Opinion: Corry, Dufault is the logical choice in District 15

Two open House seats in Washington’s recently redrawn 15th Legislative District pit a pair of relative newcomers against two candidates with practical political experience.

Whether you agree with them on specific points or not, Chris Corry and Jeremy Dufault are running on a proven track record at Olympia. Their respective contenders, Chase Foster and Rich Bright, offer some bold ideas but have never held elected office.

In politics, lack of experience does not necessarily disqualify anyone. This country was founded on some pretty idealistic principles put forward by some people who didn’t have degrees in political science and didn’t run for office. And so far, their idea of founding a nation on individual liberties and governments elected and controlled by the public—a democracy—still holds.

We’re not sure how the Founding Fathers would have handled some of the key issues facing the 15th District — water availability, affordable housing, farm overtime, school funding, and open government — but YH-R has discussed them for a long time with all four candidates.

Here are our thoughts on the voters’ choice in the 15th:

District 15 House Position 1Corry is the incumbent, serving in the Legislature since 2019. Republican Zillah was elected in District 14 before the 2020 census, and legal challenges led to redrawing the borders of some districts. Corry’s two-year term in the 14th expires in January, and his seat now places him in the 15th, which stretches from northern Yakima County to Prosser and parts of Benton County.

His opponent, Chase Foster of Zillah, is not affiliated with any political party. His experience includes serving as a commissioner for the Kennewick Housing Authority and a number of volunteer jobs.

During his time at Olympia, Corrie has consistently worked on every page, and while we certainly don’t agree with all of his positions, he has earned our respect for his thoughtful approach to most issues. His answers to questions are generally balanced and informed

On the other hand, if elected, Foster will be an unproven freshman legislator with no party support from either side, and we suspect he’ll have a tough climb to accomplish anything significant. Like it or not, the two-party system is unlikely to disappear anytime soon, leaving Foster — and the people he represents — living on an isolated political island for the next two years.

While these two candidates clearly disagree overall, their views are fairly parallel, so we don’t see any compelling reason to change course — especially given the potential obstacles Foster could face.

We support Chris Corrie.

District 15 Building Position 2The redistricting forced the resignation of Dufault, who represented the 14th District from 2018-2022, as the new lines cut Sela’s Republicans out of the district. Now a former deputy of the Selakh City Council hopes to return to the legislature, running in the 15th.

Not if Selah’s fellow Republican, Rich Bright, has anything to say about it. The retired U.S. Army volunteer has volunteered for the Selah School District and the Central Washington Agricultural Museum, but he’s dismissive of Dufault’s Harvard Law School degree.

“What do I need sheepskin for my future career?” Bright asked in an email to the YH-R editorial board.

However, Dufault offered us balanced answers to specific questions.

“I’m not going to say anything negative about my opponent, but I’m happy to talk about my background and qualifications,” he said in an email.

We’re not here to debate the merits of higher education—of course, people without degrees can succeed in careers and leadership in the community—but when it comes to running a country, we place a high value on knowledge and diplomacy.

During Dufault’s previous tenure in office, he had shown himself to be a sensitive, thoughtful and articulate public servant. We didn’t agree with all of his positions then, and we don’t now, but we at least believe he gave them serious thought.

While Bright’s blunt candor makes his views clear, we doubt it will play well with much of the rest of the state. And it could hamper his ability to cooperate on important regional issues in a legislature that is likely to remain under Democratic control.

We support Jeremy Dufault.

The editorial articles of Visnyk Yakym-Republika reflect the collective opinion of the newspaper’s local editorial staff.