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State Senate candidate Chad Magendanz, running in the 5th Legislative District, sat down with Shift WA to share his commonsense vision for education, public safety, and fiscal responsibility.
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NEW INTERVIEW: Magendanz Talks Policy, Accountability, and Real-World Solutions
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What do submarines, software code, and high school classrooms have in common? For Chad Magendanz, they’re all training grounds for public service—and the foundation of a campaign built on real-world problem-solving. In a wide-ranging interview with Shift WA, the 5th District State Senate candidate shares how his experience in the Navy, tech sector, and public education shapes his approach to policymaking: practical, accountable, and focused on results.
Magendanz pulls no punches on Olympia’s tax addiction, calling for audits, efficiency, and an end to runaway government growth. He dives into education reform, arguing that funding without accountability is failing our kids, and lays out a vision for expanding STEM access to every student, no matter their ZIP code. With a track record of bipartisan wins and a refusal to play political games, Magendanz makes a strong case for why the Senate needs a dose of discipline, innovation, and common sense. Read more at Shift WA.
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Democrats Ban Gas, Builders Fight Back — and D.C. Might Finally Step In
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Washington Democrats have worked overtime to make your energy bills more expensive, your home heating options fewer, and your patience thinner—because banning natural gas is apparently the latest virtue signal from the climate cult. But now, eight major trade groups led by the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) are calling on the feds to do what Olympia won’t: follow the law.
The coalition is urging the U.S. Department of Justice to enforce federal energy policy and stop Washington from trampling it with costly gas bans and overreaching energy codes. Backed by President Trump’s recent executive order to cut regulatory red tape, the groups are spotlighting policies like the state’s 2021 energy code (hello, forced heat pumps) and the Legislature’s move to let Puget Sound Energy start shutting off natural gas to customers.
This push comes as state officials continue to ignore voters, who passed Initiative 2066 last year to protect access to natural gas—only to have a King County judge toss it on a technicality and delay the ruling so long it conveniently blocked appeals to the state Supreme Court. Totally not shady, right?
BIAW and its allies aren’t backing down. They’re demanding action, fighting for energy choice, and calling out the green-over-everything agenda that drives up costs and punishes working families. And if D.C. has any backbone left, Washington state might finally be forced to chill on the energy authoritarianism. Read more at Center Square.
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Washington’s Great Escape: Families Flee as Taxes and Housing Costs Soar
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It’s official—Washington is pricing people out, and the U-Hauls are heading east. The 2025 PODS Moving Trends Report puts Seattle among the top 15 cities Americans are fleeing this year, with residents ditching high taxes, sky-high housing costs, and a government that just keeps spending.
Between $750,000 home prices, $2,200 rent averages, and Governor Ferguson’s fresh $9.4 billion tax hike—including a 6-cent gas tax bump and rising B&O costs—everyday Washingtonians are being squeezed hard. Meanwhile, places like the Carolinas and Tennessee are rolling out the red carpet with lower taxes, cheaper homes, and a business-friendly environment.
And what’s Olympia’s answer to this affordability crisis? More spending. The state’s $77.8 billion budget grew by 8%—well beyond inflation—while ignoring the reality that folks are leaving because they can’t afford to stay. With Washington now ranked 46th for business tax climate, the message to families and employers is clear: move on if you want a shot at the American dream.
Unless Democrats wake up and rein in their tax-and-regulate agenda, the moving trucks won’t stop anytime soon. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.
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Blame Trump, Burn Washington: Democrats Prep Their Wildfire Scapegoat
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Here we go again—wildfire season’s barely begun, and Democrats (with KING 5 playing press secretary) are already trying to pin the blame on Donald Trump. Their latest talking point? As KTTH’s Jason Rantz points out, layoffs at NOAA and the National Weather Service are supposedly setting the state up for a more “challenging” fire season. Never mind that there’s zero evidence those cuts will affect anything in Washington.
What KING 5 conveniently didn’t report? It was Democrats in Olympia—not Trump—who slashed Washington’s wildfire budget in half. That little fact was too inconvenient for the narrative. Instead, we’re treated to quotes from state officials hyping fear while ignoring the legislature’s reckless spending on pet “climate” projects that do nothing to stop actual fires.
Meanwhile, Republicans like Rep. Tom Dent tried to protect wildfire prevention funding. But Democrats chose PR stunts over preparedness—again. So when smoke fills the skies, don’t fall for the deflection. The mismanagement is coming straight out of Olympia. Read more at KTTH.
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Sawant vs. Smith: Let the Far-Left Food Fight Begin!
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Because Seattle politics weren’t already enough of a circus, former Socialist Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant has officially launched a congressional bid to oust longtime Democrat Rep. Adam Smith in WA’s 9th District. Sawant—known for her love of rent control, soak-the-rich taxes, and blaming capitalism for just about everything—is running as an independent (translation: Socialist with rebranding).
Smith, who’s been in Congress since the late ’90s, isn’t exactly thrilled. In a delightfully blunt statement, he torched Sawant for helping “undermine” Democrats in 2024 by campaigning against Kamala Harris and backing Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Ouch.
Sawant’s campaign? Full of the greatest hits: free healthcare, crushing corporate landlords, and loud opposition to Israel. She called Smith a puppet of big business and the weapons industry, claiming he has “blood all over his hands.” Subtle.
Smith fired back, saying voters deserve “real results – not ideological stunts.” Translation: “Please don’t let her turn Congress into another activist soapbox.”
With Sawant challenging from the hard left and Smith trying to keep the establishment left intact, WA-9 is shaping up to be less of a primary and more of a political brawl between a Democratic lifer and a socialist firebrand who never met a protest she didn’t like. Popcorn, anyone? Read more at Center Square.
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Shift Washington | PO Box 956 | Cle Elum, WA 98922 |
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