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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2026 legislative session is underway, and Washington is at an inflection point.
In my opening-day floor speech, I said plainly that this session will determine whether our state chooses prosperity and progress or continues a cycle of higher costs, shrinking opportunity, and deeper deficits. That warning was not rhetorical. It was grounded in facts Washingtonians live with every day.
For years, our state has been governed under one-party rule, with Democrats following a tax-and-spend playbook that never seems to run out of plays. The results have been devastating. Washington ranks among the most expensive states in the nation for gas, groceries, housing, child care, and other basic necessities.
While Democrats have been eager to blame the other Washington for our affordability crisis, the reality is their policies are what made this Washington unaffordable long before the current federal administration took office.
Last session, Democrats passed the largest tax increase in state history. And they’re back at it again this session pushing another wave of new taxes. That includes a state income tax pitched by Governor Ferguson and Democrat leaders in the House and Senate, which will likely be introduced this week. It also includes a new payroll tax (HB 2100), a miles driven tax (HB 1921), a property tax increase (HB 1334), an additional tax on the sale of cell phones (HB 1517), higher taxes on cell phone lines (HB 1581), a bottle tax (HB 1607), a new tax on tires (HB 2421), and more.
As I said last session, they’re determined to tax the joy out of Washington. Meanwhile, they have yet to advance a single piece of legislation that would actually lower costs for working families. Republican bills that would do exactly that are still awaiting hearings.
Unfortunately, affordability is not the only crisis facing our state. Persistent high crime and a lack of law enforcement are making communities less safe, record education spending has failed to improve student outcomes, and excessive regulation and uncertainty are driving employers and investment out of Washington.
We can and must do better. I hope you’ll stand with House Republicans this session as we champion solutions to fix Washington and work to defeat bad bills. I encourage you to follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Comment on and share our content, testify on bills when opportunities arise, and encourage friends and neighbors to stay engaged over the next 45 days.
You can also learn about other ways to get involved here.
It is an honor to serve you.
Warmly,
Drew Stokesbary
