Can a working class Tri-Cities mom upend a congressional race without even winning?
Running for Congress can always ruffle a few feathers.
Just ask Cherissa Boyd.
“I have people who aren’t believing in me,” says the 61-year-old Kennewick mother as she walks into a Tri-Cities taqueria. “I’m not going to name names.”
But that hasn’t stopped her from mounting a challenge against one of Washington’s most powerful Republicans.
Boyd’s running a write-in campaign and, over the next two months will need to convince tens of thousands of Central Washington voters to write her name down on their Nov. 5 general election ballot.
It’s a Herculean task she believes her team can overcome, despite push back from Democrats and political experts who believe she will attract few votes in the race. Others wonder if she could end up playing more of a spoiler role.
For the first time in eight years, there will be no Democratic candidate listed on the general election ballot in the race for Washington’s 4th Congressional District.
Instead, Democrats will need to choose between two Republicans — either five-term incumbent Dan Newhouse or MAGA challenger Jerrod Sessler.
Democrats came within striking distance of unseating Newhouse during the Aug. 6 primary, but progressives split 23% of the vote between three candidates.
Newhouse had about 800 more votes than the three Democrats combined in a race with 154,000 ballots tallied.
Boyd doesn’t think that’s fair to Democrats, who turnout a consistent 33% during the general election season. She believes Newhouse is out of touch with Tri-Citians and has broken promises.
“Once you build the trust of the people, you can move mountains with the people. I know I don’t have a budget, but I have good intentions. And my values align with the values of those of the middle- and low-class populations — because I am those people,” she said.
“I understand the struggles that people face here,” said Boyd, a native Californian who moved here seven years ago. “And when I got settled in, I realized that this place was lacking a lot of services. It was 15 years behind California.”
Democrats and swing voters have lifted Newhouse to victory twice in prior general elections. Both times, in 2014 and 2016, he faced retired NFL player-turned-farmer Clint Didier. The 2014 contest was a race to see which Republican would succeed former Congressman Doc Hastings.
Similarly, Newhouse will again aim to build a broader coalition as he faces off against Sessler, a Prosser businessman and former regional race car driver, who is challenging him for his 2021 vote to impeach former President Donald Trump.
Sessler and Newhouse have said relatively little about Boyd since she entered the race. But Sessler’s campaign has insisted Boyd be included in scheduled debates and candidate forums.
Her campaign asserts that Sessler is trying to use her run as a political pawn, believing that she’s more of a threat to Newhouse than to Sessler.
Ballots for the Nov. 5 election will be mailed out to registered voters by Oct. 18.
Washington’s 4th Congressional District stretches from the U.S.-Canada border down to the Columbia River, and includes the Tri-Cities, Omak, East Wenatchee, Moses Lake, Yakima and the Yakama Indian Reservation.
It is the state’s most Republican-leaning congressional district.
Write-in campaigns
Boyd registered as a write-in candidate on Aug. 21 with the Washington Secretary of State’s Office.
So far, her campaign has earned some news coverage and she has appeared in at least one TV ad. She’s also registered with the Federal Election Commission, and her first monthly financial report is due Oct. 15.
Ron Dotzauer, a political strategist and founder of Strategies 360, says write-in candidates need at least two things to make them viable in a general election challenge: Money or reputation.
Boyd seemingly has neither and doesn’t appear to be a threat to either candidate.
“I think it’s not going to get traction. It’s an ill-begotten move. I don’t see it going anywhere,” said Dotzauer, who previously ran campaigns for former Gov. Booth Gardner and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, both Democrats.
“Given the profile of the people in this race, it has probably a zero probability of success... It’s not going to work,” he continued.
Many Democrats in the Central Washington district agree with Dotzauer’s assessment, but there are some still holding out hope.
“I believe Dan Newhouse has already lost sufficient Democratic support that he could not win this election, so the choice comes down to Cherissa and Sessler,” said Doug McKinley, the Richland Democrat who challenged the Sunnyside farmer in 2020.
McKinley said he plans to enthusiastically write in Boyd’s name on his November ballot and that other Democrats should, too.
Boyd’s supporters and McKinley say it’s possible Boyd could overcome both Newhouse and Sessler in a three-way race if her campaign overperforms.
On top of the 33% she’d have in Democratic support, McKinley believes she could get help from either disaffected or pro-choice Republicans.
“There are a large number of pro-choice women in our district who have traditionally voted for Republicans, but the Dobbs Decision and some of the draconian laws that other states have passed have changed that calculation,” McKinley said.
Write-in candidates in Washington have seen rare success in the past.
In 1994, Republican Linda Smith won Washington’s Southwest congressional district and went on to serve two terms, according to Cascade PBS.
She entered the race after another Republican dropped out, riding a national red wave into office during President Bill Clinton’s first term.
“She had a head of steam going and she was basically the Republican nominee,” Dotzauer said.
Alaska voters notably propelled Republican Lisa Murkowski to a U.S. Senate victory in 2010 as a write-in, becoming the first senator in more than a half century to do so.
Write-in candidates in Washington are required to register with the Secretary of State. Their information and biographical details do not appear on the ballot, state website or in the printed voters pamphlet.
Washington is a “voter intent” state, meaning voters who misspell or only partially include a write-in candidate’s name are not disqualified from having their vote counted. If election officials can distinguish voter intent, then the vote will be included.
But voters cannot put stickers or printed labels on their ballots.
Boyd’s background
Boyd takes pride in her working-class background, as well as the textured life that has brought her to this moment.
“I have no shame of where I’ve been because where I’ve been molded me to where I’m going,” says the single mother, currently raising a 14 year old with autism.
Boyd’s worked several jobs in the service industry. She’s currently recovering from surgeries to her hands and back, and is not working.
She is also a domestic violence survivor, and speaks openly about the struggles she had growing up with an alcoholic mother in Los Angeles.
“I’m the only biracial child, so I was picked on a lot,” she said. “I was rejected by my siblings because they felt that I wasn’t Black enough. I ran away from home at 13 and later went to a predominantly white school.”
Boyd, who characterizes herself as a “bridge builder” and “very spiritual person,” has no prior experience as an elected official, but has been involved with the Tri-City Democrats for about four years now.
While she was courted to run for office in January, Boyd decided not to join the crowded race. She announced her write-in campaign after Democrats fell short.
Having lived in a border state, Boyd says she “doesn’t believe the hype” of the current immigrant surge on the U.S.-Mexico border. She believes the southern border issues stem from the Trump Administration’s policies, not Biden’s. She says she wants to find “peace and common ground” on the current Israel-Hamas war that’s shaken the Middle East, too.
Boyd says she’s mostly running to bring mental health services back to Central Washington, to solve the housing crisis and to protect Obamacare, a policy she says she’s benefited from.
Boyd says she’s living on Social Security after becoming disabled, but doesn’t qualify for many of the basic services she needs to survive. Many families are also struggling with piling health care costs.
“We are being punished for trying to live better. For every step we take forward, we are knocked down two steps back and we cannot win,” she said. “We need a fair chance. We need higher wages, we need child care.”
On Wednesday, the U.S. House passed a bill authored by Newhouse that aims to prevent the country’s adversaries — notably China, North Korea and Russia — from purchasing American farmland.
Boyd says the issue is “exaggerated” by Republicans, but admits she isn’t privy to the bill’s details. The White House this week called the legislation “unnecessary” since its main requirements are already in effect in current laws and regulations.
“China can only buy what America allows it to purchase. We have control over our American lands. It’s our choice who we choose to sell parcels to,” she said.
This story was originally published September 15, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
