Washington

Women’s Reproductive Rights
Protecting reproductive rights and expanding the right to vote.

Gun Control Laws
Supports policies and programs that have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing gun violence, advocates for strong gun safety laws at both the state and national levels. supported legislation aimed at strengthening background checks for firearm sales.

Immigrant Policies
Has called for comprehensive immigration reform, acknowledging that both political parties have not adequately addressed the issue. focused on protecting immigrants and ensuring their safety . advocates for a secure border, believing that effective immigration reform begins with border enforcement. aised concerns about reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.

LGBTQ Policies
Consistently expressed support for equality for LGBTQ+ communities.

Equal Access to Education, Medical Care, and Housing
Committed to addressing the issue of housing affordability. Advocate for increased funding for social services like mental health care, drug treatment programs, food assistance, and job.

Healthcare
Believes in ensuring access to affordable healthcare and supports protecting programs like Medicare and Medicaid, lowering prescription drug costs, and expanding access to mental health services.

Austin Braswell is a Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative, running to represent Washington's 3rd Congressional District in the August 4, 2026 primary. Based in Vancouver, Washington, Braswell's professional background centers on design and public engagement. Currently, Braswell serves as a Wayside Exhibit Designer at the National Park Service, directing exhibit design and managing projects across the U.S. Prior to this, Braswell was a Senior Graphic Designer for National Geographic, involved in creating visual identities and overseeing design materials. This experience reflects a commitment to communication and project management in public-facing roles.

Women’s Reproductive Rights
100% pro-choice and believes in ensuring access to reproductive care.

Gun Control Laws
Advocates for policies that regulate firearms based on their lethal mechanisms rather than cosmetic features.

Immigrant Policies
Supports providing pathways to citizenship for immigrants. strongly opposes policies like the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote. believes that immigration has significant economic benefits.

LGBTQ Policies
Strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, viewing them as integral to his platform's focus on equality and preventing discrimination. critical of attempts to use religious liberty as a justification for discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, calling it a distortion of religious freedom and an assault on LGBTQ+ Americans.

Equal Access to Education, Medical Care, and Housing
Advocates for "equitable whole person health care," believing access to care is essential for a healthy society. believes in expanding access to education to help create a workforce that can address modern challenges.

Other
Aims to block and reverse policies associated with Project 2025.

Women's Rights
Reproductive rights are healthcare. Full stop.

No woman should be denied a life-saving surgery for a nonviable pregnancy. It is not the government's job to decide who is eligible; that decision belongs to the affected individual and their health care provider.

The overturning of Roe V. Wade was one of the worst decisions by the Roberts Court and a stain on SCOTUS’s reputation. It has led to dark, preventable outcomes for American women and made it painfully clear that we need to codify reproductive rights into law.

When elected, I will doggedly pursue legislation that cements abortion rights at the federal level, as it always should have been, and give my full support to every organization working toward that goal.

Your body, your choice. Always.

Environment
Climate change is not a future problem; it's a current reality. Seasons are already growing more erratic, sea levels are rising, and ecosystems we depend on for survival are disappearing.

Our government has been stagnant on the transition to renewable energy. When elected, I will pursue implementing the Green New Deal at every possible turn. We need to build a sustainable future to leave behind for our children and grandchildren.

The Green New Deal would reorient our production away from fossil fuels and toward solar and wind energy, providing communities with dwindling job markets new opportunities while building out the infrastructure needed to cut emissions across the country.

It would also address a pressing national security issue. Despite record domestic oil production, our energy prices are still dictated by a volatile global market, exacerbated by this administrations reckless adventurism. As long as we remain tethered to fossil fuels, our economy is at the mercy of supply chains and conflicts that we can't control.

The Green New Deal creates jobs, protests our planet, and frees us from energy vulnerability, all at once.

Immigration
America is a nation of immigrants. Our immigration system should honor that history, not be wielded as a militaristic force.

When elected, I will work to expand our immigration courts and fight for a genuine pathway to citizenship. Those who follow the legal process deserve a system that is fast, fair, and treats them with dignity.

That also means confronting what's broken in enforcement now. ICE and CBP operate without any oversight or accountability, detaining people in conditions hidden from public scrutiny. I will abolish ICE and CBP in their current form and restructure immigration enforcement so that it operates under the law, answers to the people, and is subject to real congressional oversight.

I grew up believing that if you are more fortunate than others, build a longer table not a taller fence. I intend to bring those values into Congress.

