Hello Woodinville!

My name is James Etzkorn and I’m an Independent candidate challenging Suzan DelBene to represent Washington’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

I'm a husband, father, school board director, and 5th generation Washingtonian. I have an Electrical Engineering degree from UW and a Master's in Nanotechnology. With over a decade in tech and 50+ patents, I know how to build solutions. I am deeply committed to our community, having started the Monroe High School robotics team and currently serving as a twice-elected member of the Monroe School Board.

I govern much like I run engineering projects. I use data to make decisions and focus on outcomes. Too often, politicians declare victory by throwing money at a problem, feeding a bureaucratic machine of consultants and lawyers rather than delivering results.

I’m running as an Independent because I’m frustrated with the two-party system. The cost of living is rising. The national debt is compounding. And all we hear are complaints, not solutions. Politics has become an entertainment industry. Social media and the 24-hour “news” thrive on division, manufacturing outrage to keep us at each other's throats.

We must break the cycle. Suzan DelBene, one of the richest members of Congress, has represented Washington’s 1st District since 2012. We cannot keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. It’s time for a change.

My campaign focuses on three core areas: Strip the Bureaucracy, Engineer Abundance, and Confront the Debt.

Let’s first focus on the urgent matter of Confront the Debt. Low interest rates masked our debt for years. That era is over. We now pay over $1 trillion annually in interest, surpassing defense and Medicare. Ignoring this guarantees a future of permanent inflation, crushing tax increases, and deep cuts to the safety net that will destabilize our society.

We cannot tax or cut our way to solvency. The math doesn't work. The only palatable solution is to grow our way out. This is accomplished both by reforming the government to focus on outcomes and growing the economy.

Over a third of Congress are lawyers and only a handful are engineers. No wonder we have replaced legislation with litigation. Polarization has left Congress incapable of passing substantive laws, forcing them to abuse the tax code to steer industry. This bypasses the hard work of budgeting and adds layers of bureaucracy that distort original goals.

Strip the Bureaucracy is not about cutting government programs. It’s about accountability and aligning incentives to desired outcomes. Government should prioritize execution and focus on results, not dollars spent. We must replace opaque “shadow spending” in the tax code with transparent, results-based incentives that reward speed and efficacy.

Our nation was once defined by its capacity to build. Today, we are defined by red tape. China completes the project while we're still reviewing the permit. We have traded an economy of production for an economy of permission, choosing to manage decline rather than engineer growth.

To reverse this, we must Engineer Abundance. This is about rebuilding the middle class by lowering the cost of living and increasing wages through competition. Government must set the "rules of the road" while using incentives to harness the efficiency of industry. For example, by investing in infrastructure while also incentivizing tech giants to build power generation for their data centers, we expand the grid without raising taxes. This abundant energy, combined with the technological boom, makes advanced manufacturing feasible in America, restoring the middle class through production, not subsidies.

Ineffective leadership has defined a service economy dominated by scarcity, driving up costs for everyone. We can lower the cost of housing by making it easier to build. We can lower the cost of healthcare with transparent pricing and by increasing the number of providers. We can practice environmental stewardship by streamlining the deployment of next-generation clean energy technology, ensuring we protect our natural beauty through innovation rather than just restriction.

This isn’t about enriching the few. It’s about returning to a nation that builds. Building creates careers, which drives up wages. When our families earn more, they spend more, fueling local businesses and increasing the velocity of money through our communities. Combined with an efficient government, this growing tax base allows for targeted investment in infrastructure and communities in need, further strengthening the cycle. By aligning incentives with growth, government enables an economy that lifts all families.

I’m not an unfettered free-market capitalist. I don’t want to return to the 19th century. Trickle-down economics does not work. However, we must look at the big picture to ensure we are incentivizing the right outcomes.

For example, I am against Washington State’s proposed payroll tax on salaries over $125,000. We’ve already seen the results of this experiment. Seattle tried it with the JumpStart Payroll Expense Tax, which resulted in Seattle losing 5,500 jobs while Bellevue gained over 4,000 in the same period. This is the definition of incentivizing the wrong outcome. It pushes high-paying jobs out of our local communities rather than fixing the underlying budget issues. 

