14th District races offer mix of familiar, ‘new’ faces

Michael Scott Brumback

Age: 53.

City: Yakima.

Occupation: Attorney, Army Reserve officer.

Party affiliation: Republican.

Endorsements: Republican Liberty Caucus of Washington.

Total funds raised: $17,614.

Campaign website: kcrp.net/michael-scott-brumback-candidate-state-representative

Norm Johnson

Age: 76.

City: Yakima.

Occupation: Representative, retired teacher, counselor and principal with Toppenish School District.

Party affiliation: Republican.

Endorsements: Association of Washington Business, Washington Farm Bureau, Building Industry Association of Washington, Associated General Contractors of Washington.

Total funds raised: $67,042.

Campaign website: houserepublicans.wa.gov/norm-johnson

Paul George

Age: 84.

City: Yakima.

Occupation: Retired, Washington horse racing commissioner.

Party affiliation: Democrat.

Endorsements: Yakima County Democratic Central Committee, Yakima South Central Counties Central Labor Council, Teamsters Local 760, Klickitat County Democrats, Skamania County Democrats.

Total funds raised: $7,434.

Campaign website: None.

Gina McCabe

Age: 51.

City: Goldendale.

Occupation: Owner of several family businesses.

Party affiliation: Republican.

Endorsements: Former Congressman Sid Morrison, state senators Curtis King and Jim Honeyford, Rep. Norm Johnson.

Total funds raised: $82,661.

Campaign website: electginamccabe.com

This year’s races for the 14th District feature two newcomers to legislative campaigns and a couple of familiar faces.

The district covers a large section of Central Washington, including Klickitat, Skamania and western Yakima counties. A rural portion of east Clark County also lies within the boundaries.

For the Position 1 seat, incumbent Rep. Norm Johnson, a three-term Republican from Yakima, is facing off against Michael Scott Brumback, a Yakima attorney who waged a late but successful write-in campaign during the primary. Johnson retired from a career in education in 1997 after five years as the principal of Eagle High School in Toppenish.

Johnson has served in the Legislature since 2009; he sits on the Joint Legislative Executive Committee on Aging and Disability.

Brumback is running as a Republican, though no party preference is listed next to his name on the ballot. If the name sounds familiar, you may remember Brumback as Johnson’s challenger in 2010 when he ran an unsuccessful campaign as a Democrat.

Brumback said he decided to join the race this year with hopes of cutting down spending, taxes and regulations at the state level. Brumback also said he plans to fight any efforts to ramp up restrictions on gun ownership.

In the race for Position 2, Republican Gina McCabe is facing off against Democrat Paul George. Neither has run for the Legislature before.

McCabe, a businesswoman from Goldendale, took a strong 15 percent lead over George in the primary.

George, a former Yakima mayor and city councilor, is vying to become the first Democrat to win a seat in the district since 1995. If he succeeds, the 84-year-old would become one of the oldest people to ever join the Legislature.

McCabe said she wants to cut down on state spending and encourage the government to live within its means over for the long term. Aside from fiscal issues, McCabe said ensuring veterans get proper care is among her top priorities.

Taking a vastly different path, George said he would put his time in the Legislature into restoring public works funding, protecting public pensions and passing a comprehensive transportation budget. Adapting to climate change and protecting voting rights are also among his top concerns, he said.