Bruce Guthrie

Bruce Guthrie (Libertarian Party) is running for election to the Washington House of Representatives to represent District 21-Position 2. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the primary on August 4, 2026.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Bruce Guthrie is a 61 year-old retired Operations, Sales and Marketing Executive, with a second career in teaching. He has lived in Edmonds since 2008, and moved from the Midwest to Washington State in 1994. He and his wife, Julia have three kids in local private schools.

Education:

BA Cornell U. 1987

MBA Northwestern U. 1992

Masters In Teaching, Seattle U. 2008

Political Experience:

Ran for US Congress in the 2nd Congressional District in 2002 and again in 2004 as a Libertarian. Promoted marriage equality, bringing the troops home, and opposition to the USA PATRIOT Act.

Past Chair, Whatcom County Libertarian Party.

Alabama Hill Neighborhood Association Past Board member.

Ran for US Senate in WA in 2006 and became the first Libertarian candidate to participate in the statewide, televised debates on KING 5.

Vice-Chair of the Libertarian Party of WA, 2007-2008.

Ran for 21st Legislative District Rep 2016.

Ran for Mukilteo School Board in 2019 and got almost 32% of the vote against the incumbent who was School Board Chair.

Other Professional Experience:

Substitute Math and Science Teacher at various private schools.

Former Director of Marketing at an ergonomic office chair manufacturer.

Former factory statistical quality control manager.

Former adjunct faculty, WWU College of Business and Economics: taught courses in Factory Management, Management Strategy, and Organization Behavior.

National Sales Manager.

Small business owner.

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?

Cut Taxes and Spending: Most of the incumbents in Olympia want to implement a State Income Tax. I promise to vote against any such attempts. I want to cut sales taxes and property taxes, and cut State spending by even more so that we may fully fund the rainy day fund.School Choice: About half of the other US States have School Choice, and Washington needs it, too. Competition and choice improve product and service quality, and keeps prices in check for retail consumers, and it works in education as well. Private schools prove that. Homeschooling is even better in terms of both educational outcomes and reduced costs. Vouchers and Charter Schools are great steps in the right direction. Parents should more easily be able to move their children to any public school that has space.Transportation: Instead of spending more money on trains, buses and bike lanes, which fewer Washingtonians will actually use, Washington needs another lane on I-5.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Term Limits: Power corrupts. The longer a person wields such excessive power as we have allowed our legislators to seize, the more likely they will become corrupt. Three or four terms is plenty in the Legislature.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

George Washington left power when he could have made himself a King. He was able to resist the temptations of power. The world needs more people like that. Thomas Jefferson promoted the ideals of Liberty. He knew that those ideas had to be extended to women and Black slaves, but could not achieve that extension in his lifetime. I would like to help to teach the world the ideals of Liberty.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlit

Healing our World in an Age of Aggression by Mary Ruwart

The Libertarian Reader by David Boaz

The Law by Friedrich Bastiat

Free to Choose by Milton Friedman

Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials wield too much power. And power corrupts. Over time, even the most honest and wise and well-intentioned person, when given that much power, will tend to become corrupted. We do not have angels among us who have the character to resist this corrosive effect. We need, instead, to reduce the power. It should be decentralized, privatized, and made more accountable to the people. The beginning of wisdom, according to the Greeks, was to know thyself. Well, the most dangerous politician is the one who does not fear this tendency to becoming corrupt. (This is why Gandalf, in The Lord of the Rings, wisely refuses to be the ring bearer. Instead, only the most humble Hobbit could carry it.) The politician who lacks humility is the most dangerous, yet the very people drawn to becoming politicians are much more likely to have hubris and to be narcissistic. Jefferson said that the natural tendency is for government to gain power and for liberty to recede. The politicians in Olympia have slowly gained too much power. The size and scope of government should be dramatically reduced.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I'm smart and I can listen. I am an excellent communicator and teacher. I can compromise to defend the rights of the people incrementally.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The most important thing for a politician to do is to NOT support or vote for any legislation that violates the Bill of Rights, and the Federal and WA Constitutions.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to make the world just a little bit more free.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

When I was in 2nd grade, Nixon was running against Agnew. I discovered that the poor people seemed all to favor Agnew, but my parents were Nixon fans. Then Nixon resigned in shame. I remember having to register for the draft when Reagan was seeking his first term. I was afraid I would be drafted and killed in some horrible war. Then, Reagan brought the troops home from Beirut. And his rhetoric was very libertarian for a Republican. He listened to Milton Friedman and ended the implementation of the draft. When I finally got out of college, and got my act together to figure out how to vote, George H. W. Bush was running, and he said "read my lips: no new taxes." So I voted for him. But then he violated that pledge. I have voted Libertarian in every presidential election since then.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a vacation janitor in a 40-unit apartment building in Evanston, Illinois. I mowed lawns, vacuumed rugs in the entryways, and burned trash in an incinerator room in the basement, when the humidity outside was 90%, and the temperature was in the 90's. I learned responsibility, and the value of hard work. I also learned the ability to tough-out difficult situations. I did that for two entire summers while in High School.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

