Voters have three very different choices as state Rep. Natasha Hill seeks re-election

Running for her second term, Democratic state Rep. Natasha Hill faces a rematch with Republican Tony Kiepe and a new opponent who says he’ll do as told by voters.

Hill and Kiepe are deeply divided on the issues, but personal accusations have been a focus early in the race. Kiepe has called Hill racist. She says the same of him.

Independent John Kness isn’t talking about his stance on the issues, promising to poll residents of the 3rd Legislative District before every vote and following the results.

Washington’s 3rd District encompasses almost all of the city of Spokane. It has been the Democratic Party’s sole stronghold east of the Cascades for decades.

Hill, a lawyer and community organizer, is a progressive who touts several bills passed in her first term addressing affordable housing, affordable energy and Indigenous rights.

The freshman spearheaded the creation of a statewide land banking authority based on a model in Spokane. A land bank is a nonprofit that purchases undeveloped or undesirable land and holds them until they can be sold for housing development. The new law exempts land banks from state and local taxes – easing eventual housing development.

“There are a lot of empty lots and unused land that need work before a market rate developer is interested. A land bank gets that land ready to build, speeds up development and makes housing more affordable,” she said.

Hill was a leading sponsor of legislation to allow more time for Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy facility a longer timeline to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The measure will save “billions of dollars” in Spokane utility bills, she said.

Local health boards are now required to have representation from each tribe within a given county, thanks to a Hill-backed law. When defending the legislation last year, she blasted the Spokane Regional Health District for its slow adoption of tribal board representation.

“God forbid we’re ruled by a group of Natives and Indigenous people whose land we stole. Am I worried about that? Not for a second. Are white folks worried about that? If they believe in a white supremacist system, for sure they are,” Hill said at the time.

Kiepe, a health insurance agent, was defeated by Hill in 2024 by more than 17%. He hopes to flip the blue seat by convincing Democratic voters that those in power in Olympia do not have their interest at heart.

“Our budget was $33 billion just 15 years ago. Now it’s over $80 billion. When are they going to realize they are being taxed to death? If the people voting Democrat change their mind, then I’m going to win. If not, I won’t win,” he said.

Kiepe’s top issue is affordability, and his solution is to cut taxes. He wants an audit of all state spending and massive cuts of “fraud, waste and abuse.”

“The government’s going too fast. We want to help everybody, but we cannot help everybody. That’s not the government’s role of responsibility,” he said.

Asked what government spending he would keep, Kiepe pointed to infrastructure and public safety.

“Everything else is extra,” he said.

Kiepe opposes the recently approved income tax on millionaires – calling it a slippery slope to raising taxes of those much farther down the income bracket.

“We can’t treat one class differently than another. I’m totally against it,” he said.

Hill voted in favor of the tax.

“What folks in our communities asked for was to fix the tax code – make it more progressive. That means incorporating an income tax, make it make sense, so the people who have the most are paying a more fair share, and we’re not overburdening the people who have the least. It’s something I’m really proud of,” she said.

Both major party candidates have accused the other of being racist.

“She’s the racist. She is so hateful. How can anybody support her? She does not represent the majority of people,” Kiepe told The Spokesman-Review.

In the Republican’s telling, Hill is a “race baiter,” an “embarrassment” and “hates white people.”

Hill said Kiepe’s claims of anti-white racism are “deeply offensive” and part of a broader campaign to discount the lived experience of people of color.

“That’s rhetoric from a Republican Party saying that if you’re anti-racist, you’re a racist. If you’re anti-fascist, you’re a fascist,” Hill said. “I’m here for equity, and I make sure I champion equity in every policy that I work on. That does not reflect racism. But it does reflect lifting up the most vulnerable, excluded and historically discriminated against.”

Hill believes Kiepe is the better embodiment of prejudice.

“The only person I’ve heard say racist things in this race is Tony Kiepe,” she said.

Hill points to Kiepe’s use of the term OTM, which stands for “other than Mexican.” The term is used by border patrol agent s to characterize immigrants who cross the southern border unlawfully but do not originate from Mexico.

Kiepe says there is nothing racist about the term.

“She says I’m a racist because I want a secure border. I use the term OTMs. She’s saying I’m a racist because (I) don’t want terrorists and other people from countries that hate us coming to America,” he said.

The third candidate in the race does not have any policy positions.

A Jiffy Lube manager with no political experience, John Kness said he would allow his constituents to decide how he votes in the state Legislature.

“I really just want to bring the voting back to the people. I’ll put up any House bill up to my constituents so they can tell me how to vote. I will be a vehicle for direct democracy. If 50% plus one wants me to vote one way, I will vote that way,” he said.

Voting would occur on his website and checked against registered voters in the 3rd District, he said.

Kness listed no party when he filed for office.

“We need independence. This area has been pretty prominently Democrat for the last several years and our representatives tend to just vote party line,” he said. “But people don’t conform to political ideology. I’m a normal guy and I’ll vote like that.”

So committed to his plan Kness refuses to give any policy positions. He said he would even oppose any bill he introduces if his constituents vote it down on his website.