New group begins ad campaign to recruit Democrats in Central WA
A pile of ballots at the King County Elections office. (Matt M. McKnight/Crosscut)
Starting this week, voters in the 4th Congressional District in Central Washington will see radio ads in Spanish and English explaining how Democratic Party values align with voters’ beliefs in a region where conservative candidates have generally dominated.
The ads are part of a $350,000, 14-month public awareness campaign from Rural Americans United. Doug White, a fourth-generation farmer and Democrat from Yakima, formed the organization and developed the group’s strategy based on what he learned during his unsuccessful run for Congress against U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, who was elected to a fourth term in 2022.
The marketing campaign will feature 20,000 English and Spanish radio spots on a variety of issues, including public education, healthcare access, improving roads and other infrastructure, job creation, immigration reform, unions and supporting veterans.
In a news release announcing the campaign, White contends there are more Democratic-leaning voters in the region than election results let on, but that those voters haven’t received messaging that would compel them to vote for Democratic candidates.
“On the campaign trail, I learned that 80 percent of the Central Washington population has never heard a positive Democratic message,” White claimed. “Worse yet, younger generations are being constantly bombarded with one-sided far-right rhetoric.”
Rural Americans United has several goals for the 2024 election: increase votes for Democratic candidates by 11% percent, shift more independent voters, and increase Latinx voter turnout by 7%.
The group also wants to double the number of active Democrats in Central Washington, create revenue opportunities for the party and attract more Democratic candidates.
The 4th District has not elected a Democrat to Congress since Gov. Jay Inslee won a single term in 1992. Inslee lost that seat to Republican Doc Hastings but continued his political career by relocating to Western Washington. Hastings served in Congress for two decades before retiring in 2015.
This story, originally published on Oct. 19, 2023, was recently revised to correct the amount of the 14-month public awareness campaign. It was $350,000, not $330,000.