Ben Christly

Ben Christly served in the U.S. Navy. Christly earned a bachelor's degree from Missouri State University. His career experience includes working as a registered nurse.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a Navy veteran, registered nurse, former small business owner, father, endurance coach, and elected Clark County Charter Review Commissioner.

My life has been shaped by service. I enlisted in the Navy at 17 and served as a hospital corpsman. After my military service, I became a registered nurse and have spent more than two decades in healthcare, including emergency care, care management, and my current work as a flight nurse. I have seen how policy decisions affect real people’s health, safety, and ability to build a stable life.

I am also a former small business owner. I understand the pressure small businesses face with rising costs, taxes, regulations, workforce challenges, and the daily responsibility of keeping the doors open and taking care of employees.

I am running for State Representative because I believe people are tired of political rhetoric and want leaders focused on real problems and real solutions. My priorities are education, small business, healthcare, housing, affordability, and accountable government.

The 17th Legislative District is a diverse district with suburban, rural, and remote communities. My goal is to represent the whole district by listening, showing up, and working on practical solutions that make life better for the people I serve.

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?

Washington has a constitutional responsibility to fully fund K-12 education, and we need to take that seriously. Strong public schools are the foundation of strong communities, a strong workforce, and a better future for our kids. We need to look honestly at whether the current funding formula is actually working for local districts, students, teachers, paraeducators, and families. Right now, too many districts are struggling with budget shortfalls, staffing challenges, and unmet student needs. That tells me we need to go back to the drawing board and make sure the system is stable, fair, and actually meeting the needs of our schools. Fully funding education is about giving students the support they need to succeed,As a nurse, I have seen firsthand how healthcare policy affects people’s lives. People should not have to delay care, skip medication, avoid the doctor, or go into debt because the system is too expensive or too hard to navigate. Healthcare needs to be more affordable, more accessible, and more focused on patients. That means protecting access to primary care, emergency care, behavioral health, reproductive healthcare, long-term care, and rural healthcare. It also means supporting the healthcare workforce, because patients cannot get the care they need if nurses, providers, technicians, EMS workers, and other frontline healthcare workers are burned out, understaffed, or leaving the profession.Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. As a former small business owner, I know how hard it is to keep the doors open, make payroll, and deal with rising costs, taxes, regulations, and workforce challenges. Washington needs to do more to support true small businesses, not just large corporations. That means reducing unnecessary red tape, improving permitting, supporting workforce development, and making sure tax policy does not unfairly burden local businesses trying to grow, hire, and stay rooted here.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am most passionate about public policy that affects people’s daily lives: education, healthcare, small business, housing, and affordability. As a nurse, I care deeply about making healthcare easier to access and afford. As a former small business owner, I know how hard it is to keep the doors open and create good jobs. As a father, I want strong public schools and real opportunities for every student. I am also focused on housing and responsible growth, because people should be able to live, work, and build a future in the communities they call home.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Washington Education Association; Washington State Nurses Association; AFT Washington; IBEW; LIUNA Local 335; SMART Sheet Metal Workers; Washington State Labor Council COPE; Columbia Pacific Building Trades; Clark County Democrats; Klickitat County Democrats; Skamania County Democrats; Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates; Alliance for Gun Responsibility; 314 Action; VoteVets; Children’s Campaign Fund; AWOS/Nurse Practitioners; FairVote Washington; Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund; Senator Adrian Cortes; Representative Monica Stonier; Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle; Vancouver Port Commissioner Don Orange; Vancouver City Councilor Kim Harless; County Councilor Wil Fuentes.