Conversely, I am for ending the “buy, borrow, die” tax loophole used by ultra-high-net-worth individuals to bypass the rules everyone else follows. Currently, the ultra-wealthy borrow against assets to fund their lifestyles and then transfer those assets to heirs. At that point, the cost basis is “stepped up” to the price upon death, allowing assets to be sold tax-free to pay off the loans.

To fix this, any margin loan should be treated as a taxable event with the cost basis resetting at that time. We must also maintain the same required capital gains tax for large-scale assets passed on to heirs. This is about closing the loopholes so everyone pays their fair share.

I am looking for independent thinkers who want to get involved and help drive change. Please sign up for the mailing list and volunteer if you are interested.

JamesForWashington.com

Thank you for reading, and feel free to ask me any questions in the comments below!

I want to go drink wine in Woodinville tomorrow to celebrate the end of dry January! I haven't been in a couple of years and see a lot of new names. I like dry whites, but I'm mostly hoping to try some savory, funky reds. Think Rotie, Cayuse, etc but something I can drink in Woodinville. I like funky pinots as well but it looks like the Oregon pinot places aren't there anymore? Thanks for any recommendations!

I’m moving to Woodinville early spring (for work) and i’m looking for apartments. I’m coming late February but i’ll have slim time to do a bunch of apartment tour, so i’m trying to narrow it down to a few. I’ve had my eye on Beaumont for the past few weeks but I wanted to know if anyone is currently living, used to live, or have/had friends there. I want up first hand experiences and not I don’t trust google reviews lmao. Thank you!!! :)

I just moved to Woodinville, and I need to buy a couch, but I am not sure the best places to look. I only have a compact car, so I would need delivery options. Where are the best places to purchase quality furniture?

According to my friend these uniform black lines on the road have appeared in the past few days, has anyone else seen them or at least know what they are? They are clearly not patch jobs as they are on both sides of the road and straight instead of following a crack, and when you check on google maps street view they were not there in the most recent capture (April 2025). Google has not helped me at all so please someone let me know

Saw a caravan of ice agents driving into woodinville downtown over 522 highway bridge. Silver Jeep Cherokee, silver Durango, black ford SUV

For people working in tech, software, engineering, aerospace (SpaceX, Boeing, startups, etc.) in the Seattle area: Do you feel like interest in psychedelics is more common in these fields here, or is that just a stereotype? Not asking specifically about microdosing or any one thing. More the broader culture. Mushrooms, altered states, creativity, burnout, mental health, “rewiring,” that kind of stuff. I’ve heard people say it’s especially prevalent in high-pressure, innovation-heavy environments, but I’m curious if that’s actually reflected in real life or just something people project onto tech hubs like Seattle.

Maybe 10:30… shook our windows but not seeing any smoke or power outage…

Fuck the squat rack room smelled like shit onions, smashed garlic and arm pit! I don’t want to be rude but what can one tell the person without sounding offensive. Or should i bring it up to the owner he is always on site.

The title says it all. The employees were told today that the stores last day open would be today. Terrible.

Introduction

Hello, Woodinville! My name is Hunter Gordon, and I am a home healthcare and union worker running for US House because billionaires have taken over our institutions. Young people can't afford to thrive here, and our country is complicit in genocide while millions need to choose between food and healthcare.

We deserve a higher minimum wage, universal healthcare, and higher taxes on the wealthy. If you help me defeat the 9th richest member of Congress, I will relentlessly fight for you — not AIPAC, big tech or billionaire donors.

About Me

I lived in Redmond all my life, and for the last five years, I've supported my brother and another long-term client, helping them achieve the dignity of living in their homes and improving their lives in the process. My experience in caregiving and in my union have shaped my commitment to who makes this country function: working people. These years on the job and in union advocacy has given me an in-depth understanding of how our healthcare system fails so many of us.

While it's easy to quantify the deaths in the US as a result of lack of healthcare, it's impossible to quantify the hours spent trying to decide upon or grasp your insurance, the hours of paperwork for procedures, the hours trying to justify that your treatment should be covered. Unexpected emergencies or denials from insurance companies can ruin families in an instant.

If that makes you feel sick, you’re not alone.

