August 6 Primary Election Candidate Profiles

Dr. Bernadine Bank

Dr. Bernadine Bank was born into a large working-class Catholic family in Joliet, Illinois. She attended public school from K-8, and then an all-girls Catholic high school. During her senior year in high school, she was a Rotary International Exchange student for a year and lived with four different families in Australia. While in Australia, she was accepted into the University of Illinois - but needed money to pay for it. She received a job assisting farmers in the rural outback by hunting invasive foxes that were introduced from England and were troublesome for farmers and native wildlife.

Upon returning to the United States, she earned a degree in chemistry before obtaining her medical degree from Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine. She completed her four-year residency at Parkland (University of Texas Southwestern), before operating a private practice for 15 years in Dallas, delivering over 3,000 babies during that time. In 2006, she moved to Colbert, Washington, just north of Spokane. Dr. Bank would go on to found the Gynecological Department at the Spokane VA Hospital. She currently serves her community at the CHAS clinics in Spokane, helping provide OB/GYN services to those in need.

While always taking an interest in politics, Dr. Bank only became active in the political world after the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. She became a PCO for her precinct in May of 2022 and was elected chair of the 6th Legislative District in December of 2022. As women's rights have continued to deteriorate in different states across the country over the past two years, Dr. Bank felt that she could no longer stand on the sidelines while those who would seek to make women second-class citizens passed more and more harmful laws. She announced her candidacy for Washington's 5th Congressional District on January 6th.

Dr. Bank is running for Congress to represent Eastern Washington. She is a moderate voice in an age of extremes, and a leader with vision in an era of agendas. Dr. Bank is running to protect Women's Health, to fight for veterans' rights, and to support of working families. Dr. Bank is running to keep our promises to Ukraine.

Michael Baumgartner

I'm running for Congress because I want my children, and all our families, to have a chance at the American Dream we've enjoyed.

I care deeply about Eastern Washington. It's where I was born and raised. I grew up in Colton on the Palouse, and got my degree in Economics from WSU (Go Cougs!) I worked in private business and then for the US State Department in Iraq, where I saw firsthand the sacrifices of our nation's best. I met my wife Eleanor in Afghanistan, and now we live in Spokane with our five young children who are busy with school, sports, scouts, and church.

My priorities are the same as yours. My values are the same as yours.

I'll work hard to protect the dams, secure the southern border, stop overspending and block needless "climate change" regulation.

I have a proven record fighting for Eastern Washington priorities and winning. Over eight years serving in the State Senate, I passed balanced budgets, fought for lower taxes, and helped bring a new WSU medical school to Spokane to train more rural doctors. I helped block plans for an expensive carbon tax while securing funding for vital highway projects in Eastern Washington. My work was commended by business and taxpayer organizations, and I was named a Champion of Freedom by the Washington Policy Center.

I'm honored to be supported by agriculture leaders like Sen. Mark Schoesler, Alex McGregor, Matt Hanson, Dennis Hanson and Chris Schultheis, by Hon. Dino Rossi and former Attorney General Rob McKenna, and by community leaders including Sen. Mike Padden, David Condon, former WSU QB Jack Thompson, veterans' advocate Wesley Anderson, Jay Holzmiller, Don McQuary, Duane Brelsford, former Sen. Mike Hewitt, Asotin County Sheriff John Hilderbrand - and many more.

In Congress, I'll keep fighting for Eastern Washington: protecting the dams that are essential to farming, working for Fairchild Air Force Base, and ensuring quality healthcare for rural communities and veterans. Serving as Spokane County Treasurer, I've been a tireless advocate for taxpayers, fighting tax increases and providing maximum tax breaks for seniors and veterans.

We must stop inflation and reckless spending. Our national debt is $34 trillion and growing. This year we'll spend more to service that debt than we do on national defense. Meanwhile families are feeling the steep rises in prices of everything from gas to groceries. We must refocus our federal government on its core functions and spend within our means.

We must secure the Southern Border. Unvetted immigrants and fentanyl are pouring over our open border. It's a humanitarian crisis both at the border and for our local communities struggling with drugs and crime. We must finish the wall, enforce existing laws, return to policies like "Remain in Mexico," and implement e-Verify. Many businesses rely on legal immigration, but the current situation is untenable.

If elected, I'll have offices in Spokane Valley, Walla Walla, Pullman and Colville and will work hard for all of Eastern Washington.

I would be honored to have your vote.

Bobbi Bennett-Wolcott

I am not a politician. I am a wife, mother, grandmother, and nurse. I am also a lifelong resident of Eastern Washington. My formative years were spent as an orchardist's daughter in north central Washington. From this experience, I developed a strong work ethic at a young age. My parents differed in their political views, but they modeled for their four daughters what civil discourse and healthy debate looked like.

I married in 1993 and left the nursing profession to stay home with our children. Following my husband's deployment to Iraq, our family moved from Spokane to Pullman, and I re-entered the workforce as a birth doula, returning to school to earn my nurse-midwifery degree. I worked in Pullman, Washington at a local clinic for five years providing midwifery and women's health services and went back to school and earned my Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

I am currently employed by WSU as a clinical assistant professor, working with DNP scholars. I continue to be a strong advocate for the weak and vulnerable. My mission in running for congress is to bring open communication and collaboration back to the table. Our district and our country are facing many complex issues that require our communities to work together. As I continue to meet with folks across our district and discover what's important to you, I'm reminded of our many commonalities, including pride in our beautiful farmlands and an honest desire to help one another.

