Kari Isaacson
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Kari Isaacson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Washington State Senate to represent District 16. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Isaacson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Kari Isaacson was born in Portland, Oregon. She earned a high school diploma from U.S. Grant High School, a bachelor's degree from Pacific Lutheran University in 1975, and a law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1979. Her career experience includes working as a CEO, on an assembly line, as a union member, intern on the Ozette Archaeological project, mentor, speaker, and author. Isaacson has been affliated with the Walla Walla AAU, Portfolio Club, Christ Lutheran Church, Walla Walla County Democratic Party, YMCA, Don Sherwood Scholarship Committee, and Network of Exceptional Women.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Washington State Senate District 16
Incumbent Perry Dozier defeated Kari Isaacson in the general election for Washington State Senate District 16 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Perry Dozier (R) | 63.4 | 45,054 |
 | Kari Isaacson (D)  | 36.6 | 25,998 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 54 | ||
| Total votes: 71,106 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Washington State Senate District 16
Incumbent Perry Dozier and Kari Isaacson advanced from the primary for Washington State Senate District 16 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Perry Dozier (R) | 63.8 | 22,963 |
| ✔ | | Kari Isaacson (D) | 36.1 | 13,012 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 31 | ||
| Total votes: 36,006 | |||
| = 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 finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Isaacson in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kari Isaacson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Isaacson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Born and raised in Portland, Oregon by two transplanted Mid-westerners, both of whom were from families that homesteaded in the upper Midwest in the 1880s. I attended public schools, graduated from Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma) and earned a law degree from University of Oregon School of Law (Eugene). I retired in the Fall of 2020 from Blue Mountain Community Foundation (Walla Walla) where I was Executive Director for seven years. I began working as a kid picking berries in the summer, and worked through high school, college and law school. My 45 year career was primarily in the nonprofit sector either raising funds for higher education, social services or health care or running major foundations, each distributing $25 million a year to achieve their missions. I was CEO of the Skillman Foundation (Detroit, MI) and Interim CEO of Northwest Area Foundation (St. Paul, MN). I have experience in administering large budgets, over-seeing investments of $600 million, collaborating with a wide variety of people and communities to achieve a goal, have lived in several difference communities (urban, suburban and rural). My background prepares me well for the position of State Senator. I am active in sports, outdoor recreation, community organizations such as Walla Walla AAUW, my church, the local Democratic Party (of which I was Chair), among other activities. I am married to Jim Peterson, retired community college administrator, who manages his family's farms.
- The 16th Legislative District should have a seat at the table in Olympia when legislative priorities are set. Right now the voice of the 16th LD is not heard.
- Democracy and our public institutions are seriously under siege by the far right. Democrats must push back against the Project 2025 agenda. This radical agenda would significantly reduce farm supports and subsidies to the detriment of farmers, orchard growers and ranchers in the 16th. A major pillar of the 16th are public agencies such as Hanford, Army Corps of Engineers, public colleges and community colleges, the VA and others. Medicare and Social Security, and other government programs would be significantly cut or eliminated.
- Health care in our area is withering on the vine. Walla Walla lost a hospital recently. Pharmacies are closing and people are having a hard time obtaining needed medication at a reasonable price. People are increasingly finding it difficult to find a primary care doctor and specialists. It is common practice for people in our area to have transport by helicopter insurance in the event of an accident to take them to Spokane, Seattle or Boise for care.
Health care, public education and arresting climate change. Civil rights for all including LBGTQ+ people and women's reproductive care are also a high priority.
Simone Biles - amazing athlete, self-confident, trusts herself. Understands that health and mental health are our greatest possessions.
Man's Search for Meaning by V. Frankl. Dark Money by Jane Mayer; Its a Wonderful Life movie
The basic principle of being a public service - working tirelessly and persistently for the benefit of the people one is representing.
Curiosity, empathy, hard work, persistence, imagination, generosity, focus, willingness to admit mistakes and change direction, ambition to achieve goals. Understand that "Success has many parents; failure is an orphan." Give credit to others!
To advocate effectively on behalf of the people of their Legislative District with honesty, candor and integrity.
Of someone who was a good and loving person, with a sense of humor who took many things seriously but not herself. Of someone who was honest and had integrity. Who cared about her communities and tried to make them better. Who had courage and resilience.
Cuban missile crisis in 1962; I was 10.
My first job (other than picking berries and other produce before the age of 15) was as a receptionist/clerk for a physician after school, on weekends and during the summer. I held that part-time job for two years, til I graduated from high school.
Persuasion by Jane Austin. To thine own self be true.
That's a good one - will have to think more about it!
Karma is My Boyfriend - Taylor Swift!
I am a grateful recovering alcoholic, sober for over 11 years. I am fortunate to have been able to listen to friends and family who expressed concern.
Open communication and ongoing consultation. An understanding and appreciation of the responsibilities and roles of each branch of government. Their shared goal must be solving problems for the good of the people.
Assuring reliable and green sources of power, water management; infrastructure; arresting climate change; funding public education; health care particularly women's reproductive health care; public health, clean air and water; immigration to protect both the workers and their employers; agriculture; meeting the state and local governments' pension commitments.
