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No endorsement
The race
Two state House seats are at stake in Washington's House District 38, each for a two-year term, elected by position: voters choose separately for Position 1 and Position 2, so this article calls each position separately and endorses per seat — the seat count is two. Washington uses a top-two primary: the two highest finishers in each position advance to the general election regardless of party, which is why some positions below show two candidates of the same party and no candidate of the other. The confirmed general-election roster, per Ballotpedia — Washington House of Representatives elections, 2026 (roster strength: compilation (Ballotpedia)), is: Pos. 1: Julio Cortes (Democratic Party); Jeff Kelly (Cascade Party); Pos. 2: Mary Fosse (Democratic Party). Incumbents as marked in the Ballotpedia general-election table: Pos. 1: Julio Cortes (Democratic Party); Pos. 2: Mary Fosse (Democratic Party). Where an incumbent is marked but absent from a position's roster above, that position is open; the row notes in the research file carry the detail.
Spot-verification, October 25, 2026: this roster was corroborated against Ballotpedia House general-election table (Cortes incumbent vs. Kelly; Fosse incumbent, unopposed); no correction resulted.
The candidates, claim by claim
### Position 1
Julio Cortes (D), incumbent. Julio Cortes is the incumbent for this seat, marked (i) on the Ballotpedia general-election table, and appears on the confirmed general-election roster (Ballotpedia general-election table, accessed October 25, 2026).
Pros: A sitting incumbent whose constituents know the record. Cons: No documented break with the Democratic Party toward this publication's values was located in the compiled record — no Manchin-test break. The organizing vote adds to a Democratic caucus whose program this publication opposes; that caucus weight is lighter in the House than in the Senate, but it does not create an exception where no break exists. The flaw, plainly: Enabler class, not extremist — a reliable party-line vote, which is the standing reason the exception for a Democrat is not earned here.
Jeff Kelly (Cascade), nominee. Jeff Kelly appears on the confirmed general-election roster for this district (Ballotpedia general-election table, accessed October 25, 2026). No detailed voting-record, biography, or signature-claim file for this candidate was verified at this sourcing depth, and none is invented here.
Pros: A ballot choice outside the two major parties for voters who want one. Cons: No record toward this publication's values, and no Manchin-test or other endorsement basis, was located in the compiled record. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located in the compiled record; no endorsement basis was located either.
### Position 2
Mary Fosse (D), incumbent. Mary Fosse is the incumbent for this seat, marked (i) on the Ballotpedia general-election table, and appears on the confirmed general-election roster (Ballotpedia general-election table, accessed October 25, 2026).
Pros: A sitting incumbent whose constituents know the record. Cons: No documented break with the Democratic Party toward this publication's values was located in the compiled record — no Manchin-test break. The organizing vote adds to a Democratic caucus whose program this publication opposes; that caucus weight is lighter in the House than in the Senate, but it does not create an exception where no break exists. The flaw, plainly: Enabler class, not extremist — a reliable party-line vote, which is the standing reason the exception for a Democrat is not earned here.
OUR CALL
Position 1: We make no endorsement for this seat. No Republican is on this general ballot (Julio Cortes and Jeff Kelly), and no candidate passes the Manchin test or carries another endorsement basis on the record located. The Democratic nominee is priced Enabler class.
Position 2: We make no endorsement for this seat. Mary Fosse (D) is unopposed on this general ballot. No Republican is on the ballot, and no Manchin-test break or other endorsement basis was located for the sole candidate.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Ballotpedia — Washington House of Representatives elections, 2026 — general-election roster, incumbency markers, and ballot-status notes (roster strength: compilation (Ballotpedia)) — https://ballotpedia.org/Washington_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026
- Spot-verification sources for this district (accessed October 25, 2026): Ballotpedia House general-election table (Cortes incumbent vs. Kelly; Fosse incumbent, unopposed)
- Record gaps: no detailed legislative voting record, campaign-finance figures, or biographies beyond the offices and facts printed above were verified for the candidates in this district at this sourcing depth; House position incumbency is as marked (i) in the Ballotpedia general-election table — the Tier 0 brief notes those markers were incomplete for Washington House positions, incumbency in this pass is second-sourced only in the spot-verification sample named in the research file, and any call that turns on incumbency outside that sample carries it at compilation strength; no district-level competitiveness rating was published in the sources consulted except where a sourced note is printed in the race section above
- Standing check: no pedophile-association material meeting the proven standard (knowing association with or defense of a convicted pedophile) was located for any candidate on this ballot
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.
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