Nate Powell

Nate Powell served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2004 to 2008. Powell earned a high school diploma from Lewis and Clark High School. Powell's career experience includes working as a firefighter.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was raised in Spokane's Logan neighborhood. My father was a Spokane Valley firefighter whose union salary lifted our family into the middle class.

Two weeks after graduating high school, I enlisted in the Marine Corps, completing two deployments and teaching hand-to-hand combat.

I returned home, attended college on the GI Bill, met my wife Paxton, and followed in my father's footsteps by becoming a union firefighter, where for 14 years I have served the same neighborhood I grew up in.

Every shift gives me a front row seat to the collapse of the middle class: five overdoses in one day I can't bring back, families living in detached garages, neighbors rationing medications they can't afford.

This is not the future I want to raise my daughter in, and I am done waiting for the politicians that got us here to get us out.

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?

I am running for Congress because Eastern Washington families continue to work harder but are falling further and further behind.

This isn’t by accident. Billionaires and corporations have spent decades writing the rules in their favor, rigging our economy, and buying the politicians who let them do it. No matter who we send to Congress, things keep getting worse for working families and better for them.

I am a veteran, union firefighter, and a father – not a career politician. I'm running as an Independent because the parties aren’t fixing what’s broken and working families deserve representation that isn’t for sale.Working families are getting squeezed and our standards of living are falling further behind because billionaires and corporations have rigged our economy.

I will stop giant corporations from buying up single-family homes, pass Medicare for All to eliminate insurance middlemen and cover everyone, stop unregulated data centers from spiking our electricity bills, restore Congressional oversight on tariffs, and vote to cut billions in taxpayer money spent on forever wars and corporate subsidies that inflate our debt and close the tax loopholes that allow those same corporations to avoid helping the working class pay it off.Congress must work to restore confidence in our government by getting money out of politics. I will ban insider stock trading by members of Congress, pass term limits, and work to overturn Citizens United to stop billionaires from buying elections. When special interests pour money into both parties and shape the rules to protect their influence, working people lose faith in the system. Only 2% of Congress comes from the working class, the rest are CEOs, lawyers, and career politicians. I want the working class to have a seat at the table, because we built it.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm passionate about policy that affects and unites the working class. While working people have been distracted fighting culture wars, billionaires have been fighting a class war – and they are winning. Healthcare, affordability, wages, and money in politics – these aren't left-right issues. They're top-bottom issues. I want the government to work for working people, not party bosses, big donors, or special interests.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Working Class Heroes Fund, Unrig Washington, Washington State Labor Council, Washington State Council of Fire Fighters, and more at www.NatePowellforCongress.com/endorsements/

