Rep. Michael Baumgartner is urging Gov. Bob Ferguson to enroll Washington in a new federal education scholarship program created under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, arguing the governor is denying families access to up to $1,700 in K-12 scholarship funding. Baumgartner says the program gives parents more flexibility to choose the educational option that works best for their children, whether that’s public, private, charter, or homeschooling.

The program, known as the Education Freedom Tax Credit, allows taxpayers to receive up to $1,700 in federal tax credits for donations to nonprofit scholarship organizations, which then award scholarships to eligible K-12 students. But there’s one catch: states must opt into the program before their students can benefit, and Ferguson has yet to enroll Washington. Baumgartner has accused the governor of letting partisan politics get in the way and is calling on parents to pressure Ferguson to “do your job.”

If Washington continues to sit on the sidelines, eligible students will miss out on scholarship opportunities while families in participating states take advantage of the program. For a governor who often talks about investing in education, critics say passing on federal dollars that expand educational choices sends exactly the wrong message. Read more at Seattle Red.

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has spent two terms cultivating the image of an independent-minded, blue-collar Democrat, but campaign finance records tell a different story. FEC filings show her campaign has received more than $2 million this election cycle from the MGP Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee with the Washington State Democratic Party—raising fresh questions about just how much distance really exists between Perez and the party she often tries to separate herself from on the campaign trail.

Of course, there is also Perez’s role on the Washington State Democratic Party’s executive committee since 2020 further undercutting her carefully crafted maverick image. It’s further evidence she’s aligned with the party’s agenda despite branding herself as an independent voice for Southwest Washington.

The scrutiny doesn’t stop there. Perez’s blue-collar credentials have also come under fire, the auto repair shop she owns with her husband is located across the river in Oregon and she appears to have overstated her role as a mechanic. She can’y quite escape the reality that her past biographies focused primarily on her work managing the business side of the shop.

All of this comes as Perez faces perhaps her toughest reelection campaign yet. Polling has shown a competitive race against Republican Senate Minority Leader John Braun, while a Democratic primary challenge has forced her campaign to spend heavily much earlier than expected. As the election heats up, Perez’s biggest challenge may be convincing voters that the independent image she’s selling matches the political operation behind it. Read more at Seattle Red.

A new Wall Street Journal op-ed is putting Oregon’s disturbing policies on medical treatment for gender-confused minors under the microscope, arguing the state has become one of the country’s most aggressive adopters of cross-sex hormones for teenagers. Citing newly published research, the piece exposes how Oregon’s rates far exceed the national average, particularly among young teens.

Data reveal Oregon diagnosed minors with gender dysphoria and prescribed cross-sex hormones at rates well above those seen elsewhere in the country. Alarmingly, 14-year-olds in Oregon received puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones at several times the national rate, raising real concerns on just how easy it is for minors to begin irreversible “treatments.”

Of course, as the piece points out, these outcomes are the result of deliberate state policy. Oregon classifies these interventions as medically necessary, allowing minors who receive a gender dysphoria diagnosis to access hormones—and in some cases surgery—with fewer barriers than exist in many other states. In stark contrast, several European countries have moved in the opposite direction, tightening restrictions on such treatments for minors following reviews that questioned the strength of the evidence supporting them.

The piece also criticizes Oregon’s reliance on guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), revealing how the far-left organization has faced increasing scrutiny over its recommendations. Taken together, Oregon has become a national outlier—one that has embraced policies many other governments are now reconsidering. Read more at the Wall Street Journal.

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