GOP incumbent, independent challenger top field of four
Incumbent state Sen. Shelly Short made a strong showing in the Aug. 4 primary election, garnering 58% of the vote in a four-person race as of Monday afternoon (Aug. 10).
Short, a Republican, hopes to retain her seat as the senator for Legislative District 7, which stretches from the Methow Valley to the Idaho border.
Short will face Ron McCoy on the November ballot. The former mayor and city council member from Chewelah, who is running as an independent, got 27.2% of the vote in the primary.
McCoy had run for the state House in 2024, finishing last in a four-person primary. Rep. Hunter Abell, a Republican, eventually won that race.
“I’m very thankful for all the voters in the 7th District. I’m very excited to move forward to the general (election) in November,” McCoy said in an email the day after the first primary election results were released.
McCoy went on to say he has a proven record, in Chewelah city government and on various boards and commissions, of “working across party lines.”
“We can solve issues by individuals working together, Republicans and Democrats, finding common ground,” McCoy said.
“I’m far from perfect but I feel I have what it takes to get our district communicating,” he added.
Short, who has been touring parts of her district affected by wildfire over the past week, could not be immediately reached for comment.
After joining the state House of Representatives in 2009 (she moved to the Senate in 2017), Short established herself as a pragmatic Republican willing to work with the majority Democrats on bills that benefit rural Washingtonians.
If reelected, Short said her No. 1 priority next session would be to resume work on two bills that protect people from losing their homeowners insurance due to high fire risk. Both died in a House committee in this year’s session, despite bipartisan support.
Two other Senate candidates will not advance to the November ballot.
Brandon Ray Medina, a 30-year-old stand-up comic and wrestling coach from Brewster, received 8.5% of the vote. David Swoap of Tonasket, who had a career in information technology and ran on an anti-immigration platform, finished last with 5.7% of the vote as of Monday afternoon.
The other lawmakers from District 7, Rep. Abell and Republican Rep. Andrew Engell, are unopposed in this year’s elections and will begin their second terms in January.
