Two candidates with staunchly opposing views are battling for Republican Ann Rivers’ long-held District 18 state Senate seat after new boundaries made the district a wild card this election.
Republican Brad Benton — a son of former state Sen. Don Benton, who later became a Donald Trump appointee — faces off against Democrat Adrian Cortes, a Camas High School special education teacher, Battle Ground City Council member and former Battle Ground mayor.
The campaigns have been riddled with attack ads, some paid for by the campaigns and others by political action committees.
Both candidates have run unsuccessful campaigns previously in the district, which now includes parts of Vancouver, Battle Ground, Ridgefield, La Center and unincorporated Clark County.
Although they disagree on many issues — including reproductive rights, transportation and taxes — both are concerned about the rising cost of living.
Adrian Cortes
Cortes, 48, grew up in a conservative Hispanic household in Battle Ground, inspiring him to run for the 18th District House seat as a Republican in 2012.
Cortes said he rethought his political alliances after a high-ranking Republican told him during his race that the 18th District wasn’t ready for “someone with a funny-sounding last name.”
“I’ll never forget. I was completely shell-shocked,” he said. “I thought, ‘This isn’t the party for me.’”
Cortes became a Battle Ground city councilor in 2012 and served as mayor from 2020 to 2021, during which time he passed an income tax ban, cut utility taxes and navigated a budget during the pandemic.
He was also subject to protests in front of his home and at his daughter’s soccer game for resisting a “medical freedom” ordinance that would have prohibited vaccine mandates for city employees, he said.
“That prepared me for the very vile, very harsh smear campaigns that they run when you’re running for a state seat,” he said.
Cortes wants to serve on the Senate Local Government, Land Use and Tribal Affairs committees if he is elected.
He said he would prioritize education, and he hopes to propose a constitutional amendment allowing communities to pass school bonds by a simple majority instead of a 60 percent supermajority.
Access to affordable child care, lowering the cost of living by cutting taxes and protecting reproductive health care are also priorities, he said.
Although housing affordability is one of the priorities listed on his website, Cortes said he would not support a statewide rent-stabilization bill if elected. Last session, efforts to pass bills limiting rent increases in Washington to 15 percent or lower made national headlines. However, those efforts died in the Senate.
Cortes said the state needs to allow reasonable rent increases if landlords can show they’ve been impacted by rising costs. But he’s aware that rent gouging is an issue.
“I think we need to put the brakes on and pass intelligent rent stabilization and targeted rent stabilization, not just blanket rent stabilization,” he said.
Cortes supports the project to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge, but he believes tolls should be the last consideration and smallest contributor to funding the new span. There should be a program to subsidize tolls for low-income households, he said.
Cortes, a former chairman of C-Tran’s board of directors, is supportive of a bus rapid transit system on the new bridge instead of light rail, which would be more expensive, he said.
As of Friday, Cortes had raised $423,272 and spent $320,284, according to the Public Disclosure Commission.
Cortes is endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, the Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, and eight former and current Washington legislators.
Brad Benton
Benton, 29, grew up in Brush Prairie, also in a conservative household. His Republican father represented the 17th Legislative District in the Washington Senate from 1997 to 2017 before Trump appointed him as director of the Selective Service System.
Brad Benton’s opponents criticize his lack of political experience, although he previously interned for U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington’s 5th Congressional District.
“Everybody has to start somewhere,” he said.
He began his career as an auditor for Moss Adams, a public accounting firm, and now works in sales at UniFirst in Portland, which supplies uniforms, work wear and facility service.
Benton ran for state representative in the 18th District in 2022 but lost to Republican Greg Cheney, whom Benton edged out the current Senate race in the August primary.
Benton criticizes unnecessary government spending. His campaign has centered around his promise to never vote for a new tax or increase taxes.
Washington’s budget has nearly doubled in the past decade, leading Benton to believe there is room for cuts. He pointed to the $3.98 billion project to electrify the Washington State Ferries fleet by 2040.
“I don’t think that’s a good or an effective use of taxpayer dollars,” he said.
In Washington, passing a budget requires only a simple majority vote in the House of Representatives and Senate, both currently controlled by Democrats.
Benton said he supports adequately funding law enforcement while still holding officers accountable.
If elected, he wants to serve on the Senate Transportation Committee. He’s against the I-5 Bridge replacement, which would be detrimental to Southwest Washington for the next 10 to 15 years because it would limit bridge capacity, he said. He advocates for building a third bridge.
Benton is also against tolls and light rail, which he’s said would become a “one-way homelessness superhighway” and be too expensive.
Benton’s father, who is credited with helping kill the I-5 Bridge replacement project in 2013, largely shares the same views. Benton said attack ads against his campaign have referenced his father’s voting record.
“My dad has been out of Washington state politics,” he said. “He hasn’t been in the Legislature for eight years, so there’s no reason to drag him into this and put him on nasty TV commercials. This is about me.”
Benton has said one of the major differences between himself and Cortes is that he is “100 percent pro-life.” He’s undecided whether he would support a statewide abortion ban, he said.
As of Friday, Benton had raised $154,626 and spent $64,117.
Benton is endorsed by the Vancouver Police Officers Guild, the Washington Council of Police & Sheriffs, the Clark County Deputy Sheriff’s Guild, four Battle Ground City Councilors and Stephanie McClintock, 18th District state representative.
Election Day is Nov. 5. For ballot drop box information, visit clark.wa.gov/elections.
