Spokane Councilman Michael Cathcart announces 2026 bid for county auditor

Spokane City Councilman Michael Cathcart will run for Spokane County Auditor in 2026, cutting his current term short if he were to win, he announced Wednesday evening.

The auditor’s office manages many county services, such as keeping records of marriage licenses, liens, mortgages and deeds, but its most high-profile role – increasingly so in recent years – is managing elections.

“I’m entering this race with respect for the work that’s been done, but also with a firm belief that this is an opportunity for new leadership and the moment to really shine a light,” Cathcart wrote in a news release.

“I’m now looking forward to meeting with voters directly to listen to concerns, and understand how the office can best serve them.”

The Republican has earned the endorsement of the incumbent, Vicky Dalton, who is notably the only countywide-elected Democrat.

Dalton announced in 2023 she would not seek another term after what will be 28 years on the job by the time she leaves.

“I’m absolutely thrilled Michael is running,” Dalton said in a brief interview Wednesday. “I’m crossing party lines, but it’s been about the service the office provides, and that’s how I look at it – it’s not whether you’re Democrat or Republican, but are you a person who can manage those services and lead that office?

“And I think Michael is more than capable of managing that office and providing that leadership.”

Raised in Spokane, Cathcart left briefly to attend college at Montana State University, where he graduated with a degree in motion picture arts. He worked for a time for KHQ in video production, before leaving to work as an aide for then-state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, who was elected to Congress in November.

Cathcart was elected to the Spokane City Council in 2019 and re-elected in 2023, and has served as council president pro tem. He ran unsuccessfully for Spokane County Commissioner in 2022.

On the council, Cathcart led bipartisan efforts to make the city’s budgeting process more transparent, advocated to criminalize public drug use during a lapse in state law, worked on a successful citizens initiative to limit the council’s ability to draw its own voting districts and pushed for greater non-English language access to city services.