Campaign websitePowell's campaign website stated the following:Here's what I'll fight for in Congress:Tackle Inflation and the Cost of LivingWorking people are getting squeezed and our living standards are falling behind what our parents had.And even when families do manage to get ahead, giant corporations are turning basic needs into commodities, like housing – buying up homes and crushing small businesses to deprive Americans of ownership and lasting wealth.Trade policies add to that pressure. Poorly applied tariffs drive up prices and contribute to inflation for working families, hurting the very people they’re meant to help.There is an attack from all sides on the working class and it must end. I will work to cut wasteful spending, protect American wages from corporate profiteering, restore Congressional oversight of tariffs, and stop giant corporations from buying up single-family homes and crushing small businesses with government-backed advantages.Healthcare – Cut the Waste, Cover EveryoneAmerica spends more per person on healthcare than any other country on Earth, yet we have the worst outcomes. Our healthcare system isn’t expensive by accident. It’s designed by insurance giants to profit off working people instead of care for them.As a firefighter, I regularly see people using the emergency room as primary care because they can’t afford a regular doctor. But this is the most expensive, least effective healthcare, and the cost ultimately gets passed on to working families through higher premiums.Medicare for All would cut this waste by eliminating insurance middlemen and the premiums, deductibles, and copays they impose, while covering everyone.We can spend less and guarantee healthcare for every American.Confront the National DebtAs our national debt grows, our government passes the bill to ordinary Americans. Today, about 20 cents of every tax dollar goes to servicing the national debt – projected to reach nearly 50 cents by 2050 – diverting resources from real priorities.Meanwhile, major corporations and billionaire-backed industries receive billions in federal subsidies that increase the debt, then use tax loopholes to avoid helping us pay it off.They profit. We pay.We can begin tackling this crisis by ending the system where billionaires rely on working families to pick up the tab.Get Money Out of PoliticsBillionaires and special interests are pouring money into both parties, shaping the rules to protect their influence while keeping the working class divided along party lines.Today, only 2% of Congress comes from the working class. The rest? Career politicians. Is it any wonder why only 20% of Americans trust in Congress?I’ll fight to ban insider stock trading by members of Congress, pass term limits, and overturn Citizens United to stop billionaires from buying elections.Protect American WorkersAs a proud union member, I know that when workers lose power, corporations gain it – and the system is rigged to make sure that trade keeps happening. Working people built this country and keep it running. It’s time we curb the power of billionaires and unaccountable corporations, and ensure just compensation for our work.Strong Border, Sensible ImmigrationOur immigration system is broken. Legal pathways are so slow and dysfunctional that people who want to come here legally end up waiting in line for 10 years while others cut it, risking dangerous illegal crossings.We need a system that restores order and humanity.That means keeping the border secure while fixing our legal immigration system so people who want to work hard and contribute to this country can do so through safe and lawful pathways.Prepare for the AI FutureThe technology that defines this century must serve working families. America can lead the world in artificial intelligence while protecting the rights, safety, and economic security of American workers, but not without regulation.We must stop AI data centers from spiking our electric bills and polluting our neighborhoods, ban AI-powered price gouging that artificially increases our rent and grocery costs, and strictly limit AI surveillance of workers and citizens.Protect Medicare, Medicaid, and Social SecurityWhen the social safety nets fail, first responders become the last line of defense. Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are lifelines for many here in Eastern Washington, and we must protect them.Medicare and Medicaid are critical for Eastern Washington’s rural hospitals. Without this funding, these hospitals risk shutdown leaving our ranchers, farmers, and small town families to face longer drives and fewer options when emergency strikes and every minute counts.My opponent, Michael Baumgartner, supported a budget that put funding for our rural hospitals at risk, instead prioritizing corporate giveaways.Social Security benefits were earned by working people putting in decades of honest work. If you paid into this program, you deserve the benefits you were promised. I’ll hold Washington to its word and stop career politicians – who never worry about retirement – from making yours unaffordable.Partisan gridlock has prevented Congress from addressing these problems responsibly. As an Independent, I will work with leaders from both parties to fast track bipartisan solutions that protect benefits today while strengthening these programs for the future.Save Family FarmsWashington state ranked dead last (50th) in farm operator returns for 2024, resulting in an average of two farm closures per day. These are not just businesses shutting down; these are multi-generational legacies dying.I will break up corporate monopolies that undermine cattle ranchers, roll back tariffs on fertilizer and shipping, and guarantee Right to Repair to ensure farmers can take care of their own equipment.Support our VeteransWashington’s 5th district is home to over 70,000 veterans and active duty military families. As a Marine veteran, I know we need a representative who is committed to safeguarding the benefits we have earned, including a functioning VA Hospital that meets the care needs of our military community.I’ll bring more than lip service to Congress. I’ll fight for our active duty, reserve, and retired military with the same commitment we carried in uniform.Fight for First RespondersFirst responders have spent too long being celebrated in speeches and forgotten in policy. As a firefighter, I’ve watched brothers and sisters get sick from PFAS exposure and toxic environments, and seen families struggle through cancer diagnoses that come from a lifetime of service.Police officers, EMTs, and paramedics face their own burdens: PTSD, inadequate mental health support, and benefits that don’t reflect their sacrifices. First responders run toward danger so the rest of us don’t have to. Congress has an obligation to have their backs.I will work to eliminate PFAS from firefighter gear, expand cancer research tied to occupational exposure, strengthen mental health support for first responders, and guarantee benefits for families who lose a loved one in the line of duty.Restore Trust in American LeadershipAt home and around the world, America’s reputation is damaged. American exceptionalism wasn’t just our manufacturing, creativity, or military might – it was our rule of law and moral authority. When we abandon those principles, the instability we create abroad eventually finds its way back home.We must fight to reestablish our position, but once trust is broken, it returns slowly. This work will take decades, but it’s work we have to do to secure a peaceful and prosperous nation for our children and grandchildren.— Nate Powell's campaign website (July 17, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.