Seattle School Board Candidate Updates, July 2023

Update 1

I did check in with the Alliance for Gun Responsibility on their endorsements. They give out "endorsements" and "approved" with endorsements being the higher-level notation.

They did endorse Lisa Rivera Smith in D2 and Gina Topp in D6; they are still working on D3. 

end of update

In an interesting term of events, the Washington Education Association (WEA-PAC) appears to have bypassed both races with incumbents and only endorsed in open seats. Perhaps to not anger incumbents who may win? (This endorsement is from SEA.)

In District 3, they endorsed Christie Robertson and in District 6, they endorsed Gina Topp. 

District 1

Looks like Liza Rankin's campaign decided that misrepresenting who is endorsing her for THIS election by using endorsements from the LAST election has finally sunk it. She has changed the 2019 endorsements to a link on her endorsement page. 

In what would seem a surprise, given how disconnected she has been from the Ingraham High School community after the murder of a student there, she has the endorsements of Moms Demand Action (gun sense candidate) and the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. 

To note, Moms Demand Action ALSO endorsed one challenger, Debbie Carlsen. Carlsen also has MLK Labor (who endorsed Rankin last time) and the Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund plus Director Lisa Rivera Smith. 

In fundraising, Carlsen is far outstripping Rankin. Carlsen received $765.64 from the Washington State Democrats and there is nothing from that group for Rankin. That could change. Also Carlsen has many more individual donations than Rankin's. The donations to Rankin appear to be largely from family.

District 2

As I previously posted, it appears both candidates in this race - Christina Posten and Lisa Rivera Smith - seem to be laying low until the General Election.

Incumbent Lisa Rivera Smith has a one-pager website with no endorsements listed. 

Challenger Christina Posten has no website so it's unclear if she has any endorsements. 

Rivera Smith has neither raised nor spent any money and neither has Posten. 

District 3

Christie Robertson is endorsed by the SEA and MLK Labor Council That's a lot of Labor muscle behind her. She also has the endorsement of the Seattle Student Union as well as Director Lisa Rivera Smith. 

Evan Briggs has several (former or current) SPS director endorsements. I can only say if you have Director Chandra Hampson (currently suing the district) or Manuela Slye (who has a dual persona who said that white parents can "f**k off) as endorsers, it doesn't speak well for that campaign.

Ben Gitenstein has the endorsement of The Seattle Times as well as State Rep Frank Chopp and former Seattle School Board director, Kay Smith Blum. 

Christie Robertson has raised just shy of $12K, Ben Gitenstein just over $7K and Evan Briggs has raised about $1500.00.

Robertson has received $500 from the Seattle Student Union Future Fund and $1200 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 46, and several donations from herself. Most of Gitenstein's donations are from individual donors (including one maximum of $1200 and one small donation from me), and most of Briggs's is self-donated.

District 6

Gina Topp is having a kick-off event this Thursday for her campaign with many heavy hitters there including King County Executive Dow Constantine, Rep Joe Fitzbiggon and Director Leslie Harris (who reps D6). 

She has the endorsement of the 34th Dems, King County Dems, SEA, and the Seattle Student Union. McCarter has the endorsement of LD 11.

Maryanne Wood has no endorsements yet. 

Gina Topp has nearly $11K, Maryanne Wood has $800 and Rosie McCarter has $100. Topp received a donation from the Seattle Student Union Future Fund as well as the Washington State Democrats.