[CCCNFBW] The Columbian: 17th Legislative District Position 2: David Stuebe vs. Diana Perez

[Merribeth Greenberg]

17th Legislative District Position 2: David Stuebe vs. Diana Perez
Incumbent, Vancouver city councilor differ on solutions to affordability,
accountability
Photo of Doug Flanagan
By Doug Flanagan, Columbian Staff Reporter
Published: October 16, 2026, 11:00am
Updated: October 16, 2026, 3:42pm
17th Legislative District Position 2: David Stuebe vs. Diana Perez - The
Columbian
<https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/16/17th-legislative-district-position-2-david-stuebe-vs-diana-perez-2/>

Alt Text of picture: Diana Perez, left and David Stuebe are facing off  in
17th Legislative District’s Position 2 race.

How Washington should balance affordability, public spending and economic
growth is at the center of the 17th Legislative District’s Position 2 race.
Incumbent Rep. David Stuebe, R-Washougal, calls for greater accountability
and a cautious energy transition while Democrat challenger Diana Perez
emphasizes tax changes, infrastructure and investments in community needs.

Stuebe, 65, has held a seat in the state House since 2024 and has been
Washougal’s mayor since 2022. He served 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps,
retiring as a colonel, and spent 20 years in management and leadership
roles at pharmaceutical companies.

“I’ve spent two years in Olympia, and it has been epic and awesome and
crazy all at the same time,” Stuebe said during a Sept. 10 Editorial Board
meeting at The Columbian. “I’m really excited about going back up there to
finish what I’ve started. I’ve learned a lot in the last two years. I’ve
got, I think, a unique perspective of what we need to do in our state and
with our different challenges.”

Perez, 57, has served on the Vancouver City Council since 2021 and was
previously a member of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. She
has 30 years of experience in natural resources management and public
service, working as a wildlife biologist and public lands manager with the
U.S. Forest Service.

17th District House Position 2 Candidates
— 2026 General Election —

Diana H. Perez
Age: 56 years old
Residence: Vancouver
Party: Democrat
Web site: electdianaperez.com
Education: Bachelor of Science, Texas Tech University; Master of Science,
Oregon State University.
Occupation: Program specialist
Political experience: Vancouver City Council, 2021-present.
Major endorsements: Washington State Labor Council, Planned Parenthood
Alliance Advocates, Sierra Club, Washington Conservation Action, Fuse
Washington, Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund, Washington State
Building and Construction Trades Council, International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751, International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers Local 48

David Stuebe
Age: 65 years old
Residence: Washougal
Party: Republican
Web site: electstuebe.com
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, University of Redlands,
1983.
Occupation: Mayor of Washougal
Political experience: Washington State House of Representatives, 17th
District, Position 2, 2024-current; Washougal City Council, 2021-current
(mayor 2022-current).
Major endorsements: APRNs of Washington State, Associated General
Contractors of Washington, Building Industry Association of Washington,
Clark County Republican Party, National Federation of Independent Business,
Skamania County Republican Party, Washington Associations of Realtors,
Washington Fire Chiefs, Washington Retail Association, Washington State
Dental Association

“I want to deliver practical solutions, fiscal responsibility, and work on
an economy that’s going to work for everyone,” she said. “In addition to my
professional experience, I have quite a bit of community volunteer
advocacy, and so paralleling that with my professional public service, I
feel like those are talents and skills that I could better represent people
in Olympia.”

Stuebe and Perez agree residents are struggling with affordability and that
state programs should be accountable, but differ on the causes and
solutions.

Stuebe argued Washington has a spending and accountability problem. He
called for measuring the results of public spending, including homelessness
programs, and said taxes and regulations burden households and small
businesses.

Perez also supported reviewing programs for effectiveness and eliminating
duplication, but called the state’s tax structure regressive. She supported
the millionaires tax to fund working-family tax credits, small-business
support and school lunches. But she also cautioned against lowering the
tax’s income threshold and urged consideration of businesses’ relocation
decisions.

On homelessness, Stuebe cited addiction, public safety and questions about
spending effectiveness, while Perez emphasized housing costs, saying people
lose homes when they cannot afford rent or mortgages, and called for more
varied housing options.

Regarding energy, Stuebe warned against retiring existing sources before
reliable alternatives are available, citing grid reliability, business
costs and demands for energy and water from new industries. He said he
would consider data centers if responsibly sited and responsive to local
needs. Perez advocated grid modernization, renewable energy workforce
training and evaluating large projects for their benefits and local
impacts. She highlighted the Port of Camas-Washougal’s industrial-symbiosis
work, which turns waste into a resource, as a promising model.

Their economic development priorities also differ. Stuebe focused on
protecting existing industries and jobs, including hatcheries he said
support tourism and state revenue, while Perez emphasized investment in
infrastructure, particularly state Highway 14, to diversify the regional
economy.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/cccnfbw_nfbnet.org/attachments/20261023/fb670467/attachment.htm>