Rep. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, now has a challenger for her seat in the state Legislature.
Tom Riggs of Camano Island filed Monday, June 7 as a Democratic candidate for House of Representatives Pos. 2 in the 10th Legislative District, which encompasses all of Island County and part of Skagit and Snohomish counties. State representatives serve a two-year term.
Riggs said he made up his mind to run for office after gathering nearly 500 petition signatures in under three weeks – about100 more than needed to waive the standard filing fee of $421.06.
Riggs said gathering the signatures was a way to “see what support was out there before jumping into a campaign.”
Riggs said he felt overwhelmed by the number of people who helped him this early in the campaign season by gathering
signatures and signing petitions.
“I wouldn’t be as motivated as I am without their help and excitement,” he said.
Riggs has been manager at Camano Island State Park and assistant manager for the Cama Beach area for the past five years. He is the son of retired KMPS radio personality Don Riggs.
Riggs, who is married with two children, said he hopes to represent the issues facing working families. Born and raised in Washington, he holds a bachelor of science degree from Central Washington University.
Now that he has officially filed for office, he will begin seeking endorsements from Democratic organizations, the Sierra Club and other groups, he said.
Rep. Barbara Bailey, who is running for re-election after eight years in office, said she isn’t worried about a challenger and is confident she will win a fifth term.
“I have met Tom, and heard that there was maybe somebody from Camano running against me, but I don’t plan my campaign around who might be challenging me,” she said.
Bailey said her campaign strategy is “to let voters know about me and what I stand for so they can make a good and well-informed decision when it comes to voting.”
She also said she expects a “very dynamic campaign season.”
Asked if she likes campaigning, she said, “I think it’s always good to reaffirm who you are, what you stand for, and also to have an opportunity to visit with people all over the district you represent to get feedback from them to make sure that you’re representing them.”
Bailey, who has held the seat since 2003, currently serves on several House committees, including Financial Institutions and Insurance, Ways and Means, Health Care and Wellness and Rules.
Bailey holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of New York and is a longtime professional in the hotel and hospitality industry. She lives with her husband, Butch Bailey, in Oak Harbor. They have four adult children and eight grandchildren.
During her 2008 campaign, Bailey raised and spent approximately $153,000. To date, she has raised $55,663. She said she doesn’t expect her campaign costs to change much this year and that she intends to run her campaign as in years past.
“I still like some of the old-fashioned ways – knocking on a door, connecting and letting people know you want to serve them,” she said.
As Riggs begins to pull together his campaign team he said he wants focus on people and not money. He hopes to keep his campaign costs low and to run his campaign with money from local contributions. He said he is “running to be a voice for working people.”
“Government has moved too far away from serving the people with the rich and powerful in charge,” Riggs said.
