Two Candidates. Two Governing Philosophies. One Choice for Washington.
Below are Elle Nguyen's priorities vs. Janice Zahn's legislative record.
Zahn First Bill Signed Into Law: HB 2228
My opponent's first bill signed into law was not about lowering your taxes, housing costs, reducing your utility bills, lowering your gas costs, or making groceries more affordable. House Bill 2228 began changing building rules to allow consideration of “scissor stair” designs in multi-family housing. These designs can reduce the amount of floor space devoted to separate stairwells, leaving developers with more usable, and more profitable space for additional units. As someone with experience in real estate, I understand that every square footage has economic value to a Developer. Who was this bill really designed to help? Washington families are struggling with affordability. We have much bigger problems than making apartment-building layouts more efficient for developers.
Zahn Supports House Bill 2266
My opponent voted for House Bill 2266, giving Olympia more control and local communities less control over where shelters and supportive housing are located. Helping people experiencing homelessness is crucial; however, statewide officials should not impose one-size-fits-all decisions on every community. Parents, neighborhoods, schools, police, and local leaders deserve a meaningful voice because they live with the consequences. Communities understand their own roads, schools, public-safety needs, infrastructure, and available services better than legislators in Olympia. We need solutions that expand housing and services while preserving transparency, accountability, and local participation. Olympia should support communities not override them, and local families should not be left to deal with the consequences of decisions made without their meaningful input.
Zahn Sponsored House Bill 1870
My opponent sponsored HB 1870, which would give counties the authority to impose a new property-tax levy for public-health clinics. Elle supports access to public-health services, but homeowners should not automatically become the next source of revenue whenever government identifies another funding need. Washington already spends billions of dollars across its health-care and public-health systems. Before creating additional property-tax authority, government should identify efficiencies, eliminate waste, prioritize existing revenues, and demonstrate why current resources are insufficient. Homeowners should not be treated as an unlimited source of funding.
Zahn Proposed House Bill 1980
While ordinary drivers sit in traffic, my opponent proposed HB 1980, a bill that would allow private employer shuttles to pay for access to certain transit-only lanes. Washington families already pay taxes, fuel costs, registration fees, and tolls to use our roads. Large employers should not receive preferred access while everyday commuters remain stuck in congestion. This is not about opposing employer transportation, it is about fairness and accountability. Before granting private companies access to public transportation facilities, the state should demonstrate that the policy will reduce congestion rather than create another advantage for those with the resources to pay for preferential access. Any such arrangement should be transparent, narrowly limited, and structured to benefit the public not simply private employers.
Zahn Sponsored House Bill 2566
My opponent sponsors HB 2566, which would allow counties to bypass normal competitive-bidding requirements for certain taxpayer-funded contracts. Taxpayer-funded contracts should be open to competition whenever practical, not quietly handed to a preferred contractor. My concern is not that a county can never use a company it has worked with before; it can. The concern is that competition helps prevent favoritism, inflated prices, and "friends-and-family" contracting by giving other companies an opportunity to compete.
Zahn Supports Initiative 26-638
My opponent is endorsed by Democratic organizations actively campaigning against IL26-638, the 2026 initiative addressing participation in K–12 athletics, and Zahn has publicly aligned herself with House Democrats' transgender-policy agenda. I believe girls deserve fair competition based on biological sex. Female athletes should not lose roster spots, records, scholarships, or championships to biological males, who, by nature, are physically stronger than females.
Zahn Supports HB 2332 and SB 6002
My opponent supports Washington policies on House Bill 2332 and its companion Senate Bill 6002 that restrict the use and sharing of automated license-plate-reader data for federal immigration enforcement. The law prohibits Washington agencies from using these systems for immigration investigations or enforcement and requires safeguards preventing federal civil immigration authorities from accessing the data. I support immigration and it must be legal. America cannot maintain secure borders or the rule of law if government makes lawful immigration enforcement more difficult. Families who waited, applied, and followed the legal process deserve fairness. Secure the border, enforce the law, and welcome those who come through the front door.
Zahn Voted Yes on Senate Bill 6182
My opponent voted Yes on SB 6182, creating Washington's "Abortion Savings Program" to provide funding for abortion services. While Washington families are struggling with health-care costs, housing, groceries, and basic necessities, Zahn voted to create a state program specifically designed to help fund abortions. I believe government should protect unborn life and invest in mothers, prenatal care, adoption resources, and families—not abortion. Zahn co-sponsored HB 2182, whose official title is "Improving Access to Abortion Medications." If any of my constituents have ever watched an abortion being performed, it is heartbreaking. Limbs and skulls are crushed. I believe abortion is the taking of an innocent human life, and I oppose government funding for abortion.
Zahn Sponsored House Bill 2571
My opponent sponsored HB 2571, which would limit the medical-cost evidence an injured person can use when seeking damages from a local government. If someone is injured because of the actions of a city, county, school district, or other public entity, government should not receive special rules that make it harder for the injured person to establish the full extent of their damages. The law should be fair to the injured citizen not tilted in favor of the government being sued. If government causes harm, it should be held to the same standard of accountability expected of everyone else. Injured people should not face additional barriers simply because the responsible party is a public entity. Government accountability means protecting the rights of citizens, not creating legal advantages for the government itself.
Zahn co-Sponsored HB 1805 and 2038
My opponent co-sponsored House Bill 1805, which would allow counties to impose an additional sales tax to fund services that include children’s mental-health programs. Zahn also co-sponsored House Bill 2038, which proposed another business tax to fund youth behavioral health. I strongly support mental-health treatment, particularly for children and families who need help; however, mental health must be treated as an essential government priority, not another reason to reach into taxpayers’ pockets. Before creating another tax, Olympia should identify waste, reprioritize existing spending, and put mental-health treatment ahead of non-essential programs. Mental health deserves funding because it is a priority, not because government found another tax to impose.