New and Familiar Candidates Join Contest for 26th LD Election

Former state representative Jesse Young (R-Gig Harbor) and newcomer Josh Smith (I-Gig Harbor) announced candidacies to compete in the 26th Legislative District for Positions 1 and 2, respectively. They join Jim Henderson (R-Gig Harbor), who entered the race for Position 1 March 12.

Young entered the race March 16 to reclaim the seat he held from 2014-23 before leaving it to unsuccessfully run against incumbent Sen. Emily Randall (D-Bremerton). He was endorsed by the 26th Legislative District Republican Party March 19.

Spencer Hutchins (R-Gig Harbor) won Young’s House seat (Position 1) in the 2022 election against Adison Richards (D-Bremerton) by less than 1% of the vote.

Richards was already running for the seat again when Rep. Hutchins announced he would not seek a second term Feb. 7, after which Henderson and Young entered the race to face him.

Smith is running against incumbent Rep. Michelle Caldier (R-Port Orchard), who was first elected in 2014, for Position 2.

Rep. Caldier remains under investigation by her caucus in the Legislature for alleged unprofessional conduct toward staff, an echo of charges Young faced when he was in office in 2017. His contact with staff was afterward limited by party leadership.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include Jim Henderson's candidacy. We regret the omission in the May print edition.