The 2024 primary race for state Commissioner of Public Lands was the closest in Washington history.
Dave Upthegrove squeaked out second place by 49 votes.
Now, he will face Jaime Herrera-Beutler, a Republican congresswoman who led in the overall primary vote count.
The choice could not be starker.
Campaign donations are revealing.
Herrera-Beutler accepted significant donations from powerful corporate interests such as the timber industry, e.g., Sierra-Pacific, Western Forests Products and Weyerhaeuser along with timber lobbyists, commercial real estate developers and investment firms and, while in Congress, opposed climate change.
In contrast, Upthegrove’s endorsements were unions, environmental groups and a grassroots network of small donors and the only candidate to refuse timber money and is committed to represent all residents of the state.
Herrera-Beutler is a corporate shill for those few who would benefit from the extraction of timber on state-managed lands, ignoring the value of protecting older mature forests in an increasingly warming climate.
Upthegrove believes that revenue from DNR to support junior taxing districts can in part be derived from carbon cap-and-trade programs per the Climate Commitment Act and other measures.
Peter Stedman
Port Angeles