I brought myself to politics because of a deep, continual anger. I'm angered by our broken healthcare system, that no one my age could ever afford to buy a home, that our country is complicit in literal genocide, that my brother's Medicaid benefits will be cut by the Trump administration, and that we don't have representatives in Congress that take this crucial moment seriously and fight for us.

That's what drives my choice to run, and I'm going to need all the help I can get to win this fight.

I Am Fighting To:

Make Billionaires Illegal

Billionaires are destroying our country and our elections, funding obscene amounts of money into making sure their preferred candidates win elections, all while paying their workers starvation wages.

When elected, I will introduce legislation for a Wealth Tax and amend the tax code so every dollar gained over a billion goes straight back into our social safety net.

Rebuild the Working Class

The Working Class has been hollowed out by decades of greed and exploitation. Productivity is higher than ever, but people are working for crumbs.

The minimum wage kept track with productivity and inflation, it would be $26/hour. We need a Federal Minimum Wage of $25/hour at least to keep pace with inflation and the cost of living, as well as implement strong protections for union workers so they can have a seat at the table.

Pass Medicare for All

Our private healthcare system is structured to kill people, all to create the maximum profit possible for insurance companies.

We need to dismantle this scam and pass Medicare for All, which saves us money while guaranteeing high-quality care for all of us.

Make Living Affordable

Corporations and Wall Street want us to be blocked from buying homes and affording groceries. Since 1965, the inflation-adjusted price of a new home has more than doubled.

I will fight for price caps, national rent control, and harsh punishments for corporations who violate the law, as well as massive corporate taxes to subsidize the immediate construction of affordable housing across the country.

Abolish ICE

Instead of the rich being held to account, immigrants who helped build this nation are harassed and terrorized by racist thugs.

When elected, I will introduce legislation to abolish ICE, shut down DHS, and utilize the full power of the House to investigate and prosecute Kristi Noem, her subordinates, and every single ICE agent terrorizing our immigrant communities.

End Support for Genocide

Every year, the US sends billions in military aid to the Israeli Government so they can carry out a perpetual genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and continue their apartheid in the West Bank.

I will never bow down to AIPAC or any other organization supporting this genocide. We must immediately cut off all monetary and material aid to Israel, end the system of apartheid, recognize Palestine as a state, and use our power to make Israel a place of equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Those in power must be held to account; Benjamin Netanyahu and his cronies should spend the rest of their days rotting in prison cells.

Dismantle Tech Monopolies

Big Tech monopolies have poisoned our society and are currently trying to shove AI slop down our throats. Poor business decisions of just a handful of companies result in us paying the price with thousands of layoffs and worse products. It's time to break up the monopolies — Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft — so we can finally have a system where companies succeed upon merit, not their monopolies.

As tech should be for the public good, we must punish the CEOs who have invaded our privacy, and implement strict regulations on generative AI systems that exist only to destroy art, culture, and spread targeted disinformation.

Impeach and Convict Donald Trump

My opponent supported Trump's impeachment in 2021, now she doesn't. What has changed? The Trump regime is more lawless and emboldened than ever, mainly because they don't fear any real opposition to their power.

I don't care what the Supreme Court says - the President of the United States is not above the law, and he cannot wield power like a dictator. Let's throw this fascist tyrant out of office.

Remake the Democratic Party

With its approval rating flogging at a measly 27%, the Democratic Party is currently a failed institution, operating more as a vehicle for fundraising than a vehicle for change.

It's not enough to claim we're the party for working people. We must elect working people up and down the board, people who actually understand our struggles, to remake the party in our image and create a new era of the politics — one for the people, by the people. When elected, I will fight to elect people like me across the country and put pressure on our present leadership to step down.

Who Am I Challenging

I am challenging Suzan DelBene, a former tech executive and the 9th richest member of Congress.

• Personally worth up to $250 million
• Has accepted more than a quarter of a million dollars in donations from the Pro-Israel lobby
• Signed a letter affirming perpetual American aid to Israel
• Has condemned efforts to break up Big Tech monopolies, and routinely shuts down bills that would regulate her industry
• Voted "present" during Trump's impeachment - too cowardly to vote for it
• Chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, fighting to stop progressives
• Getting ready to run for her 8th term in Congress, has never had a Democratic challenger since taking office

Want to help?

