In the 17th Legislative District, Rep. Paul Harris is running to succeed Sen. Lynda Wilson, a fellow Republican who is retiring.
That leaves his House Position 2 seat open. Harris, R-Vancouver, has held the seat since 2011.
Three hopefuls are campaigning to succeed him: Democrat Terri Niles of Vancouver, a politically active intensive care unit nurse; Republican David Stuebe, the mayor of Washougal; and Republican Hannah Joy of Carson, who has a background in Republican grassroots advocacy.
The newly redrawn district now runs from east Vancouver through to Underwood on the eastern edge of Skamania County.
Terri Niles
Niles, 66, is a familiar name in Clark County politics. She regularly speaks at Clark County Council meetings, and she served on the county Charter Review Commission in 2021.
She has more than 20 years of experience in intensive care units and five years in nursing administration. She is also a past vice president of AURN, the Oregon Nurses Association bargaining unit at Oregon Health & Science University.
“For over two and a half decades, I’ve served as an ICU nurse, and I’ve cherished every moment of my career,” she said during a Clark County League of Women Voters candidate forum Wednesday. “The privilege of saving lives and guiding families through the healing journey has deeply shaped me and made me who I am. Now, I aim to carry those values and my vast experience to Olympia, striving to continue to make a difference in people’s lives.”
She is running to address inflation, lower health care costs, and invest in energy solutions and independence, according to her website. She is also the only abortion-rights advocate in the race.
“My vision for our state is clear,” she said. “I envision a Washington where prosperity is inclusive, opportunities are accessible to all, and our economy fosters growth for every individual, not just a select few. I envision safe, livable cities, which means affordable housing, quality education and fully funded schools, high-paying jobs, affordable and accessible child care, roads in good repair and critical infrastructure, including broadband.”
Niles lost a 2022 bid for House Position 1 to Rep. Kevin Waters, R-Stevenson.
To learn more about Niles’ campaign, visit voteterriniles.com.
David Stuebe
Stuebe, 63, was appointed to the Washougal City Council in March 2021 and then elected and named mayor pro tem in November 2021. He was appointed mayor by the city council in September 2022.
A retired colonel, Stuebe served in U.S. Marine Corps — active duty and reserves — for 30 years. He conducted a variety of humanitarian projects, coalition training and combat operations around the world, in addition to holding several large commands. He has also worked in the pharmaceutical and health care industries for more than 20 years, holding leadership and management positions.
As mayor, Stuebe said, he gained experience bringing tax dollars from Olympia and Washington, D.C., back to Washougal. Now, he wants to use that experience to serve the entire 17th Legislative District.
“I have a lot of passion and concern about local politics, but also national politics on what’s going on right now and what we see down in Portland,” he said at Wednesday’s candidate forum. “I just want to do more. I’ve got time, I’m retired, and I’ve been in service my whole life, and so I just want to keep going with that and trying to help out our neighbors. I care about unity, community and bringing people together.”
Stuebe’s campaign will focus on public safety, affordable housing and the development of stronger communities in Southwest Washington, he said. If elected, he intends to remain mayor of Washougal.
To learn more about Stuebe’s campaign, visit electstuebe.com.
Hannah Joy
Joy, 39, has been involved in local politics for roughly six years. She serves as chair of the Developmental Disability Advisory Board serving Klickitat and Skamania counties. She’s the former state director of operations for Let’s Go Washington, the organization behind six Republican-backed citizen initiatives that appeared before the Legislature this year.
Three of those initiatives successfully became law; the other three will appear on the ballot in November.
She is a Skamania County Republican Central Committee member, and she currently serves as Region 3 representative on the executive board of the Washington State Republican Party. Additionally, Joy co-founded the Skamania Observer newspaper, which ceased publication last year.
She is running to curb wasteful government spending, improve forest-management practices, protect small businesses and alleviate homelessness, according to her website.
“I want to reduce the cost of living,” she said Thursday. “We need to be making sure that our economy is sustainable, that people can feed themselves and pursue good jobs. Things are so tight for families and individuals right now. … We have to stop over-taxing people.”
Though not yet fully versed on Stuebe’s policy positions, Joy said her campaign is “promoting smaller government” versus Stuebe’s “larger government model.”
“That’s really the crux of our differences,” she said.
Joy lost a 2022 bid for the Position 1 seat during the primary.
“Over the past two years, I’ve learned to listen more,” she said. “People feel that we’re divided, but we’re not. We come together in crisis, and we love and care for each other. I don’t believe in the great divide. The community is stronger than ever; we just need someone to encourage it. … People are willing to find creative solutions.”
To learn more about Joy’s campaign, visit hannahjoyforwa.com.
