‘Political hit.’ WA senate candidate denies ‘illegal activity’ in alleged stalking
A Washington Senate candidate denied in a Wednesday statement any wrongdoing following revelations that he is under police investigation for potential stalking and harassment charges.
An attorney representing Gabe Galbraith, who is campaigning for Washington’s 8th Legislative District, says he “has not been charged with a crime, categorically denies any illegal activity, and pledged to pursue every lawful avenue to identify who leaked confidential police records into the middle of an election.”
It’s the first time Galbraith has weighed in on the controversy since the April 30 arrest of Trevor Delorme, 21, of Kennewick, who was seen parked for several hours outside a home owned by state Sen. Nikki Torres.
Torres and Galbraith — both Republicans — are running this year for the district’s lone Senate seat after Matt Boehnke announced he would run for Congress. Galbraith is also president of the Kennewick School Board.
Delorme has said he was gathering evidence for a voter registration challenge and denied wrongdoing. But Torres’ adult daughter, who rents the house from her mom, told police Delorme’s presence frightened her.
Delorme has been charged with one count of stalking, a gross misdemeanor.
The Herald obtained and verified a Pasco police report from an anonymous source that tied Galbraith and one of his campaign aides, Benson Behen, to Delorme. The report claims the two directed Delorme to watch Torres’ daughter’s home in an attempt to prove Torres is also living there, disqualifying her from running.
Phone records described in the report included plans to raid the home’s trash, engage in “deceptive pretexts” to get to the building’s occupants, collect the house’s mail and do “everything possible to capture Senator Nikki Torres on camera.” The investigation says Galbraith paid Delorme $80 for gas money, and phone records allege he “coordinated and directed operations” and “requested photos” of his Torres’ family vehicles.
Galbraith alleges smears and a ‘political hit’
Galbraith says someone with access to the police report tried to smear him shortly before ballots went out for the election. The statement calls the release of information a “political hit.”
“It won’t work,” Galbraith said in a statement. “I’ve done nothing illegal, I don’t scare, and I don’t quit. The people who leaked that file wanted me out of this race — instead, they gave me one more reason to win it. I’ll see them at the ballot box, and if my lawyers have anything to say about it, they’ll see us under oath.”
Galbraith’s statement also called into question several Franklin County officials who have endorsed Torres, and said the investigation is being led by a “department Sen. Torres helped oversee as a Pasco City Council member.”
Torres served on the Pasco council for four months in 2022 before she resigned to run for the Legislature.
Scott Johnson, Galbraith’s attorney, said leaking confidential investigatory records may be a crime and an ethical violation, depending on who did it. Galbraith is not giving any interviews to the media based on Johnson’s advice.
“We will pursue the leak through public records demands, and if necessary through sworn testimony and referral to the appropriate authorities. Whoever did this gambled on hiding behind ‘anonymous sources.’ That’s a bet they are going to lose. Every one of these facts will see daylight,” Johnson said.
Galbraith’s statement also says that a June 2026 checklist provided by Franklin County about voter registration challenges includes gathering evidence such as “certified letters and property-record searches to visiting the residential address and obtaining a sworn affidavit from someone at the address.”
But officials at Franklin County say they cannot give legal advice nor advise the public about what type of evidence would be sufficient for a registration challenge.
“Establishing who actually occupies a house is not surveillance for its own sake — it is the precise homework the Legislature assigned. What the leaked police reports describe as ‘coordinating’ an effort to document a residence, Title 29A calls a challenger’s sworn duty,” the statement reads, referring to Washington’s election laws.
Galbraith’s statement comes the same day the Franklin County Canvassing Board dismissed a voter registration challenge against Torres.
Pasco voter Richard Weiss alleged Torres lived at the home occupied by her daughter and not a rental she said she is living at in the 8th District, but he failed to provide evidence “beyond a reasonable doubt” at the hearing.
“I’ve already answered the question of where I live, and the canvassing board has made their decision,” Torres said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 6:47 PM.
