce Overstreet, Libertarian Jorge Garrido and Republican Bert Johnson.
Incumbent state Rep. Mike Sells, a Democrat, has Libertarian David Wiley as his challenger.