It is very helpful to have a background in the law, and in different sectors of society and the economy. Understanding the political system including the two major political parties is fundamental. Knowledge of government or politics can be gained by volunteering and keeping up to date on the issues and political developments. Previous experience in advocating with public agencies, public officials and working on legislation is of course very useful. State legislators must have a basic understanding of how government works.
I don't believe anything can be accomplished without good relationships with other legislators. To be successful one must understand where other legislators are coming from, and what their priorities are, and the needs of their constituents. Successful legislators look for common ground on issues, understanding that more value is created through collaboration and compromise.
Bill Grant was an effective state legislator for the 16th LD. Christine Gregoire was a great Governor and political leader.
Not something I am thinking about at present.
A disabled Vet stopped by the office a few months ago and gave us the "thumbs up" - he was a Democrat. He was in Walla Walla for an appointment at the VA. He shared that the political division in the country had cost him his family (he was in his 70s) who no longer would speak to him since he was a Democrat. He was a double amputee. I asked him how long he had been disabled. He said since Viet Nam in the '60s where he had served. He volunteered that he was happy, and that he "was glad he stuck it out." I was touched bv his service to his country, and his strength in light of adversity. Another particularly touching recent conversation was when a woman called the office to ask about volunteering -- her last question was "I have to tell you that I'm trans - is that OK?" Yes of course it is! That struck me as sad that someone would feel that they might not be welcome because of who they were. I've seen so much suffering from hunger, homelessness, poverty, and prejudice even in a wonderful place of abundance like SE Washington - we can do better.
There were three pastors having coffee one morning. They were commiserating on the problem of too many bats in their church's steeples. The first pastor said she got rid of them by taking out her shotgun and shooting up into the steeple - all the bats flew away. But she had to admit that in a little while, they all came back. The second pastor tut-tutted and said he had gotten rid of his bats in a humane way. He trapped them, drove them out to the country and released them. But then he, too, had to admit that in a little while they all came back. The third pastor shook his head at them - "You two are amateurs. I baptized them, and confirmed them. I haven't seen them since." (Please note I have been part of an old-fashioned mainline Protestant denomination all my life!)
Governor should grant - legislature should have a voice in determining when the emergency has passed and planning for dealing with aftermath.
I do not know. But women's reproductive health, farmers' fuel concerns, continuing public support for transition to green energy, proper labeling of country of origin on agricultural products, ensuring Washington elections are accessible, transparent and safe and improving public safety (including gun safety) are timely issues.
Win with Women, National Women's Political Caucus - Washington, the Washington state PAC for rural electrical co-operatives (to be announced next week), Walla Walla County Democrats, Franklin County Democrats, 16th Legislative District Democrats, Alliance for Gun Safety. Many individuals have endorsed - please visit my website. Kitchen cabinet includes Dr. Dick Simon, Tom Williams, Mike Denny, Mark and Mary Lynn Thompson, among others.
Agriculture, Health, Education, Infrastructure, Environment, Civil Rights
Public trust that funds are being spent as approved and within the law, and that any public agency or governmental unit will be held responsible for misuse of funds or abuse of power underpins our Democracy.
I am interested in making sure that people when asked to sign a petition are informed that a) person soliciting their signature is paid to do so or is a volunteer, and b) that the solicitor must be truthful when soliciting these signatures. The name of the initiative and what it will do must be straightforward and informational.
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.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 6, 2024
Current members of the Washington State Senate
Leadership
Majority Leader:Jamie Pedersen
Minority Leader:John Braun
Senators
District 1
Derek Stanford (D)
District 2
Jim McCune (R)
District 3
Marcus Riccelli (D)
District 4
District 5
Victoria Hunt (D)
District 6
Jeff Holy (R)
District 7
Shelly Short (R)
District 8
Matt Boehnke (R)
District 9
Mark Schoesler (R)
District 10
Ron Muzzall (R)
District 11
Bob Hasegawa (D)
District 12
Keith Goehner (R)
District 13
Judith Warnick (R)
District 14
Curtis King (R)
District 15
Nikki Torres (R)
District 16
Perry Dozier (R)
District 17
Paul Harris (R)
District 18
Adrian Cortes (D)
District 19
Jeff Wilson (R)
District 20
John Braun (R)
District 21
Marko Liias (D)
District 22
Jessica Bateman (D)
District 23
Drew Hansen (D)
District 24
Mike Chapman (D)
District 25
Chris Gildon (R)
District 26
District 27
Yasmin Trudeau (D)
District 28
T'wina Nobles (D)
District 29
Steve Conway (D)
District 30
Claire Wilson (D)
District 31
Phil Fortunato (R)
District 32
Jesse Salomon (D)
District 33
Tina Orwall (D)
District 34
Emily Alvarado (D)
District 35
Drew MacEwen (R)
District 36
Noel Frame (D)
District 37
Rebecca Saldana (D)
District 38
June Robinson (D)
District 39
Keith Wagoner (R)
District 40
Liz Lovelett (D)
District 41
Lisa Wellman (D)
District 42
Sharon Shewmake (D)
District 43
Jamie Pedersen (D)
District 44
John Lovick (D)
District 45
Manka Dhingra (D)
District 46
Javier Valdez (D)
District 47
Claudia Kauffman (D)
District 48
Vandana Slatter (D)
District 49
Democratic Party (30)
Republican Party (19)
