(These remarks were delivered to the 2022 Cascade Conference – a gathering of the Mainstream Republicans of Washington – on May 21, 2022.)

I’m here to speak with you tonight not as a journalist or political pundit, but as a Washingtonian who believes that the best possible thing for our state at this moment is a little bit of balance.

I’m here to speak with you as a moderate. As someone who has, and will, vote for members of both parties. As someone whose only concern is a government that functions at its full potential for the people it serves.

The theme of this conference is “How to take back Washington state.” I’m going to outline three ways I believe you can do that. But before we talk about the “how” I want to take a moment to acknowledge the “why.”

There is good reason for Republicans to be optimistic right now. A new NBC poll says 75% of Americans believe our country is on the wrong track. Even MSNBC called it “shellacking territory” for Democrats.

Those sentiments about the direction of the country will have many voters looking to you – wondering if it’s time for a change of course.

Your challenge is to meet the moment.

It is understandable to be excited – to see this as your chance to take back power. But it is just as important to see it as the incredible responsibility that it is.

While the position that Republicans are in this year is a promising one politically, it presents itself because Americans are struggling.

Moms are standing in front of empty store shelves, wondering how they’re going to feed their infants.

Blue collar workers are standing in front of gas pumps, the anxiety building as the prices climb higher.

Small business owners are standing in front of the shops they spent their life savings to open, worrying how much longer they can make payroll.

Police officers are standing face-to-face with violent criminals, asking how far away the closest backup is.

Families are standing over the graves of their young sons, wanting to know what more could have been done to prevent the gang violence that stole their lives and their potential.

Yes – while 2022 presents an opportunity for Republicans, that opportunity comes with profound responsibility.

So you have to promise me something: If you finally get the power back that you’ve been working toward for so long? You have to promise me that you will remember what it’s like not to have it.

The pandemic was a test of one-party rule in Washington state and in my opinion that party failed.

It failed because it prioritized petty politics and shallow allegiances over the opportunity to come together to address the single most complex crisis that most of us will ever confront.

There is little doubt that, in the early days, Governor Jay Inslee took steps he believed were necessary to save lives. But the health crisis was only one part of this pandemic.

As restrictions and mandates dragged on, many small businesses were at the point of economic ruin. Some of you in this very room started to speak out on their behalf.

I spoke with Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, who is here tonight. He shared the story of a local brewery owner who told him he was watching his family’s dream “slip away.” Mayor Nehring was worried about the business – I could hear it in his voice.

After our conversation, I called the brewery owner and we chatted. One of the first things he said to me was how grateful he was to have a mayor who gave a damn. A mayor who picked up the phone. A mayor who listened to his concerns. A mayor who saw his economic pain as real pain. A mayor with business experience who knew that there were common sense ways to keep these places open, while also keeping people safe.

But, like many mayors I spoke with throughout the pandemic, Mayor Nehring felt helpless in a lot of ways. Helpless to take care of the city he was elected to serve.

For more than 800 days one man has shown through his words and actions that he believes he knows best. That he believes he can take care of your communities better than you can. That he believes the collective experience and intellect of 147 independently elected state lawmakers is irrelevant.

To be fair, he is the governor. The voters of this state decided during the pandemic, by a decisive margin, to keep him in power. Like it or not, he is the man in charge.

But leadership, true leadership, is about who you can bring to the table – not who you can keep away from it.

Imagine if Governor Inslee looked at all of you in this room as a resource, rather than as political opponents.

Imagine if he had the humility to turn to Senator John Braun, who has helped run a family business in this state for 36 years.

Imagine if the Governor saw representatives like Kelly Chambers as a resource, rather than just a Republican. I wonder if he knows that Kelly and her husband own a business dedicated to caring for the elderly and vulnerable.

And then there’s Representative Andrew Barkis, who owns a property management company. I imagine he would have had some ideas about how to keep people in their homes without bankrupting landlords.

I see Representative Dan Griffey here tonight. Dan just retired after 30 years of service to this state as a firefighter. I’m certain he had a few ideas about how to keep first responders on the job, while keeping the public safe from COVID-19.

There is so much knowledge in this room. So many different life experiences and areas of expertise. I simply cannot fathom turning that away over something as shallow as political party.

But rather than tap into the legions of state and local leaders who were ready to step up and help, what did the Governor say?

“There is only one person in the state of Washington who has the capability to save lives right now, and it happens to be the Governor.”

And that takes me to the first step in “How to take back Washington state”: By putting people before politics.

Before you groan at my incessant efforts to bridge political divides, consider this: Five Thirty-Eight, which is run by statistician Nate Silver, asked 2,000 Americans what their biggest concern is right now.

Not surprisingly, at the top of the list is inflation.

But what came in second? Any guesses?

Political polarization.

That’s right – political polarization.

Ahead of crime.

Ahead of COVID-19.

Ahead of abortion, education, and taxes.

Political polarization. People are sick of it.

Voters put that so high on their list of concerns because they know that none of those other issues have a chance in hell of being fixed if politicians can’t stop competing and start collaborating.

So the first way to take back Washington state is to prove at every opportunity that you are the party that is willing to put politics aside when it is in the best interest of the people you signed up to serve. That if and when you take back power, you do what Democrats refused to do during the pandemic. You see and treat you colleagues across the aisle as valuable resources who – if given the chance – will enhance your debate, not detract from it. Because the best ideas are never born in echo chambers.

If you can do that, you can not only take back Washington, but you can keep it.

