Long-serving incumbents challenged in 20th District

20th Legislative District, Position 1

Richard DeBolt

• Age: 48.

• City: Chehalis.

• Occupation: State representative, director of external relations for TransAlta.

• Party affiliation: Republican.

• Endorsements: Washington Fire Chiefs, Association of Washington Business, Lewis County Association of Realtors, Washington Federation of State Employees, Washington State Council of Fire Fighters.

• Total funds raised: $80,014.

• Campaign website: richarddebolt.com

Michael Savoca

• Age: 62.

• City: Rainier.

• Occupation: Retired, former tugboat deckhand, auto mechanic, security officer, correctional officer, mental health unit supervisor.

• Party affiliation: No party.

• Endorsements: Green Party of Washington.

• Total funds raised: None.

• Campaign website: michaelsavoca.com

20th Legislative District, Position 2

John Morgan

• Age: 51.

• City: Rochester.

• Occupation: Insurance agent, owner of John Morgan Trucking.

• Party affiliation: Republican.

• Endorsements: None.

• Total funds raised: $1,020.

• Campaign website: electjohnmorgan.com

Ed Orcutt

• Age: 51.

• City: Kalama.

• Occupation: State representative, consulting forester working with small timber owners.

• Party affiliation: Republican.

• Endorsements: Washington Restaurant Association, Washington Forest Protection Association, Microsoft, Kroger.

• Total funds raised: $96,505.

• Campaign website: repedorcutt.com

In the 20th Legislative District, voters have a choice between two long-serving Republican incumbents and two lesser-known challengers running notably modest campaigns.

For Position 1, Rep. Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, is running for his 10th two-year term. His independent challenger from Rainier, Michael Savoca, is running on a pledge to accept no campaign contributions from lobbyists, corporations and unions as a statement against the power of big money in politics.

While DeBolt has raised more than $80,000 to keep his seat, Savoca has raised nothing. In fact, Savoca has vowed to accept no contributions larger than $5 in his crusade for campaign finance reform.

“I cannot be bought because I don’t worship money nor power,” Savoca writes on his campaign website. “If elected I will give back half my legislator’s salary to a scholarship for students in the 20th Legislative District to go to a community or state college in Washington.”

DeBolt has held several high-ranking House positions, including serving as House Republican leader in 2004 and from 2006-13.

Running for Position 2 are six-term incumbent Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, and his challenger, John Morgan, a Republican from Rochester. While Orcutt has spent more than a dozen years in the Legislature, this is Morgan’s first legislative campaign.

So far, Orcutt has out-raised Morgan by more than $96,000.

Morgan, an insurance agent and trucking business owner, said he’s running to bring change to state government and to shed light on how state funds are spent. Orcutt, who works as a forester and forest management consultant, said his priorities include reining in government spending, supporting the creation of more family-wage jobs and making state agencies more responsive to the public.