Kelli Hughes-Ham
Kelli Hughes-Ham (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Washington House of Representatives to represent District 19-Position 1. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Hughes-Ham completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Kelli Hughes-Ham was born in Astoria, Oregon. She earned a bachelor's degree from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2000 and a graduate degree from the University of Puget Sound in 2004. Her career experience includes working as a teacher. Hughes-Ham has been associated with the Ocean Beach Education Association and the Washington Education Association.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Washington House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Washington House of Representatives District 19-Position 1
Incumbent Jim Walsh defeated Kelli Hughes-Ham in the general election for Washington House of Representatives District 19-Position 1 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jim Walsh (R)  | 62.2 | 39,940 |
 | Kelli Hughes-Ham (D) | 37.7 | 24,232 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 71 | ||
| Total votes: 64,243 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Washington House of Representatives District 19-Position 1
Incumbent Jim Walsh and Kelli Hughes-Ham advanced from the primary for Washington House of Representatives District 19-Position 1 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Walsh (R) | 61.0 | 27,044 |
| ✔ | | Kelli Hughes-Ham (D) | 38.8 | 17,200 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 66 | ||
| Total votes: 44,310 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Hughes-Ham's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kelli Hughes-Ham completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hughes-Ham's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Eighteen years as an Art / English / Journalism / CTE educator, Ilwaco High School and Evergreen High School. Served as building representative for the Ocean Beach Education Association, and worked on the union bargaining committee. Mother to two sons, 11 and 13. Member of the Chinook Nation, and born and raised in Chinook. I’m a fisherman, a rock hound, and a forager, and I am proud to be the descendant of people who have called this land home since time immemorial.
- We deserve a representative who will actively fight for engaging, relevant public education, fully-funded and accessible to all.
- We deserve a representative who fights for strong local industry that utilizes realistic climate solutions.
- We deserve a representative who fights for safe, inclusive communities with ample, affordable housing.
This is my home. I chose to come back to serve the students at the high school from which I graduated, because I love this land and the people who also call it home. As a public educator, I see so many problems that need solutions. Students are disengaged from a system that does little to turn them into the innovative thinkers we need to solve our climate and economic crises. We need ample, affordable housing. We need to protect our seafood and timber industries with realistic climate solutions so our communities can thrive. I will use my voice on behalf of our extraordinary people and land. Our unique area deserves an advocate like me; someone who can balance the unique needs of our legislative district with progressive policies that fight for everyone’s rights.
There are so many figures in history I look up to... Julia Butler Hansen (a politician from our LD), Sid Snyder (a family friend who was also a state senator), to name a few. But I have to say that the person I look up to, and look to for help, is my father. He is a boat mechanic who has run a successful small business for nearly 50 years. I share his fascination with the natural world, and he taught me how to fish (and continues to teach my children how to fish). My dad is not someone who pursued lofty college degrees, but instead stays true to his own view on the world, which is rooted in hard work and kindness. I always listen to what he has to say, not just because he is my dad, but because he is one of the best people I have ever met.
The willingness to meet with any of your constituents and LISTEN. The willingness to solve problems. The willingness to put faith into the government's power to improve lives, not control them. And most of all, the willingness to bring voices to the table that aren't being heard. REPRESENTATIVE is the key word.
I listen. I solve problems, or empower others to solve problems. And I have a great sense of humor, which enables me to relate to a wide variety of people.
Those elected should represent the interests of the majority of the people in their district. They should not just listen to those who voted for them.
I want my children and my students to look back and see me as someone who left the world better than I found it.
May 18th, 1980... I wasn't even five years old. Mt. St. Helens blew, and everything on TV was all about it. The ash fell the day after the eruption on the Long Beach Peninsula. I'll never forget it! It was what made me interested in geology (which was my major in college before I decided upon visual arts). I still visit the Volcanic Monument often, and I even climbed the south slope when I was younger!
My first job was popping popcorn at my grandma Mary's candy store in Long Beach, WA. I'm not sure if that counts, but to me as a 12-year-old, it was work! Then as a freshman in high school, I worked at a frozen yogurt shop, also in Long Beach. Every job I held until I went to college was involved in the tourist industry, and I got the best preparation in dealing with ALL kinds of people!
The book I come back to time and time again is LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Despite the nuanced and complicated historical context, it is a story I think about nearly every day.
Leslie Knope from PARKS AND RECREATION. If you know, you know.
The opening number of the HAMILTON musical has been going through my head all day. I can probably blame my children for that!
The governor answers to the people of the state. And the state legislature brings the concerns of the people in their districts to the attention of the governor.
We need to protect our valuable, lucrative natural resources while addressing the devastating effects of climate change. Nothing else can happen unless we do this.
The benefits? Perhaps that would encourage more bipartisan action, and FASTER legislation because you only have to go through one chamber. But it could lead to a majority running away with the power and pushing agendas that ignore the minority.
I think it is beneficial for state legislators to have experience from within a system. Whether that be from within the government, from within education, or any other bureaucracy. People who understand how change happens within a system are those who understand how to change things for the better.
YES! We can't get anything done unless we share stories and experiences from different parts of the state. We're ultimately on the same team.
I very much would like to serve on the House Education Committee. It is where my strengths would best be utilized. And as a skilled and experienced visual arts teacher, I would like to work closely with the Washington State Arts Commission, specifically within their Arts in Education mission.
I think I would be great at representing my legislative district. Let's start there! But, if called upon to serve in a different office, I would consider it an honor.
I'm a high school teacher. I hear stories every day about hardships experienced by hard-working families who are simply trying to give their loved ones a good life. It is all of these stories that come together to create a picture of struggle that is unprecedented. This is why I'm compelled to run for office.
This is always dependent upon what exactly constitutes an emergency. Overreach can be dangerous. This is not something I would answer with confidence at this point in my experience.
Yes. Especially now. We won't get anywhere without compromise, and we will continue to exist in this unproductive, toxic stalemate. But please don't take this as weakness... we all need to come together on shared values of taking care of our communities, our country, and our planet for our children.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
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Candidate Washington House of Representatives District 19-Position 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 28, 2022
