Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Personal

Birthplace

Turlock, Calif.

Religion

Catholic

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Washington House of Representatives to represent District 13-Position 1. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Castañeda-Díaz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz was born in Turlock, California. He began serving in the United States Army National Guard in 2015. Castañeda-Díaz attended Central Washington University in high school, received an associate degree from Big Bend Community College, and received a bachelor's degree from Washington State University.

Elections

2020

See also: Washington House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Washington House of Representatives District 13-Position 1

Incumbent Tom Dent defeated Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz in the general election for Washington House of Representatives District 13-Position 1 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Dent (R)	71.3	47,701
		Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz (D)	28.6	19,104
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	68

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 66,873
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Washington House of Representatives District 13-Position 1

Incumbent Tom Dent and Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz defeated John Malan in the primary for Washington House of Representatives District 13-Position 1 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Dent (R)	74.3	31,136
✔		Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz (D)	22.8	9,553
	Submit photo	John Malan (Classical Democrat Party)	2.7	1,136
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	53

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 41,878
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Castañeda-Díaz's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born in California to immigrant parents, U.S. Army Specialist Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz was raised in Quincy, Washington. After graduating from Quincy High School, he was accepted to Washington State University and graduated with a degree in Foreign Languages and Cultures with a minor in Criminal Justice. While in college, Eduardo enlisted and served for five years in the Washington, California, and Idaho Army National Guards and currently serves as a Combat Engineer. After graduating, Eduardo continued his education-attending graduate school for two years and law school for one. Eduardo has since returned home to continue serving his community in the Washington House of Representatives with perseverance and dedication

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Civil & human rights will be prioritized.
• Education access for all.
• Protect our environment for future generations.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am personally passionate about immigration, housing, and food security.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my father and mother because they taught me the value of work ethic. He came to this nation without anything, and worked their way up to where they are today. U.S. citizens, home owners, and living their American Dream out.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Respect for others. I believe politicians should not take money from big corporations or special interests because it creates a scenario where conflicts-of-interest can arise. I believe politicians should always put their constituents over the needs of their donors or political parties.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am respectful of others' opinions and conduct adequate research before speaking. If I don't know something, I will admit it, instead of pretending to know. I will learn it and then speak on it. I believe humility is an important trait for any leader.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To make decisions that benefit the most people, improve and maintain the quality of life for your constituents and fight for the needs of those most marginalized. Leadership is a key component to elected office.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave this world a better place for our future generation.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11. I was 8-years-old and remember my school principal crying over the P.A. system.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was 14-years-old. I held it the summer before I began high school. I worked alongside my mother removing rocks and brush from a field that would eventually be turned into an apple orchard.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I love salsa music. Idilio by Willie Colón has some nice trombones at the beginning part of the song, and then leads into a nice salsa rhythm. I recommend the song.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I grew up in a low-income, immigrant working-class family. We struggled every day, but we persevered.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe state legislators with previous military experience have an advantage in regards to their outlook on society, acquired leadership skills, and mentality that allows for team work in the political arena.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our state's and nation's greatest challenge over the next decade will be climate change. Wildfires have already begun burning through the West and negatively impacting our agricultural industry. We will be tasked with meeting the need of freshwater for our farmers, as well as reducing gas emissions from agricultural processes. The temperature changes have shifted the growth cycle of our crops, and has already began causing economic harm on our local economies.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. In order to create and efficient system that works for all of the constituents, legislators must people over their political affiliations. Professional relationships must be built to respectfully communicate ideas and differences, and better serve our communities.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

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External links

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Washington House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Laurie Jinkins

Majority Leader:Joe Fitzgibbon

Minority Leader:Drew Stokesbary

Representatives

District 1-Position 1

Davina Duerr (D)

District 1-Position 2

Shelley Kloba (D)

District 2-Position 1

Andrew Barkis (R)

District 2-Position 2

Matt Marshall (R)

District 3-Position 1

Natasha Hill (D)

District 3-Position 2

Timm Ormsby (D)

District 4-Position 1

Suzanne Schmidt (R)

District 4-Position 2

Rob Chase (R)

District 5-Position 1

Zach Hall (D)

District 5-Position 2

Lisa Callan (D)

District 6-Position 1

Mike Volz (R)

District 6-Position 2

Jenny Graham (R)

District 7-Position 1

David Engell (R)

District 7-Position 2

Hunter Abell (R)

