Washington › Skamania County › Washington House Position 1, Legislative District 17
2 candidates are tracked for Washington House Position 1, Legislative District 17 on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Ben Christly and Kevin Waters. Candidate information follows official Skamania County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Ben Christly (prefers Democratic Party) and Kevin Waters (prefers Republican Party) meet on the November 3 ballot; Kevin Waters is the sitting member, per the Legislature's roster. August 4 top-two primary: Ben Christly 52.4 percent, Kevin Waters 43.9 percent; also ran: Thomas Everett Haynes (3.6 percent), per the Secretary of State's official results. Washington's top-two primary sends the two leading candidates to November regardless of party; party labels are the candidates' stated preferences. The field is the VoteWA GENERAL 2026 candidate list (read September 7, 2026). This seat is elected by legislative district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Democratic
Ben Christly is a Navy veteran, flight nurse and small business founder who was elected to the Clark County Charter Review Commission in 2025, per his campaign site and The Columbian.
Source: candidate campaign site.
Campaign site →Republican · Incumbent
Kevin Waters is the sitting Republican state representative for the 17th Legislative District, Position 1, and serves as Ranking Minority Member on State Government & Tribal Relations, per the Legislature's official roster. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 7, 2026.