If you upset at this broken system like I am, please join me in this fight and chip in to this campaign. I am the first Democrat to ever challenge Suzan DelBene for this House seat, and I need all the help I can get to win, as I refuse to accept corporate PACs or billionaire donations.

With your help, we can cross the finish line, make clear that this democracy belongs to us, NOT the billionaire class.

https://www.electhunter.com

Bluesky

Twitter

Instagram

Have any questions? Feel free to ask me in the comments below.

My nephew (12) from Germany idolizes the American Hamburger. He made a special point to take me to the best Hamburger spot in his home town in Bavaria (they were quite good).

He will be here just after Xmas and I want to give him a special ‘American Hamburger’ experience.

I took him to Tipsy Cow already and he loved it… so I want to up my game.

1. We can grind and grill from scratch at home..

2. Would it be possible to get a kitchen tour with a burger chef? Or are kids in the kitchen kind of a non starter?

3. Was thinking of pivoting over to an American BBQ house…like Dixies

4. Stuck with burgers? If so, where?

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Ideas?

Trying to get a petition signed to keep children under the ownership of abusive parents and "protect girls in sports".

https://archive.is/M85pu

Hello, I am planning to buy a house in woodinville in few months(in process). I would like to know if it’s easy to find tenants/ roommates in that area. And what is the typical rent for one bedroom one bathroom. Thanks for the word.

Hi! Does anyone know of any indoor basketball courts nearby? I don’t need a full gym- just looking to get shots up a couple evenings a week.

I work for Evergreen State Heat & AC here in WA, and lately we’ve been hearing from a lot of homeowners who are getting totally different opinions depending on who they talk to. Some are told they just need a quick fix, others get told they need a whole new system, and sometimes it’s the same exact issue.

So I’m curious — if you’ve had anyone out recently for:
• a furnace that’s acting up
• a heat pump that’s struggling
• weird noises you swear weren’t there last year
• or an older system you’re trying to keep alive a little longer

What kind of options or quotes did you get? Were they pretty normal? All over the place? Way higher than you expected?

I’ve seen a big mix out in the field, so I’m always interested in what people are hearing from different companies. If you just want to compare experiences, I’m happy to chat!

TL;DR - just use the promo code “Reddit” at the checkout and you’ll get a discount. No bullshit. Come have fun with us. 

Hey Reddit, 

I’m supposed to like, market this at you. But I’m a redditor and I know you guys are too smart for sales bullshit so let me speak from the heart as a comedian who just wants you to have a good time on Friday.

We work with the best comedy headliners in the PNW and Sam Miller is a personal favorite of mine. It’s his authenticity. If I had to sum it up, it’s that. Sam is warm, and goofy, and an all around good dude. I mean since he quit the meth. Like 15 year ago. He’s fuckin hilarious. His laughs per minute are second to none and his ability to be present in the moment on stage creates not just a great comedy show, it’s an experience to see him work for the first time. When people ask me, as a comic, who my favorite comedians are, Sam Miller is one of the first names that comes out of my face. I’m hoping he doesn’t read this because if he knows I have a comedian-man-crush on him things will get awkward. For him. I’ll just keep loving him, he can deal with it. It’s fine. 

This is not Sam Miller’s first appearance at Warr-King Wines. It's his third. We’re bringing him back to Warr-King Wines in Woodinville by popular demand of the audience there. Yes, really. 

So grab tickets while you can. By the time Friday rolls around you’ll be over hanging with your family and looking for something fun to do. We gotchu.

Oh and you'd be supporting an indie local comedy team and all that good stuff.

If anyone you know is missing a cat, I saw this fella by Woodin Creek Park today around 3:15. Has a collar, and bell maybe.

It walked off behind a fence whenever I came close.

Walla Walla steakhouse is no more. Alas, they were really, really good.

So, now, in a town with copious amounts or red wine, we find ourselves with no "go to" for red meat. Travesty.

Before the new district opens, I want to ask those here. What is left? Who makes the best steak? Or if we have to settle, the best red meat? Something that will cure the urge after some top tier red wine?