Jim Walsh

Jim Walsh was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He earned a bachelor's degree from Amherst College in 1986. Walsh's career experience includes working as a business owner.[2]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am husband of one and father of five. I own and operate a small business. In the legislature, I am a strong voice for constitutional government, safe streets in our communities, a thriving private-sector economy that creates jobs and opportunity, and delivering excellent basic education to WA's children. Our state constitution starts by reminding us: "All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed and are established to protect and maintain individual rights."

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?

Restore balanced, constitutional government in Olympia.Return the ability to chase criminal suspects and fight crime to our law enforcement agencies.Give the people of Washington reasonable tax relief: especially property, sales and fuel tax relief.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My legislative committee assignments reflect my policy focuses. I'm ranking member on the WA House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee. I'm assistant ranking member on two other committees: K-12 Education and State Government. And I also sit on the House Transportation Committee. In addition to those assignments, I serve on the Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) and on the legislature's Water Rights Mitigation Task Force.

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

Thomas Jefferson. Abraham Lincoln. Barry Goldwater. Dan Evans.

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

Walter Cronkite reading death tallies from the war in Viet Nam. I was three or four years old.

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

My first job was as a lifeguard. I did that through high school and my first year of college.

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

Co-equal.

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

To restore balanced, constitutional government in Olympia.

To rein in an overreaching bureaucratic administrative establishment.

To assure that a high-quality basic education is available to children in every corner of the state.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

Washington does not have a unicameral legislature. I assume that one of the benefits is a simpler process for moving bills. Our bicameral legislature has screwed up needed reforms in the last days of the last several sessions.

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

Not necessarily.

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

Yes.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

WA's bipartisan commission system is good.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

See above.

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

Yes.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Necessary, sometimes. Not necessarily desirable.

To compromise without losing integrity, a legislator must start from a place of strong principles. And return to that place regularly.

Jim Walsh did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Walsh's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

For Jobs

State government can do better when it comes to our local economy. Seattle politicians make decisions that shutter local businesses and then say our communities should be dependent on tourism. Tourism is great, but we can't rebuild our economy on any one industry. We need family wage jobs. That means a diversified economy. And local legislators who will stand up to Seattle’s agenda.

For Schools

For too many years, Olympia has failed our community, refusing to fund our local schools adequately. The 19th District needs a more effective state education system and a fairer property tax system. Our kids...and their families...deserve a good education. But the issue is even bigger than that. Good schools are vital to our future--and our economic recovery.

For Representative

Jim Walsh shares our community’s values. He's committed to Coastal Washington's success. He cares about the future of our children and our local economy. He shares our area's commitment to bi-partisanship and common sense. Most of all: He’s a voice for the Coast, not Seattle.[6]

—Jim Walsh[7]