Richland nurse drops out of Washington governor race after a week

A Tri-Cities woman has dropped out of the Washington governor’s race a week after she filed.

Lisa Thomas, a controversial former Richland City Council candidate, said she wants to focus instead on a class-action lawsuit against Gov. Jay Inslee.

However, she admitted in a post Monday that there are complications getting GoFundMe to release the money raised so far to pay their lawyer.

By Monday afternoon, almost 900 people had donated nearly $46,000 to the effort toward the legal action.

Franklin County Commission Chairman Clint Didier and tax activist Tim Eyman are spearheading the lawsuit filed May 1.

Thomas, a nurse, is also a plaintiff in the case, along with Tri-Cities business owners, including wedding planner LaWanda Joy Hatch, Shakey’s Pizza Parlor owner Dean Wellsfry and Bobbi Ransier, the former general manager of the now-closed Cousin’s Restaurant in Pasco. Ransier just joined the suit.

Thomas said Monday that the civil suit over Inslee’s coronavirus shutdown order “is quickly moving forward.”

“Thank you to all who have donated, and your PATIENCE and understanding is appreciated,” Thomas wrote in one of the campaign’s updates.

Federal lawsuit

“This class action lawsuit is for damages that the tyrant created with his nonessential order, that is all, and nothing else.”

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

It claims Inslee “created an unacceptable tyranny in the state” and violated the civil rights of all Washington residents when he issued a statewide stay-at-home order in March.

“Tyrant Inslee deserves to be held accountable for recklessly and heartlessly calling certain people and businesses in Washington State: NONESSENTIAL,” Thomas said in the GoFundMe campaign. “He’s wrong! All Washingtonians are ESSENTIAL!”

The case has been assigned to federal Judge Benjamin H. Settle, who has scheduled some initial disclosure and status report deadlines for late July and August.

The plaintiffs requested a jury trial, which can take at least a year to reach that point.

Thomas, in a GoFundMe update, said it is “fantastic news” that Judge Settle is on the case because of a recent decision by him in favor of the constitution.

“He is the absolute best judge on that court,” she wrote.

GoFundMe complications

In a May 12 GoFundMe update that has since been edited, Thomas said while she set up the fundraiser with Didier, their attorney Stephen Pidgeon of Everett has been designated the “beneficiary” of the campaign in order to release the money.

But after Pidgeon gave all his necessary information and credentials to the crowdfunding platform, he has yet to receive any money, she wrote.

“We have requested the funds several times,” said Thomas. “We are still waiting for GoFundMe to release the funds in order to move forward with our class-action lawsuit.”

In another update last Thursday, Thomas posted what appears to be a GoFundMe representative’s comment about a withdrawal from the account. The representative said they would check back after a few days to “make sure everything is working perfectly.”

Thomas declared her candidacy for governor on May 11, the first day of filing week. She previously ran for Richland City Council, but did not unseat Councilman Phillip Lemley.

In an email Monday to Tri-Cities media, Thomas said she has been paying close attention to Inslee’s actions since the passage of Initiative 1639, which changed state laws dealing with semiautomatic assault rifles.

Those actions inspired her to run for the state’s highest executive office, she said.

But after getting an update Sunday on the lawsuit, Thomas said she decided to change direction.

“I want to give We The People my complete attention to this historic lawsuit to ensure its success; therefore I am withdrawing my name from the Governor’s race,” Thomas wrote in the email. “This week I will be making more exciting announcements regarding our class-action lawsuit.”

Monday was the candidate withdrawal deadline and her name has since been stricken from the Secretary of State’s list of candidates.

That leaves 35 others challenging Inslee, including 3 other Tri-Citians.

They include Brian R. Weed of West Richland, Ian Gonzales of Kennewick and William “Bill” Miller, who has a post-office box address in Kennewick.

Weed did not state a party preference, Gonzales says he is a Republican and Miller identifies as an “American Patriot.”

This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 5:25 PM.