Let's talk. I am confident if we work together, we can find solutions to issues that affect all District 5 constituents.

Ann Marie Danimus

Bringing opportunity back and leaving no one behind. A VISION of prosperity for all Americans.

Ann Marie Danimus calls herself a "blue collar" Democrat running for the open seat in Washington's 5th District. This vision begins with her fight for universal healthcare, green jobs through climate action, public education, rural development, and strong unions. She is the first disabled candidate to run for this office having survived a double transplant and will put special focus on the disabled, veterans and senior citizens by eliminating the roadblocks to proper care.

Ann Marie is extremely well-versed in policy and can confidently start the job on day one. She is a strong negotiator and is known in business for her talent creating symbiotic relationships and mutually beneficial solutions which will; translate well in Congress. She believes she is the best candidate to flip the 5th district. Not only does her personal story resonate with a wide range of people, she believes that she can draw a threw-line from Democrat policy to economic growth that will appeal to right leaning independents and moderate GOP as well as with her fellow Democrats. She delivers her message with passion with a warm, friendly, and dynamic way of speaking that grabs people's attention and inspires.

Codifying women's reproductive rights, supporting the full force of the 14th Amendment Section to cover the LGBTQ+ community and passing the John Lewis Voting Act are first on her agenda. She has a comprehensive plan to fund public education, provide student loan relief and to start moving the United States towards free college and vocational training.

Her work background and talents are encapsulated in her bill "Pass on Plastic" which is a packaging bill that expands on current proposals to move the US from petroleum-based packaging and disposable items and replacing them with compostable items which can be manufactured from farm refuse like wheat straw,

corn husk as well as hemp. This is a trifecta bill as it not only protects the environment, reduces waste, and protects all animal life it also will provide jobs in rural areas and create an income stream for farmers from nuisance refuse items.

In addition, Ann Marie has a bill she is working on to expand TAP (transition assistance program) in the US military to include mental health and addiction screening to better help soldiers transition to life at home which has also been proven to greatly reduce suicide in a pilot project out of California.

Ann Marie is not a career politician and refuses to take a penny from corporate PACs or lobbyists. She created the NOPE pledge which stands for Not One Penny Ever. Its over 4,000 donors, her average contribution is $32.69

Her parents raised her to help those who cannot help themselves and their guidance is the driving force behind her personal mantra: DO GOOD. We hope you will give her your highest consideration for endorsement.

Jacquelin Maycumber

A legislator, mother, farmer, and softball coach, Jacquelin Maycumber is a proud native of the 5th Congressional District. A former law enforcement officer, Jacquelin embodies a deep commitment to service and conservative leadership, rooted in the values instilled by generations on the family ranch, which spans over a century. Her roots in the district go back even further, as evidenced by the plaque on the Franklin County Courthouse, which her great grandfather built. Jacquelin earned a bachelor's in biochemistry and worked as a biomedical research scientist. She and her husband Marty live on their family ranch in Republic with their three children.

Jacquelin's candidacy has received the support of numerous influential statewide and national organizations, like the International Association of Firefighters, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Gun Owners of America, the Washington State Farm Bureau, and the Washington Council of Police & Sheriffs. She also has broad support from local and regional elected officials, including Representative Joe Schmick, Representative Mary Dye, Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner, Franklin County Sheriff J.D. Raymond, Walla Walla County Sheriff Mark Crider, and Malden Mayor Dan Harwood.

In a letter of support for Jacquelin's candidacy, Representatives Schmick and Dye wrote, "Jacquelin's understanding of the issues facing rural America is second-to-none. From agriculture to natural resources and energy, she possesses a depth of knowledge and a breadth of experience that uniquely qualifies her to be our voice in Congress. She understands our challenges and opportunities and the importance of fighting for policies that support our farmers, ranchers, and small businesses."

A farmer and advocate for agriculture and rural communities, Jacquelin is a member of the Washington State Farm Bureau and the Washington State Cattlemen's Association. Within the political arena, she has emerged as a respected voice, three times elected by peers as the House Republican Caucus Floor Leader, demonstrating her adeptness at navigating complex legislative landscapes.

Maycumber's commitment to Second Amendment rights is underscored by an NRA "A+" lifetime voting record and a Gun Owners of America "A" rating, affirming her dedication to upholding fundamental constitutional liberties.

From her time helping a local chamber and on the school board to her service as a State Representative, Jacquelin remains steadfast in her dedication to serving constituents and advancing the values that define the 5th Congressional District. With a track record of "integrity, leadership, and community" advocacy, she continues to be a driving force for positive change in Washington state.

These qualities have helped her find success in Olympia from a position in the minority as a Republican. She sponsored and passed landmark legislation, like the expansion of services and resources to veterans in rural communities, established the statewide high school apprenticeship program, and capped the cost of life-saving medications like insulin. The veteran service program and medication cost cap have been so successful in Washington that Congress is now attempting to pass their own versions of these programs.