OLYMPIA — Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson went on the offensive in a debate with Secretary of State Steve Hobbs on Aug. 17, calling him “an inexperienced political appointee” and insinuating his Democratic Party ties make him susceptible to partisan influence in the office.<\/p>\n
Anderson contended Hobbs, who has been in the post since November, is unable to effectively counter claims of fraud or bolster voter confidence because of a lack of understanding of what’s fully involved in conducting elections.<\/p>\n
And Anderson, who is running as a nonpartisan candidate, said she’s doing so because it gives voters confidence she will be free from partisan influence in the office that oversees elections.<\/p>\n
“We have to shield the office of Secretary of State from partisanship that is eroding trust in our elections and that begins here with this election,” she said in the hour-long debate hosted by the Association of Washington Business. <\/a><\/p>\n Hobbs, a Democrat from Lake Stevens, countered that party labels don’t matter. What matters is “what person you have in the office,” he said.<\/p>\n As to experience, he said he said he has been in the post a year and seen the duties entail managing elections amid attempted hacks, cyber break-ins and misinformation campaigns. He said his military service — he’s a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard — provides him experience to tackle those issues that Anderson lacks.<\/p>\n “The office of Secretary of State has evolved beyond that of simply overseeing elections and supporting our 39 counties to one where we’re protecting our democracy from cyberthreats and misinformation campaigns,” he said.<\/p>\n Hobbs repeatedly noted that as the first person of color in the office. His mother is Japanese. He understands “all too well” how minority communities may feel unrepresented.<\/p>\n M2<\/ins><\/p>\n Hobbs, 52, of Lake Stevens, was in his fourth term in the state Senate when he was appointed to the post by Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee after Kim Wyman, a Republican, left to work in the Biden administration. She was the fifth consecutive Republican to hold the office in Washington dating back to 1965.<\/p>\n Anderson, 57, was first elected to the nonpartisan county auditor post in 2009. She won her first full term in 2010 and been re-elected twice with opposition. She’s also a former Tacoma City Council member.<\/p>\n Whoever wins this year’s election will serve the remaining two years of Wyman’s term. They will be Washington’s chief elections officer and oversee several other entities including the state archives and the state library. The job pays $136,996 a year.<\/p>\n