Clark County legislative candidates secure more endorsements

There are about six weeks left until the primary election, and legislative candidates from Clark County are busy trying to bring in more campaign endorsements.

Eileen Qutub, a Republican running for state senator of the 49th District, announced that she has been endorsed by former state Sen. Don Carlson, a Republican defeated by current Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver.

Monica Stonier, a Democrat who is running for the Position 1 House seat in the 17th District, was endorsed by the Washington Education Association, according to Stonier’s Facebook page. The WEA is Washington’s teachers union.

Liz Pike, a Republican running for the Position 2 House seat in the 18th District, was endorsed recently by the Clark County Republican Party, gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna, former state Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, and Republican state Reps. Ed Orcutt, Ann Rivers and Paul Harris.

Pike also was endorsed by a political action committee called the Washington State Farm Bureau, and by the Building Industry Association of Clark County.

That building industry group also endorsed the following Republican candidates: Julie Olson, who is running for the Position 1 House seat in the 17th District; Harris, who is running for re-election to his Position 2 House seat; 17th District Sen. Don Benton, who is running for re-election; Rivers, who is running for the 18th District Senate seat; and Brandon Vick, who is running for the Position 1 House seat in the 18th District.

Building Industry Association president Ryan Zygar said his group endorses candidates who support local business.

“Crippling new storm water regulations and ever increasing L&I costs continue to hurt an already struggling sector of Clark County business,” Zygar said in a news release announcing the group’s endorsements. “We are taking an active role in this year’s elections in order to improve the business climate not only in Clark County, but also statewide.”

And those are just the new endorsements I’ve received from candidates, or endorsements I’ve happened across on the candidates’ websites or social media sites. I’ve also written posts on previous endorsements made.

Have you heard of any other candidate endorsements? Let me know.

Stevie Mathieu: 360-735-4523 or stevie.mathieu@columbian.com or www.facebook.com/reportermathieu or www.twitter.com/col_politics