An ad targeting Republican Jesse Young’s 2019 bill to abolish abortion in Washington state hit TV screens in the Gig Harbor area Tuesday.
The New Direction PAC, a political action committee, launched the $425,000 ad campaign in the most expensive House race in Washington state.
Young and Democrat Adison Richards are vying for a House seat to represent the 26th Legislative District in Olympia.
“It is an opportunity for Democrats to pick up a seat that Republicans have held for a while,” New Direction PAC spokesperson Jared Leopold told The News Tribune on Tuesday. The PAC’s website says it fights “for economic security, social justice, environmental protection, and personal freedoms.”
The 26th District includes Gig Harbor, the Key Peninsula and stretches into Kitsap County, up to Bremerton.
The ad will run across the district in Pierce and Kitsap counties on cable systems and on digital platforms, such as on YouTube.
The 26th is one of the few swing districts in the state.
“This is one of the biggest battle grounds in Washington state,” Leopold said. “This is a pretty sharp choice between a Democrat that will lead the state forward versus an extreme Republican in Jesse Young.”
Young previously held the seat, then left to run for state Senate in 2022. He lost that race to incumbent Sen. Emily Randall (D-Bremerton).
Richards and Republican Spencer Hutchins vied for the House seat in 2022, and voters elected Hutchins. Hutchins announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t seek reelection.
Now, Richards is running against Young, who is trying to win back his old seat.
Asked for comment about the ad, Young’s campaign told The News Tribune in a statement Tuesday: “Jesse Young is pro-life, and believes in giving all life a chance to thrive and be loved. Voters know Rep. Young to be a caring family man who offers his experience to help families afford to feed their kids, put gas in the car, and pay for their home.”
The statement went on to say: “Voter’s in the 26th District are smart, engaged, and won’t be fooled or distracted by these corporate sponsored, negative ads. Jesse is the leader voters know they can trust to reduce taxes, stop this crippling inflation, and help grow the economy so that they can thrive in their own lives.”
What does the ad say?
The ad starts out by saying: “Jesse Young’s views on abortion are extreme and dangerous. When he was in the Legislature, Young sponsored a bill that would put rape victims in jail for choosing an abortion, and he voted against requiring insurance to cover birth control.”
New Direction PAC said in a news release that that refers to a bill Young sponsored with three other Republican legislators in 2019 to abolish abortion, and to Young’s vote in 2018 against a bill that would require insurance companies to cover contraception. The 2018 bill passed with bipartisan support.
The News Tribune reported that the 2019 bill never got a committee hearing.
Leopold called it: “one of the most extreme pieces of abortion legislation in Washington state history.”
Part of the ad says that: “Young even wants to arrest doctors and nurses who perform abortions and charge them with murder. Young’s views on abortion are so extreme that 90% of his fellow Republicans wouldn’t sign on.”
It ends by telling viewers: “Roe v. Wade is gone. Our freedom is at risk. We can’t go back to Jesse Young.”
Asked for comment about the ad, Richards sent The News Tribune a statement Tuesday.
“I’m surprised by the New Direction spending as it is not affiliated with my campaign,” he said. “While there’s too much money in our politics, I’m also not surprised that groups are highlighting the dangerous policies Jesse has supported; policies that we see place women at risk across the country, put politics above health care needs, and lead to more burdens on Washington’s health care system.”
Richards’ campaign website says: “Government shouldn’t be involved in our most personal decisions, whether that is reproductive freedom, who we love, or who we are. This also means ensuring that access to reproductive healthcare isn’t limited by high costs or availability. I’ll always stand up to those trying to take away our rights, both nationally and here in Washington.”
Most expensive House race in the state
Leopold told The News Tribune the race is the most expensive House race in the state, and that the ad is the “biggest single expenditure by anyone in a Washington state House race this year.”
State Public Disclosure Commission records show Richards has raised $438,297 and spent $381,495. There has been $90 in independent expenditures for him and $3,555 against him.
Young has raised $244,623, spent $211,051, and there has been $4,102 in independent expenditures for him and $160,536 against him. About $142,295 of those expenditures against him were made by New Direction PAC.
The $425,000 ad campaign didn’t appear in PDC records as of Wednesday afternoon. The PDC website says such independent expenditures at this point during election season must be reported “within 24 hours of, or on the first working day after” the ad runs.
