Fuse released its early endorsements for the 2014 elections on May 2 and list includes former Kirkland mayor Joan McBride, Rep. Cyrus Habib and Matt Isenhower. Fuse touts itself as the state’s largest progressive organization.
“Our early-endorsed candidates have a strong record of success. Past early-endorsements included Joe Fitzgibbon and Charlie Wiggins in 2010 and Habib in 2012,” Fuse representative Collin Jergens said.
Isenhower is challenging Republican Sen. Andy Hill.
“As the Senate Republican budget writer, Hill failed to close a single tax loophole in 2014,” said Jergens in a release. “Instead, the budget he wrote proposed opening 18 new loopholes and fell far short of meeting the state Supreme Court’s mandate to fund education. Hill even opposed closing the big oil tax loophole, which would have devoted tens of millions of dollars to our kids’ classrooms.”
Isenhower is a former Naval officer and Harvard MBA, as well as a former Amazon.com employee, running for state Senate to represent Kirkland and Redmond. Isenhower’s top priority is to increase education funding to meet our constitutional responsibility to our schools and reduce class sizes.
“He is a strong supporter of women’s health protections and gun safety legislation,” Jergens said.
After initially filing to run against Sen. Rodney Tom, former Kirkland mayor Joan McBride is now running for state House in Bellevue to fill Habib’s seat.
“McBride has a strong civic resume from her years of public service in Kirkland,” Jergens said. “She will put her experience to use in the legislature by working to pass a transit and transportation package and improving environmental protections.”
Habib recently announced his candidacy for state Senate after Sen. Rodney Tom retired.
“In his two years in the House, Habib has been a staunch supporter of public education, transit solutions and gun safety,” said Jergens. “Cyrus is also a former board member of the Fuse Innovation Fund.”
According to Jergens, Fuse will organize volunteers, raise funds and educate voters about the candidates during the 2014 primary and general election. In 2012, Fuse staff and volunteers made 88,000 phone calls and knocked on 11,000 doors in support of our endorsed candidates. In addition, 276,483 people used our Progressive Voters Guide.