Medicare
When I was a child, I was diagnosed with myocarditis, a heart condition that cut off the blood supply to the lower half of my body and left my family in medical debt that persists to this day. No working-class family should have to decide between rent or food because someone needed medical care.

We live in the wealthiest country on earth, yet we’re still burying American families in mountains of debt they may never recover from. There’s a more cost-effective and humane way to provide critical medical services and it’s by utilizing a program we already have: Medicare.

By increasing the tax on the top 1%, including the introduction of an unrealized gains tax, we can begin to adopt a Medicare-for-All system. This would alleviate the financial burden on families by transitioning away from high-cost, private plans and remove the administrative bloat that drives up costs without improving care.

Through a phased rollout based on age and need, we can responsibly expand Medicare coverage and move toward a system that matches the work ethic of the American people. We are among the hardest working people in the world. We deserve a healthcare system that reflects that.

Education
I found my love for education in the academic environment of community college. The curiosity, intelligence, and drive my peers pushed me to work harder than ever before. It’s with those experiences in mind that I want to push education policy forward in Congress.

The path forward starts by paying our teachers, the cornerstone of American education, the wages that they deserve. If we can find the money in the budget to fund wars overseas, we can find enough to fairly compensate the people shaping our children's futures. Beyond this, we need to close the funding gaps that leave some districts dilapadated while others thrive. Every child deserves a well-resourced classroom, regardless of their zip code.

When elected, I will work with local and national leaders in education to fight for equitable funding and give teachers the respect and resources they deserve. Education is the foundation of a healthy democracy and it’s time to start treating it as such.

Photo source

Economy
Will work to bring to lower costs for families, support American manufacturing and expand opportunities for family wage jobs at home.

Immigration
If elected he would secure the border and maintain a strong national defense

Background and Experience
Part time citizen legislator in the Washington State Senate since 2013. In 2017 he wrote a bipartisan balanced state budget that provided essential services without raising taxes. In 2020 he was chosen by his peers to serve as Senate Republican Leader where he led efforts to promote fiscal responsibility, improve education and support working families.

Other
Retired from the US Navy after 31 years.

johnbraun.src.wastateleg.org

John Roco, a 60-year-old Chehalis native, is a Republican running for U.S. Representative to Washington's 3rd Congressional District in the August 4, 2026 primary. He has a diverse background, having worked as a counselor, professor, producer, actor, and politician. Formerly, he ran an anger management practice and was a nutrition and psychology professor in Honolulu. Roco has prior political experience, having unsuccessfully run for U.S. Senate in Hawaii three times (2010, 2014, 2016) and as a write-in presidential candidate in 2024. He is motivated to protect the U.S. and develop Southwest Washington. Key policy positions include removing diversity, equity, and inclusion policies from the U.S. Army, addressing migrant issues, and preventing sexually violent predators from being placed near children. He currently resides in Centralia.

Economy

• Cut red tape and unnecessary regulations that stifle small business growth.

• Expand access to loans and capital for rural entrepreneurs.

• Create tax incentives for startups and family-owned businesses.

• Invest in trade education and apprenticeships to build tomorrow’s workforce.

Environment

• Promote an “all of the above” energy strategy — natural gas, nuclear, hydro, and renewables.

• Cut burdensome regulations that punish rural industries.

• Incentivize conservation through market solutions, not federal overreach.

• Invest in infrastructure that balances energy independence with environmental stewardship.

Gun Control
Protect the Second Amendment and the right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms.

Immigration

• Secure the border with effective enforcement and modern technology.

• End loopholes that encourage illegal immigration.

• Create a rational, legal immigration process aligned with American values.

• Stop exploitation of migrant workers that hurts citizens and legal immigrants alike.

Housing

• Incentivize duplex and triplex construction in Opportunity Zones for first-time buyers.

• Block private equity firms from dominating local housing markets with federal subsidies.

• Reform lending rules so working families can qualify fairly for mortgages.

• Cut permitting red tape to lower the cost of new housing.

Healthcare

• Increase transparency in healthcare pricing and insurance costs.

• Expand access to rural healthcare services.

• Cut bureaucratic barriers for doctors and nurses.

• Protect Medicare and Social Security from cuts while reforming inefficiencies.

Education

• Protect parental rights in education and curriculum transparency.

• Expand apprenticeships, trade schools, and STEM pathways.

• Secure fair federal funding for rural and small-town schools.

• Support school choice and local control.

Photo source

Photo source