Lucy E. J. Lauser (Mayor of Stevenson, Washington, candidate 2025)

Lucy E. J. Lauser

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Mayor of Stevenson

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 5, 2025

Personal

Profession

Artist

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Lucy E. J. Lauser ran for election to the Mayor of Stevenson in Washington. She was on the ballot in the primary on August 5, 2025.^[source]

Lauser completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Lucy E. J. Lauser provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on July 4, 2025:

• High school: I was homeschooled all the way through and got a GED at 16
• Gender: Female
• Religion: Not Religious
• Profession: Artist
• Prior offices held:
  • Stevenson City Council Position #3 (2024)
• Incumbent officeholder: No

Elections

General election

General election for Mayor of Stevenson

Scott Anderson and Jenny Collins Taylor are running in the general election for Mayor of Stevenson on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Scott Anderson (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jenny Collins Taylor (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= 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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Stevenson

Scott Anderson, Lucy E. J. Lauser, and Jenny Collins Taylor ran in the primary for Mayor of Stevenson on August 5, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Scott Anderson (Nonpartisan)
		Lucy E. J. Lauser (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jenny Collins Taylor (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= 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.

Endorsements

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Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Lucy E. J. Lauser completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lauser's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a formerly homeless and disabled trans woman who won election to Stevenson's city council in 2023 by a 40-point margin while living in a van. I'm a pianist, composer, and artist who loves creating beautiful things and cooking delicious food for people. I grew up in Skamania County and founded Skamania Pride, which is in its third year now and continuing to grow every year. I'm the pianist for a local church, where I'm also in charge of some of the free community meals that we serve twice a month from September to May. The rapidly escalating political persecution of trans people has forced me to become a reluctant activist.

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?

• The purpose of government is to secure the rights of the people and to provide for their general welfare. Deprivation is a policy choice. Poverty, homelessness, and hunger do not need to exist in our society. We can choose differently. The fact that the poverty rate of trans people is 4x higher than the general population and 1 in 3 of us has been homeless is a clear demonstration of how social norms and prejudices determine who has access to resources, and who is abandoned to die.
• Some things I often think about include:

  - What parts of town are likely to slide in the next big subduction zone earthquake? - How do we feed our community when droughts and other natural disasters lead to worldwide food shortages?

  - Can we generate the political will to unconditionally meet everyone's basic needs, or are Americans simply more interested in using their resources to punish and kill poor people?
• We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all people are equal; that all people are endowed by their existence with inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, bodily autonomy, free expression, and self-defense; that to secure these rights, and others, governments are instituted, deriving their only just powers from the consent of the governed; and that whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these rights, it is the duty of the people to alter or abolish it.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Stable housing accessible to people of all income levels, community-building and mutual aid, long-term economic sustainability, resilience to climate change and natural disasters, ending America's abusive eugenicist treatment of disabled people.

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

I met Stu Rasmussen, mayor of Silverton OR in 2012. I don't know how much our political philosophies would align, but meeting the first openly transgender mayor in the country had a huge impact on what I thought was possible for my life.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The writings of Frederick Douglass and Murray Bookchin. MLK Jr's Letter from Birmingham Jail. Star Wars: Andor.

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

Treating all people as their equals. Integrity, honesty, and compassion. Open and direct communication. Knowledge of the law and the bounds of their responsibilities. The courage to reject corrupt and authoritarian demands.

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

I don't give a shit about power, wealth, or fame. I want people to be fed, housed, and have a supportive community they can rely on, no matter who they are.

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

As head of the executive branch of municipal government, the mayor oversees staff and operations of the city. They chair council meetings, and then act to implement the policy decisions of the council.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want trans kids to know they can have a future too.

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

I was 9 years old on 9/11/2001 and I remember waking up to the sound of the radio coming from the living room.

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

I worked mostly in IT from age 16 to 27. Tech support, data, networks, software development...pretty much everything. It's not what I wanted to do.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Mystique from the X-Men

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

I spent a few years homeless. All of the money I've earned in my entire life, if I saved every single penny, would not be enough to buy an empty lot in Stevenson. I am autistic, physically disabled, and the disgusting treatment of trans people in this society causes me extreme anxiety.

A mayor is a leader in his or her city. What does that mean to you?

Showing up to do what's right for the community. Being accessible and responsive to people's needs and concerns. Ensuring staff and other elected officials have the support and resources they need to best serve the people.

What do you love most about your city?

The beautiful scenery, waterfront, excellent restaurants, regular events. The fact it's a small, relatively quiet town, yet also the center of economic and social activity in the county.

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Wildfires, housing, and a declining workforce due to high cost of living

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

They're absolutely essential for keeping the trust and consent of the people.

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.

Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Lauser completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• VoteWA Profile

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