3 aim for 17th Dist.legislative position

Two candidates are challenging incumbent 17th Legislative District Rep. Kevin Waters, R-Stevenson, in the Aug. 4 primary election.

The Republican is seeking a second term. Ben Christly, a Democrat, and Thomas Everett Haynes, who lists his party preference as Pro Gun Liberal, hope to unseat him.

Waters, a fourth-generation Stevenson resident, attended Eastern Washington University, founded Backwoods Brewing Company in 2012 and has owned and operated a vacation rental and wedding venue in Skamania County since 2019. He served as a commissioner for the Port of Skamania and Skamania County’s economic development director before being elected to 17th Legislative District, Position No. 1, in November 2022.

“It’s been an honor to serve as the first representative from Skamania County in more than 90 years, and that responsibility isn’t lost on me,” Waters said during a July 3 League of Women Voters of Clark County candidate forum. “I feel a huge … debt of gratitude to be able to carry the message home that perhaps folks in my area have not been able to feel like they’ve been able to get out.”

Waters, who did not respond to a request for comment from The Columbian, portrayed himself at the forum as a rural-focused “timber guy” who has moved from local economic development into the Legislature. He said residents of his district, which encompasses both urban and rural areas, share the same needs — childcare, infrastructure and energy.

He said that policies regarding water rights, school funding and transportation are all shortchanging rural communities. He called for audits of newer state programs, equitable funding for school districts, and a county-by-county refresh of growth and spending priorities. He pointed to funding he’s helped secure for school HVAC upgrades, water and fire-flow projects, FVRLibraries’ new Washougal facility and the West Camas Slough Bridge as evidence he’s delivering for Southwest Washington.

“I’ve been able to make some really great improvements,” he said.

Christly grew up on a small farm and joined the U.S. Navy at 17. He has spent more than two decades working in healthcare and now serves as a flight nurse. He co-founded Ben’s Bottle Shop, a taproom that operated in Vancouver’s Garrison Square from 2015 to 2025, and was elected to the Clark County Charter Review commission in 2025.

“I am running because I believe people are tired of political rhetoric and want leaders focused on real problems and real solutions,” Christly said. “The 17th Legislative District … is a large and diverse district with urban, suburban, rural and remote communities, but people across the district are dealing with many of the same pressures: the cost of housing, healthcare, education, transportation and whether they can build a stable life here.”

Christly said his top three priorities are education, healthcare and small business.

“Each of those is tied directly to affordability,” he said. “I would support legislation that revisits the school funding formula, strengthens special education funding and expands career and technical education and workforce pathways. I would support legislation that expands access to primary care, behavioral health and rural health care. (And) I would support policies that reduce unnecessary red tape, improve permitting timelines and ensure tax policy does not disproportionately burden small local businesses.”

Haynes, who has lived in Vancouver since the 1990s, is a U.S. Army veteran and former combat medic who worked in cybersecurity before earning a computer science degree from Washington State University Vancouver. He now runs an educational outreach business.

“I felt underrepresented by either party,” Haynes said. “As my stated party preference makes clear, the right to keep and bear arms is important to me, but I’m not willing to vote for a party that advocates for that at the expense of healthcare, social programs, reproductive rights and more. I believe those positions aren’t contradictory, and I know other people in the 17th District and across Washington feel the same way.”

Haynes said his campaign is focused on improving affordability, expanding access to housing and enhancing public safety. He said his Pro Gun Liberal party preference reflects what he views as a combination of progressive positions on issues such as healthcare, education, reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights with an expansive interpretation of Second Amendment protections.

“I’m not the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate. I’m the candidate who is genuinely, unambiguously pro-Second Amendment and genuinely, unambiguously pro-healthcare,” he said. “A lot of people in the 17th District don’t fit neatly into either column and they know it.”

Ballots for the Aug. 4 primary are expected to reach mailboxes by July 23.