Republican Sen. Shelly Short is facing three challengers in her run for re-election.
It’s been nearly 10 years since Sen. Short took the 7th Legislative District Senate seat in 2017. The 7th District covers all of Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille Counties, as well as the majority of Lincoln County and a small portion of northeast Spokane County.
Short was initially appointed to replace former Sen. Brian Dansel, who resigned to take a job with the Trump administration. She was elected to that same seat in 2022, despite facing three challengers during that year’s election.
Short is facing another three opponents this year, including an independent candidate from Chewelah.
Shelly Short
Born and raised in Spokane Valley, Short’s entry into politics started in 1995 when she opened the northeastern Washington district office for U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt.
In 2008, Short was elected to the state House and served nine years, before moving to the Senate in 2017, when she was appointed. Short has largely focused her legislative work on agriculture and environmental issues.
In a phone call, Short outlined her commitment to supporting agriculture, mining and timber industries in the congressional district. She also highlighted one of her top priorities: addressing wildfire risk and homeworker insurance issues.
“It’s my number one priority when we think about the amount of wildfire that we have in Eastern Washington,” Short said.
So far, Short has raised $76,175 in campaign contributions, according to the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.
Ronald McCoy
From Chewelah, Ronald McCoy, 69, filed to run as an independent candidate earlier this month. In 2024, McCoy ran as a Republican against Rep. Hunter Abell for state House for the 7th Legislative District. McCoy lost in the primary, receiving only 13.7% of votes. .
During that time, McCoy was part of the Chewelah City Council. He was also the town’s mayor from 1998 to 2002.
McCoy said he’s running as an independent after years of feeling like he’s “more than just a Republican or Democrat.”
“I’m an independent thinker,” McCoy said. “I mean, the party affiliations are great, but if you don’t believe in the whole process, you need to take a step back.”
If elected, he said his focus would center around healthcare for rural communities, especially the older population in those areas. He said much of that interest comes after being in the U.S. Navy for 21 years and dealing with disabilities himself.
“I have my wife and one daughter that work in healthcare, and they work in facilities where they [are] helping individuals with disabilities, and I think I have a pretty good connection with them,” McCoy said. “I think sometimes we need to spend time with those people with disabilities. I have them. I got hurt while I was in the military. I use a wheelchair sometimes.”
Other topics he would focus on, he said, include addressing tax burdens on small businesses, strengthening infrastructure and investing in youth programs.
“Sen. Short, she is a great gal—she is—but I think sometimes it’s about big money instead of small people,” McCoy said. “It’s time for change and get down to the basics of going back to our communities.”
Brandon Ray Medina
Born and raised in Brewster, Washington, Brandon Ray Medina, 30, describes himself as an entrepreneur, with his main income coming from stand-up comedy.
Though, running for the district state senate, he said isn’t a joke.
“I have aspirations of being governor someday. I mean, aim high, right?” Medina said.
Medina, who filed as a Republican candidate, graduated from Brewster High School. He briefly attended Central Washington University, where he studied cellular and molecular biology. He dropped out before finishing his degree.
Medina said he hopes to address community issues, like higher education opportunities for socio-economically disadvantaged communities in the district.
“My mom was 14 when she got pregnant with me, and 15 when she had me, so she dropped out early,” Medina said. “It was inspirational to see her study with me and try and figure out those kinds of things and right now we don’t have that in our community.”
“I know that there is some programs like that in other communities in our district, and I’d like to reach out and see how they are functioning and how we bring that to every city in our district,” he continued.
Medina said he also hopes to address healthcare concerns, especially to areas that are seeing their hospitals struggling due to Medicaid cuts.
“If we lose our hospitals, it is more than an hour drive away to the nearest the next one, and that’s life or death for a lot of individuals,” he said.
David Swoap
This is David Swoap’s first time running for a political office.
Swoap, 62, and a Tonasket resident, filed to run as a Republican candidate earlier this month. Issues like high taxes affecting rural communities and unauthorized immigrants affecting the state’s economy, are his push to run.
“They’re not here for freedom. They’re not here for America. They don’t care about being a citizen. They’re here to steal, and if you corner them on it, they’re just gonna lie,” he said.
Swoap said he doesn’t believe the state’s representatives have done enough to help rural communities across the state, especially those that find themselves economically struggling.
“That’s why I’m on the ballot. We’ve got to get this under control. We’ve got to make changes. We’ve got to save this state before there’s nothing left to save,” Swoap said.
Ballots for Washington's primary election are due to drop boxes Aug. 4.
