Andy Zahn

Andy Zahn's career experience includes working as a freelance writer.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Andy Zahn is a lifelong resident of Toutle, Washington, where he grew up on a small farm in the shadow of Mt. St. Helens. Andy attended Lower Columbia College, and has turned his hand to jobs ranging from hauling hay to stewarding public lands, photography, and writing for publications such as Digital Trends, Android Police, and SlashGear.

Since his formative years, Andy has taken a keen interest in the communities and rural landscapes of SW Washington, and his decision to run for public office is founded in his desire to forge a better future for this special corner of the Pacific Northwest.

Andy believes in lasting solutions to chronic problems, and building a society where generation after generation can expect to enjoy a good life in a cohesive community. Andy is an avid outdoorsman, and a strong advocate for conservation and outdoor access for residents of rural areas.

As someone raised to the work and lifestyle of farming in a working class family, Andy both appreciates the challenges facing agriculture in SW Washington, and the need for dependable jobs in the region. He has also seen the harm done to wild places and rural landscapes by inadequate environmental policies. Andy is committed to ending the conflict between industry, agriculture, and the environment through bold legislation which will revitalize rural communities while also energizing conservation efforts.

Andy is a firm believer in thinking outside of the box and isn’t afraid to speak his mind.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Southwest Washington faces many challenges, both now and in the future, and as things stand, no one has been willing to meet those challenges head-on or seriously tackle the root causes of the problems we must confront. Our representatives in government don’t really do much, and the state government often pretends as if we don’t exist. As the legislative representative of the 20th district, I would make it my goal to change all that. As such, I do not intend to run on vague platitudes and amorphous promises, but on an ambitious and detailed plan of action, divided into three pillars carefully crafted to work together to uplift communities throughout the 20th district, Southwest Washington, and all of rural Washington State.Outdoor recreation and tourism are among Washington’s largest economic drivers, yet our rural communities are unable to benefit as much as they should from this huge and sustainable source of revenue. In order to bring the economic benefits of tourism and outdoor recreation to small towns, we need to create new parks with extensive trail network that offer the wilderness experience which adventure seekers crave, and we need to locate those new parks as close as possible to small towns. That way our rural communities themselves become the destination, and the residents of rural areas would also gain much-needed access to the outdoors.Industrial hemp can be used to make pretty much anything, from insulation to structural building materials to insulation, paper, clothing, and animal food and bedding. It is incredibly versatile, and an acre of hemp produces roughly 4X as much fiber per year as a timber plantation.

By investing in the production of industrial hemp, we can improve the profitability of agriculture in the region, bring processing and manufacturing jobs back to Southwest Washington, improve workplace safety, and create an industrial economy that is both sustainable and durable in the face of uncertain economic times.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I want to implement bold measures that address fundamental problems that afflict rural regions of Washington state. We need to invest in a robust public transit network to both connect remote communities, and help people get around within towns and cities. We need to build affordable housing in central areas of our communities, while preventing sprawl from paving over fields and forests. We must fight back against AI data centers, reform outdated and harmful forest practices, and stop the spraying of carcinogenic herbicides. We also need to get corporate influence out of politics, make higher education affordable and accessible, and implement universal healthcare.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Environment and Climate Caucus, Lewis County Democrats, Cowlitz County Democrats, Clark County Democrats, 20th Legislative District Democrats,