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Candidates › WA-05 race › 2025–2026
Nate Powell
IndependentU.S. House, WA-05Washington
Has not served in Congress
- On the ballot
- Lost the open primaryAug 4, 2026 · 33,415 votes (16.4%) · 3 of 12 · count stopped at 99% reporting · Michael Baumgartner and Carmela Conroy are on the November ballot
- Top priorities
- Tackle Inflation and the Cost of Living
- Confront the National Debt
- Get Money Out of Politics
- Protect American Workers
- Prepare for the AI Future
- Money
- $392.2K raised, $392.2K spent, $0 cash on hand (through Sep 30, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 23% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 44% from Washington · largest committee giver SEIU COPE (SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION), $5K
- Outside groups
- $227.3K supporting Powell
- Backed by
- End Citizens United Unrig Washington · Spokane IAFF · IUEO Local 302 and 8 more. As the campaign lists them
8 priorities from natepowellforcongress.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
Fighting for Working Families in WA-05 ↗ (opens natepowellforcongress.com/priorities at this heading)
I’m running for Congress because Washington State’s 5th district deserves a representative who answers to working people, not D.C. party leadership or corporate donors. As a union firefighter, I see every day what happens when our government fails to deliver for working and middle class Americans.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · natepowellforcongress.com/priorities
Working people are getting squeezed and our living standards are falling behind what our parents had.
And even when families do manage to get ahead, giant corporations are turning basic needs into commodities, like housing – buying up homes and crushing small businesses to deprive Americans of ownership and lasting wealth.
Trade policies add to that pressure. Poorly applied tariffs drive up prices and contribute to inflation for working families, hurting the very people they’re meant to help.
There is an attack from all sides on the working class and it must end. I will work to cut wasteful spending, protect American wages from corporate profiteering, restore Congressional oversight of tariffs, and stop giant corporations from buying up single-family homes and crushing small businesses with government-backed advantages.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · natepowellforcongress.com/priorities
As our national debt grows, our government passes the bill to ordinary Americans. Today, about 20 cents of every tax dollar goes to servicing the national debt – projected to reach nearly 50 cents by 2050 – diverting resources from real priorities.
Meanwhile, major corporations and billionaire-backed industries receive billions in federal subsidies that increase the debt, then use tax loopholes to avoid helping us pay it off.
They profit. We pay.
We can begin tackling this crisis by ending the system where billionaires rely on working families to pick up the tab.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · natepowellforcongress.com/priorities
Billionaires and special interests are pouring money into both parties, shaping the rules to protect their influence while keeping the working class divided along party lines.
Today, only 2% of Congress comes from the working class. The rest? Career politicians. Is it any wonder why only 20% of Americans trust in Congress?
I’ll fight to ban insider stock trading by members of Congress, pass term limits, and overturn Citizens United to stop billionaires from buying elections.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · natepowellforcongress.com/priorities
As a proud union member, I know that when workers lose power, corporations gain it – and the system is rigged to make sure that trade keeps happening. Working people built this country and keep it running. It’s time we curb the power of billionaires and unaccountable corporations, and ensure just compensation for our work.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · natepowellforcongress.com/priorities
The technology that defines this century must serve working families. America can lead the world in artificial intelligence while protecting the rights, safety, and economic security of American workers, but not without regulation.
We must stop AI data centers from spiking our electric bills and polluting our neighborhoods, ban AI-powered price gouging that artificially increases our rent and grocery costs, and strictly limit AI surveillance of workers and citizens.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · natepowellforcongress.com/priorities
Washington state ranked dead last (50th) in farm operator returns for 2024, resulting in an average of two farm closures per day. These are not just businesses shutting down; these are multi-generational legacies dying.
I will break up corporate monopolies that undermine cattle ranchers, roll back tariffs on fertilizer and shipping, and guarantee Right to Repair to ensure farmers can take care of their own equipment.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · natepowellforcongress.com/priorities
First responders have spent too long being celebrated in speeches and forgotten in policy. As a firefighter, I’ve watched brothers and sisters get sick from PFAS exposure and toxic environments, and seen families struggle through cancer diagnoses that come from a lifetime of service.
Police officers, EMTs, and paramedics face their own burdens: PTSD, inadequate mental health support, and benefits that don’t reflect their sacrifices. First responders run toward danger so the rest of us don’t have to. Congress has an obligation to have their backs.
I will work to eliminate PFAS from firefighter gear, expand cancer research tied to occupational exposure, strengthen mental health support for first responders, and guarantee benefits for families who lose a loved one in the line of duty.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · natepowellforcongress.com/priorities
At home and around the world, America’s reputation is damaged. American exceptionalism wasn’t just our manufacturing, creativity, or military might – it was our rule of law and moral authority. When we abandon those principles, the instability we create abroad eventually finds its way back home.
We must fight to reestablish our position, but once trust is broken, it returns slowly. This work will take decades, but it’s work we have to do to secure a peaceful and prosperous nation for our children and grandchildren.
As an independent candidate, I’m not beholden to party bosses or special interests. In Congress I will work for you, the working families of Washington’s 5th district. Let’s take back our government and build a future no corporate donor can buy.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · natepowellforcongress.com/priorities