WASHINGTON, USA — EL'ona Kearney is tossing her hat in the ring to become Washington's next governor. If elected, she will be the state's third female governor and first Black governor.
Born to a military family in Florida, Kearney herself is an Army veteran. After moving around, she eventually planted roots in Washington in 2016.
"My cousin, he was living here when he got out of the Navy, and he was like, 'Oh, come out here! We can start a business together!'” she recalled. “I moved up here, bought a house, and he moved back to Florida and left me by myself!" she laughed.
Kearney says she was inspired to run after seeing issues such as homelessness worsen over time. Experiencing homelessness herself, Kearney says she understands many of the challenges that face Washington's working class.
Now, she's pounding the pavement and has visited all 39 of Washington’s counties, looking to spread the word about her grassroots campaign.
"I've been pretty much out in these streets since May 2022, getting to know people because all our politicians always come out election year like that's the only time we exist," she said.
But running for Governor isn't cheap. Simply filing to register for Washington's August primary costs nearly $2,000. Kearney says hurdles like that prevent many from running for office. She added that she can only run because her husband works full-time but hopes to gain support as the race goes on.
She also hopes that her campaign will inspire others to try and move into the governor's mansion and remove the assumption that politics is reserved for the wealthy.
“We marched for us to be able to have these equal rights and equity to get in a race like this,” she said. “They did that hard push, so I’m going to do this one. Win or lose, I’m doing this hard push for the next person to be able to have that visibility.”
In one of Tacoma's most well-known juice bars, one woman is looking to make history with her story.
Kearney will be running against Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Washington State Senator Mark Mullet for the Democratic nomination. She's also running against GOP candidates Dave Reichert and Semi Bird, among others.
The top two candidates, regardless of party, will advance to the general election.