District 8-Position 1

Stephanie Barnard (R)

District 8-Position 2

April Connors (R)

District 9-Position 1

Mary Dye (R)

District 9-Position 2

Joe Schmick (R)

District 10-Position 1

Clyde Shavers (D)

District 10-Position 2

Dave Paul (D)

District 11-Position 1

David Hackney (D)

District 11-Position 2

Steve Bergquist (D)

District 12-Position 1

Brian Burnett (R)

District 12-Position 2

Mike Steele (R)

District 13-Position 1

Tom Dent (R)

District 13-Position 2

Alex Ybarra (R)

District 14-Position 1

Gloria Mendoza (R)

District 14-Position 2

Deb Manjarrez (R)

District 15-Position 1

Chris Corry (R)

District 15-Position 2

Jeremie Dufault (R)

District 16-Position 1

Mark Klicker (R)

District 16-Position 2

Skyler Rude (R)

District 17-Position 1

Kevin Waters (R)

District 17-Position 2

David Stuebe (R)

District 18-Position 1

Stephanie McClintock (R)

District 18-Position 2

John Ley (R)

District 19-Position 1

Jim Walsh (R)

District 19-Position 2

Joel McEntire (R)

District 20-Position 1

Peter Abbarno (R)

District 20-Position 2

Ed Orcutt (R)

District 21-Position 1

Strom Peterson (D)

District 21-Position 2

Lillian Ortiz-Self (D)

District 22-Position 1

Beth Doglio (D)

District 22-Position 2

Lisa Parshley (D)

District 23-Position 1

Tarra Simmons (D)

District 23-Position 2

Greg Nance (D)

District 24-Position 1

Adam Bernbaum (D)

District 24-Position 2

Steve Tharinger (D)

District 25-Position 1

Michael Keaton (R)

District 25-Position 2

Cyndy Jacobsen (R)

District 26-Position 1

Adison Richards (D)

District 26-Position 2

Michelle Caldier (R)

District 27-Position 1

Laurie Jinkins (D)

District 27-Position 2

Jake Fey (D)

District 28-Position 1

Mari Leavitt (D)

District 28-Position 2

Dan Bronoske (D)

District 29-Position 1

Melanie Morgan (D)

District 29-Position 2

Sharlett Mena (D)

District 30-Position 1

Jamila Taylor (D)

District 30-Position 2

Kristine Reeves (D)

District 31-Position 1

Drew Stokesbary (R)

District 31-Position 2

Josh Penner (R)

District 32-Position 1

Cindy Ryu (D)

District 32-Position 2

Lauren Davis (D)

District 33-Position 1

Edwin Obras (D)

District 33-Position 2

Mia Gregerson (D)

District 34-Position 1

Brianna Thomas (D)

District 34-Position 2

Joe Fitzgibbon (D)

District 35-Position 1

Dan Griffey (R)

District 35-Position 2

Travis Couture (R)

District 36-Position 1

Julia Reed (D)

District 36-Position 2

Liz Berry (D)

District 37-Position 1

Sharon Santos (D)

District 37-Position 2

Chipalo Street (D)

District 38-Position 1

Julio Cortes (D)

District 38-Position 2

Mary Fosse (D)

District 39-Position 1

Sam Low (R)

District 39-Position 2

Carolyn Eslick (R)

District 40-Position 1

Debra Lekanoff (D)

District 40-Position 2

Alex Ramel (D)

District 41-Position 1

Janice Zahn (D)

District 41-Position 2

My-Linh Thai (D)

District 42-Position 1

Alicia Rule (D)

District 42-Position 2

Joe Timmons (D)

District 43-Position 1

Nicole Macri (D)

District 43-Position 2

Shaun Scott (D)

District 44-Position 1

Brandy Donaghy (D)

District 44-Position 2

April Berg (D)

District 45-Position 1

Roger Goodman (D)

District 45-Position 2

Larry Springer (D)

District 46-Position 1

Gerry Pollet (D)

District 46-Position 2

Darya Farivar (D)

District 47-Position 1

Debra Entenman (D)

District 47-Position 2

Chris Stearns (D)

District 48-Position 1

Osman Salahuddin (D)

District 48-Position 2

Amy Walen (D)

District 49-Position 1

Sharon Wylie (D)

District 49-Position 2

Monica Stonier (D)

Democratic Party (59)

Republican Party (39)