Failed GOP congressional candidate faces accusation of voter fraud from Tri-Cities councilman

Jerrod Sessler, a failed candidate for Washington state’s 4th Congressional District seat, is accused of providing false information in his voter registration that allowed him to cast ballots in nine elections in Benton County.

Sessler responded by criticizing his accuser, Kennewick Councilman John Trumbo, at a voter registration challenge hearing Friday before Benton County Auditor Brenda Chilton.

He said Trumbo, also a Republican, has been determined to “dig up dirt” on him.

Trumbo was not acting in his capacity as an elected official when he filed the challenge against Sessler. He also is a former Tri-City Herald reporter, retiring a decade ago.

Trumbo said that Sessler registered to vote at a rural address on Old Inland Empire Highway in Prosser, but accused him of not living at that address when he cast ballots starting in August 2019. Sessler previously lived in Burien, Wash.

When a company owned by Sessler bought the farm property, the house there was listed as uninhabitable in a county assessor valuation and has since been torn down, Trumbo said.

Sessler is building a new house at the property but it is not complete and has not been issued a permit for occupancy, Trumbo said.

There also is at least one motorhome on the property, but Trumbo said it cannot be lived in because there is no temporary housing permit issued for it.

Trumbo said he believed that Sessler lived for some time with a neighbor a couple miles away from his property, but it’s not clear where he is living now.

Sessler says he lives on property

Sessler, in response to questions from Chilton, said it was irrelevant whether he moved into the house that was standing when he registered to vote. But he said he currently lives on the property.

When Chilton asked him if there is a permanent house on the property where he now resides, Sessler said he had a problem with her questioning.

He said if he answered the question Trumbo and the Tri-City Herald would use the information to slander his character.

Sessler accused the Tri-City Herald of “doxing” him, or making public his address with malicious intent, in a June editorial during his campaign for Congress that said he owed $3,463 in back taxes dating back to 2020 on the Benton County property.

He paid the taxes after being contacted by a member of the Herald editorial board.

When Trumbo pressed Sessler on where he was living now, Sessler declined to answer.

“I am a private person and I feel like I am due the same privacy that any other citizen is due to protect their family, especially in the kind of world that we live in today,” Sessler said. “As a result of the work that the challenger has undertaken, that is now completely shattered.”

He said he has had to install expensive security and has had to “walk out and confront people with guns to protect ourselves on our property.”

That is due to Trumbo’s “salacious” and “nonstop” attacks on him, Sessler said.

Three months ago Sessler went to court seeking a no-contact order against an opponent’s campaign manager, claiming that man also was harassing him and acting aggressively toward him.

Sessler was trying to get a protection order against Loren Culp’s campaign manager, Christopher Gergen, following a heated confrontation at a Yakima campaign event in May.

Sessler alleges nonstop attacks

Sessler spent much of his time at Friday’s hearing accusing Trumbo of attacking him since 2021.

Trumbo had falsely claimed during meetings of Benton County Republicans that Sessler was not diagnosed with terminal cancer, did not attend college to obtain two engineering degrees and did not drive race cars under the NASCAR sanctioned program, Sessler told Chilton.

Trumbo cast doubt on his character by saying that although Sessler may have done those things, Trumbo could not verify them, Sessler said.

Trumbo said he was vetting Sessler as a member of the Benton County Republican committee that determines endorsements of candidates, and questions were asked rather than claims made.

The answers Sessler gave were vague and not satisfactory to several members of the committee, Trumbo said.

The Benton County Republican endorsement ended up going to Washington state Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick, who did not advance to the November election.

Sessler was one of seven Republicans and one Democrat on the August primary ballot for the 4th Congressional seat, and finished fourth.

Incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican, and Democrat Doug White will be on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Sessler said he could go on the offensive and attack Trumbo, if need be, but would prefer they find a way to work together.

Chilton plans to issue a written decision on the voter registration challenge.