Now to step two for taking back power. In fact, you’ve already shown you’re capable of it by having me here to speak with you.

My presence tonight is somewhat controversial among a segment of conservatives in our state. Conservatives who are confused as to why you would invite a moderate Independent to be the keynote speaker at a Republican conference.

Let me quote from one upset Twitter user. She wrote:

“Democrats – of no kind – would ever hire a Republican – of any kind – to be a keynote speaker at a conference.”

It was meant as an insult … to you. That you’re weak. That you’re looking to the middle for advice rather than standing firmly in your own corner.

But as most of you know in this room, that is what sets you apart.

Without knowing it that critic articulated how Republicans can win in Washington state: By addition, not subtraction.

It is simple math.

There are not enough of you to win on your own.

Period.

And as Democrats vilify the moderates in their party, they are presenting you with an opportunity to make the math work.

Need I point out moderate Senator Joe Manchin, the Democrat from West Virginia? Or closer to home, Democratic State Senator Mark Mullet, who wasn’t deemed Progressive enough. So what did Governor Jay Inslee do? He endorsed Mullet’s Progressive challenger – the challenger of a sitting Democrat! Something Inslee had never done in nearly a decade in office.

Mullet was able to keep his seat, but the attack from his own party only emboldened him to work with Republicans on issues like emergency power reform. He has now turned into a vocal critic of the governor.

Not to mention that Senator Mullet was an early endorser of Joe Biden back in 2019. I asked him in a recent interview whether he would vote for Biden again should he run again in 2024. His response? It depends what Republican is running.

And let me tell you, there are a lot of Mark Mullet’s out there. People who are tired of being put through political purity tests. People who don’t fit into a little box that a big party made for them, but who still want a seat at the table.

I’m here to encourage you to let them sit at yours.

And the same goes for moderate Republicans.

To make the math work, the attacks on members of your own party must stop. I don’t think there are too many in this room who engage in those, but it’s worth saying anyway.

Representative Wilcox, how many times have you been called a RINO for doing what’s right? Next time someone calls you a RINO, I want you to respond with an enthusiastic “thank you!” Because although it doesn’t feel like a compliment, it is. It means that you are beholden to only one thing: your conscience. And as much as I know that you are dedicated to the Republican Party, I also know that you are dedicated to things far more meaningful, like keeping your moral compass on course and working with anyone if it will help the people you serve.

We need more of that in politics, not less.

Now, if you want to win moderates you have to know what moderates want. I don’t pretend to speak for all of them, so I’ll just speak for myself.

I want common sense.

I want an end to performative politics.

I want politicians to act like adults.

I want the safety of my family to be more important than the desire of politicians to prove how woke they are.

And that brings me to policing.

I believe that law enforcement needs to be held to the highest possible standard. They have the power to take away someone’s freedom and even their life. There is no greater responsibility.

It’s why when there is evidence of concerning patterns in policing, those need to be addressed with urgency.

But I also believe that at its core, policing is a noble profession. I believe that politicians who sit behind a desk should be ashamed of themselves when they make the jobs of our men and women in uniform more difficult and more dangerous – all for the sake of identity politics.

I believe policing is only part of a comprehensive public safety plan, but that we need to do everything possible to staff our police departments with enough well-trained officers to ensure acceptable 911 response times.

As a moderate Independent, with admittedly some Libertarian tendencies, I believe the government should stay out of my life and my friend’s lives as much as possible.

That goes for abortion, gay marriage, and yes – vaccines.

As a moderate, I want to see our government live up to the promise of this country as a beacon to those looking for a better life. I want both parties to stop using Dreamers as political leverage and make them Americans on paper once and for all. For new immigrants, I want there to be a legal path to citizenship that is thorough but not buried in years of red tape. If we can do that, we can focus on making it as difficult as possible for people to enter our country illegally.

That should not be controversial.

I want Democrats to wake up to the reality of the public safety crisis at the southern border – and the link between those dying on our streets and the fentanyl flooding into our country.

I want the government to stop vilifying the businesses that help our communities prosper.

I want teachers to teach and stop trying to parent.

I want lawmakers to approach our state budget the same way working class families approach theirs – with restraint.

And I want to keep more of my money, especially now.

If you can convince moderates that you’re willing to meet them where they stand on at least some of those issues, I have little doubt that you can earn their votes.

And finally, step number three for taking back Washington state – and I’ll keep this one short and simple.

Treat every problem like it is your problem.

Americans are tired of politicians who want the job, but not the responsibility.

President Joe Biden has blamed just about everything and everyone for inflation, except himself.

Republicans. Trump. Putin. The pandemic. Meat producers. Oil producers. Billionaires. You name it. Frankly, I don’t care if aliens beamed down from space and magically changed the numbers on the gas station marquees. The only thing Americans want to know is how he’s going to fix it.

I told you at the beginning that 2022 presents an opportunity for Republicans, but that it comes with incredible responsibility.

If you don’t want that responsibility, then I suggest you don’t run.

What we need now more than ever are public servants who will stand up and say:

“Trust me with that problem.”

“Look to me for solutions.”

“Blame me when times get tough.”

If you do that and mean it – I promise, voters will notice.

To close, I realize that this moment is not exactly something to celebrate. You never want to be in a position to win elections because people are suffering.

But that should give you the motivation you need to put yourself in a position to help them.

So when you sit here, discussing how to take back Washington state, remember who you’re trying to take it back for.

Not for yourselves.

Not for your party.

But rather, for a citizenry that will benefit from a little bit of balance.