It lifts the unjust guilt trip that society wants to burden all creative people with. It sets us free to pursue our own rational self-interest, and live our lives in our own particular way, so long as we are peaceful, and deal with other peaceful people on a truly voluntary basis. The result of such a philosophy is greater prosperity for all, especially for the poorest. Those who don't defend individual rights can not defend the rights of minorities. Because the ultimate minority is the individual.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

John Galt from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I Won't Back Down by Tom Petty

Sunshine by Jonathan Edwards

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Grief. My first wife died of breast cancer back in 2005. I will always have a "shard of glass" in my heart. But I now have a wonderful wife with three wonderful kids. At my advanced age, this can be a bit difficult. Two of my three kids are on the autism spectrum. But they are very high functioning, and love to talk with me about Calculus! One of my sons is gay, and my daughter is bisexual. But fortunately, I am on record as being a defender of marriage equality since my first Libertarian campaign back in 2002. At that time, my Democratic opponent thought that marriage was between one man and one woman. Sigh. Politicians do not lead. They put their finger in the wind and support whatever they think will get them elected.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The governor should be an additional check and balance on the power of the legislature, and should veto bills that violate the rights of the people, tend to grant excessive power to government, or violate the State or Federal Constitutions.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

The dead-weight drag of government taxation and over-regulation in our state are crushing small business, and hurting the poor by reducing employment.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Of course, but right now the existing government policies are so bad, that non-governmental perspective is more important.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Of course. Politics is the art of compromise. One single vote in the legislature can not pass any laws. I would work with any coalition to defend our rights to life, liberty and property. I would oppose any legislation that erodes the defense of those rights.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Thomas Massie, a congressman from Kentucky, Ron Paul, Rand Paul, and Javier Milei of Argentina are some of my favorite politicians. I don't agree with them on every issue, but I would be honored to be considered generally on their side. I am NOT a Trump supporter. I am NOT a Biden supporter.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

This is my sixth campaign. I am very likely to run for office in the future. But I have no specific plans at this point. I will seek opportunities as they arise.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

My son attended Mukilteo Elementary for two years. There he was bullied. The IEP program to help with his autism was a nightmare that mostly prevented the easy accommodations he needed. The teachers had had the passion sucked out of their teaching styles by a overly-bureaucratic education system that told them what they had to teach and how they had to teach it. But then we got him in to a good, secular private school. This school is liberal. It is one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly places I have ever seen. It is multicultural, and BIPOC applicants are encouraged. Full-ride scholarships are available to those who can't afford it. And the education is excellent. I want to extend the privilege of being able to attend such an institution to all Washingtonians by implementing vouchers and charter schools. My opponent wants to force poor, and disproportionately BIPOC people in to a failing government near-monopoly school system. She is not racist. But though her rhetoric is extremely compassionate, the result of her policies is unintentionally racist. I want all kids in Washington to be able to choose the best school for them. I want schools to compete with each other, so that they will have an incentive to improve, instead of forcing poor kids in to a failing school system that will leave them with workplace disadvantages for the rest of their lives.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Q: How many Libertarians does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: None, the Free Market will take care of that.

Q: How many radical feminists does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: THAT'S NOT FUNNY!

Q: Why did the grasshopper cross the road?

A: Because it was stapled to a chicken.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Emergency powers should be strictly overseen by the legislature, and should only be used in true emergencies. An emergency should never be an excuse for the executive branch to seize excessive power. It should never be used by the legislative branch to stifle the will of the people. I think that generally, and most recently, and increasingly, emergency power has been over-used and abused by politicians in Olympia.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Term Limits.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Stand for Health Freedom, US Term Limits, Fred James, Tim Eyman

What committees interest you?

Education, budget and civil rights.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Government needs to be much more transparent. Right now, it's reports to the people are intentionally obscure and hard to read. The politicians attempt to hide what they are doing, because they know it would be unpopular. Right now, the main mechanism of government accountability is broken: the press. The First Amendment enshrines the press as a sort of "4th Estate." It's function is to hold the powerful to account. But the mainstream media has been captured by the political left, and gives shelter to their misdeeds. The right-wing media, like Fox News, performs a similar function for the right. Objectivity is no longer a real goal of the media. Instead, they take sides in the political power struggle. Until there is real reform in the media, we will continue to have bad government transperency, and bad government accountability.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

Recently, (6/14/24) I was arrested for collecting ballot signatures in a public park. The event organizer, who was under contract with the City of Edmonds, and the Edmonds police violated my civil rights. Police officers need to be educated not to intimidate peaceful petition signature gatherers or sign-wavers in public spaces. This is a First Amendment issue.

The Attorney General of WA has gone on a personal tirade against Tim Eyman. This has been unjust and should be reversed. The Supreme Court of WA overturned a valid ballot initiative against Sound Transit's excessive vehicle tab fees. This was a miscarriage of justice, and should be reversed.

Guthrie's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

Education

Transportation

Taxes

This district should be proud of its diversity. We are socially tolerant in the 21st District. But we don't want our taxes raised. We know that the Legislature down in Olympia is a mess, and that giving politicians more power just tends to corrupt them more. Send me to Olympia and I will defend social tolerance and diversity, while holding the line on tax increases.[4]

—Bruce Guthrie[5]