Joshua Thompson
Republican | Washington
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Joshua Thompson
Party
Republican
Election Year
2026
Election
Primary
Race
State Rep., Dist. 13 - Pos. 2
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Eastern Oregon University, La Grande, Business/Economics, 2002-2006
WORK & MILITARY
The Channel Company, Senior Systems Engineer, 2021-2025
Audienz, LLC, Senior Technical Manager, 2011-2020
AFFILIATIONS
Kittitas County Republican Party, Precinct Committee Officer, 2022-2026
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Ellensburg City Council, 2023-2026
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
WA State Representative, Pos. 2, 13th Legislative District
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (5)
Kittitas County Republican Party
Brett Wachsmith
Cory Wright
Bryan Elliott
Victor Lombardi
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2025)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
I do not believe that the government at any level should be funding abortion providers.
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
I believe that life is sacred and should be protected. As such I believe the only circumstance would be when the mother's life is at danger.
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Agree
I do believe that life should be legally protected from conception until natural death while allowing for capital punishment.
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Strongly Agree
I believe that human embryos created through artificial methods should be protected from purposeful destruction. An embryo created through natural or artificial methods is a life and should be protected as such.
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Strongly Agree
I think there are many dangers when it comes to the online prescription of abortion-inducing drugs. I agree with Justice Thomas and Alito's dissent.
ECONOMY
What is your position on the minimum wage?
The market should determine the minimum wage. When you have government mandated wages businesses are forced to pass that cost along to the consumer via higher prices and decreased employment. Small businesses and family farms are hurt the most.
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential to a productive economic system. Milton Friedman famously said, "The great advances of civilization have never come from centralized government."
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
It comes down to the big three. Fraud, waste, and abuse. The only way to tackle these is for total transparency in government, a decrease of the regulatory burden on businesses, and cutting nonessential programs and bureaucracy. This will never be a one-time effort and then things are solved. It will require constant vigilance from our elected officials. I have done this as a City Councilmember.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
To me it is that the government cannot establish an official national religion or favor one religion over another. That individuals are free to practice their religion, or no religion, without government interference. Also, that religious groups are protected from government control over doctrine or worship.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Freedom of religion and freedom of association are First Amendment principles that are violated when any person or business can exert power over another and force them to provide services that are in conflict with their faith.
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.
Out of the four options provided, I would choose C. Medicare has helped several seniors in my family, such as my grandparents. But like all government spending we must always be looking for ways to lower cost through constantly tackling fraud and waste.
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Strongly Disagree
The governments of the world don't have a very good record of placing people on lists based on their medical illnesses. What happens when the wrong people get into government and decide a certain group of people are too much of an economic burden?
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
China is the only true near-peer nation on the global stage. China's national ambitions are broadcast constantly. Their goal is to pass the United States via whatever means they deem necessary. The expansion of their military and active use of cyber warfare to economic and national goals is well documented.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
This one's hard for 500 characters. I support the relationship between the US and Israel. As a Christian I value our shared heritage. The alliance between the US and Israel is important for our shared security.
IMMIGRATION
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Strongly Disagree
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Strongly Agree
I firmly believe that the best choices are made locally, and not mandated down by the Federal government when it comes to education.
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Agree
I do believe that we should not have or allow foreign interference in our education system.
VALUES
Government should recognize and support the fundamental right and essential duty of parents to direct their child's health and educational well-being.
Strongly Agree
Parents should always have the fundamental right to direct their child's health and educational well-being. When speaking out against a program at the local level that intentionally attempted to reach kids at high school without parental knowledge, I said one of the scariest things I can imagine is an adult that I don't know, inserting themselves into my child's life, and not wanting me to know about it.
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Strongly Agree
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Neutral
I support the expansion of gambling in my state.
Neutral
The overwhelming majority of gambling in the state of Washington is done on Native American reservations. I am not a supporter of expanding gambling outside of reservations.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I grew up in a Christian household that was active in our Church. My faith has guided me throughout my life, and as the father of a 3-year-old, my wife and I are raising him to also walk with the Lord. In all that I do in politics, I am seeking to serve with a servant's heart.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Agree
Absolutely. We must have secure elections and that starts by ensuring only citizens who are allowed to vote have one ballot.
EQUALITY
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Strongly Agree
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Disagree
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
The only way we will be able to power AI and all the technological advancements that are coming will be through the use of nuclear energy. Small modular reactors will be critical for data centers to keep us at the forefront as a Nation.
ABOUT YOU
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
I have been a lifelong conservative. I believe in individual freedom, free enterprise, and property rights. Especially in Washington State we have seen what the burden of regulation and mismanagement can do on businesses small and large. I support our Constitution, and fight for our families.
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
No.
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
What should be the goal of the criminal justice system?
The primary goal of the criminal justice system should be to protect the public while ensuring due process and fairness.
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Strongly Agree
Absolutely. With the proliferation of the Internet and cell phones, it's made it to easy for predators to get to our kids. I'm appreciative of the local and county law enforcement departments across the county that routinely run sting operations with the help of non-profit groups and tech companies.
Sharia law should not be accepted or incorporated in any form within the legal framework of the United States.
Strongly Agree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
There are no more restrictions on gun ownership that will protect public safety. We have a crime issue and a societal issue. Until we fully tackle that, nothing will change.
