James Moeller
James "Jim" Moeller (b. July 2, 1955) is a former Democratic member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing District 49-Position 2 from 2003 to 2017. He served as Speaker Pro Tempore at the end of his most recent term.
Moeller did not seek re-election to the Washington House of Representatives in 2016. Instead, Moeller was a 2016 candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 3rd Congressional District of Washington.[1] Moeller had previously announced a candidacy for lieutenant governor of Washington.[2]
Biography
Moeller earned his B.S. from Washington State University in 1978. He then attended the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland University. He also attended the Mark Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University in 2000.
Moeller has worked for Kaiser Permanente as a Chemical Dependency Counselor since 1985. He was a Counselor for Grant Company Mental Health from 1979 to 1982. He then worked as a Counselor for Mount Hood Mental Health from 1982 to 1985.
Moeller served as a Councilman on the Vancouver City Council from 1995 to 2002.[3]
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Moeller served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Health Care and Wellness |
| • Labor |
| • Rules |
| • Transportation |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Moeller served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Health Care and Wellness |
| • Labor and Workforce Development |
| • Transportation |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Moeller served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Health Care and Wellness |
| • Rules |
| • Transportation |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Moeller served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Commerce and Labor |
| • Health Care and Wellness |
| • Rules |
| • Transportation |
| • Community and Economic Development and Trade |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) defeated Jim Moeller (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Herrera Beutler and Moeller defeated David McDevitt (D), Angela Marx (D), Kathleen Arthur (D), and L.A. Worthington (I) in the top-two primary on August 2, 2016.[4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Jaime Herrera Beutler Incumbent |
61.8% | 193,457 | |
| Democratic | Jim Moeller | 38.2% | 119,820 | |
| Total Votes | 313,277 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |
Jaime Herrera Beutler Incumbent |
55.5% | 70,142 | |
| Democratic | Jim Moeller |
24.4% | 30,848 | |
| Democratic | David McDevitt | 10.2% | 12,896 | |
| Democratic | Angela Marx | 3.8% | 4,851 | |
| Democratic | Kathleen Arthur | 3.4% | 4,296 | |
| Independent | L.A. Worthington | 2.7% | 3,402 | |
| Total Votes | 126,435 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State |
||||
Moeller had previously planned to run for lieutenant governor of Washington.
2014
Elections for the Washington House of Representatives took place in 2014. A blanket primary election took place on August 5, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 17, 2014. Incumbent James Moeller (D) and Lisa Phifer Ross (R) defeated Carolyn Crain (R) in the primary. Moeller defeated Ross in the general election.[6][7][8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Moeller Incumbent |
55.1% | 19,239 | |
| Republican | Lisa Phifer Ross | 44.9% | 15,694 | |
| Total Votes | 34,933 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
Jim Moeller Incumbent |
55% | 11,381 | |
| Republican | Lisa Ross |
26.8% | 5,540 | |
| Republican | Carolyn Crain | 18.3% | 3,783 | |
| Total Votes | 20,704 | |||
Endorsements
In 2014, Moeller's endorsements included the following:[9]
- Abbott Laboratories Employee PAC
- Amgen USA
- Cambia Healthy Solutions
- Campaign for Tribal Self Reliance by WA. Gaming Assoc.
- Caremark RX Inc.
- Credit Union Legislative Action Fund
- Davita
- Delta Dental
- IAFF Local #452
- IQ Credit Union PAC
2012
Moeller won re-election in the 2012 election for Washington House of Representatives District 49-Position 2. Moeller was unopposed in the top-two primary on August 7, 2012, and defeated Carolyn Crain (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Moeller Incumbent |
60.6% | 31,858 | |
| Republican | Carolyn Crain | 39.4% | 20,737 | |
| Total Votes | 52,595 | |||
2010
James Moeller was re-elected to the Washington House of Representatives District 49-Position 2. He ran unopposed in the August 17, 2010, primary. In the November 2, 2010, general election, he defeated Republican Craig Riley.
| Washington House of Representatives, District 49-Position 2 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| James Moeller (D)
|
21,975 | |||
| Craig Riley (R) | 19,118 | |||
| Washington House of Representatives, District 49-Position 2 Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Jim Moeller (D)
|
12,803 | 53.14% | ||
| Craig Riley (R)
|
11,291 | 46.86% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Democrat James Moeller won re-election to the Washington House of Representatives, District 49-Position 2 receiving 62.62% of the vote (30,401 votes), defeating Independent Mike Bomar who received 37.38% of the vote (18,149 votes).
| Washington House of Representatives, District 49-Position 2 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| James Moeller (D)
|
30,401 | 62.62% | ||
| Mike Bomar (I) | 18,149 | 37.38% | ||
Campaign themes
2016
The following issues were listed on Moeller's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.
| “ |
|
” |
| —James Moeller's campaign website, http://jimmoeller.org/issues/ | ||
2014
Moeller's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[13]
Taxes
- Excerpt: "The best tax solution for our state is a balance of consumption (sales), property (wealth), and income (graduated) taxes on individuals and businesses."
Transportation
- Excerpt: "The ability to get goods and services to market and people to their jobs is an essential component of a vibrant economy. It’s also time for Vancouver to join the economic engine in Portland just across the river."
Education
- Excerpt: "I sincerely hope that the Republicans next year will offer more than just slogans and arguments with the court, and that they will propose real cash revenue. The “reforms” they propose are really just moving money around. We aren’t going to find the money to invest in our state’s children in the seat cushions! We need new revenue streams — and yes, that means taxes. We need $1.5-$2 billion. That’s some serious money!"
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.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Washington scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2017
In 2017, the Washington State Legislature, first session, was in session from January 9 through April 23. There were also special sessions. The first special session was April 24 through May 23. The second special session was May 23 through June 21. The third special session was June 21 through July 20.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to home building industry issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 64th Washington State Legislature, second session, was in session from January 11 through March 10. The legislature held a special session from March 11 to March 29 to pass a supplemental budget.
|
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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|
In 2015, the 64th Washington State Legislature, first session, was in session from January 12 through April 24. The legislature was in special session from April 29 to May 28, May 29 to June 27 and June 28 to July 10.[14]
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the 63rd Washington State Legislature, second session, was in session from January 13 to March 14.[15]
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 63rd Washington State Legislature, first session, was in session from January 14 to April 29.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the 62nd Washington State Legislature, second session, was in session from January 9 to March 8.[16]
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the 62nd Washington State Legislature, first session, was in session from January 10 through April 24.
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Missed Votes Report
- See also: Washington House of Representatives and Washington State Senate
In March 2014, Washington Votes, a legislative information website, released its annual Missed Votes Report, which provides detailed missed roll call votes on bills for every state legislator during the 2014 legislative session.[17] The 2014 regular session included a total of 515 votes in the State House and 396 in the State Senate, as well as 1,372 bills introduced total in the legislature and 237 bills passed. Out of all roll call votes, 90 individual legislators did not miss any votes. Three individual legislators missed more than 50 votes.[17] Moeller missed 2 votes in a total of 1211 roll calls.
Freedom Foundation
The Freedom Foundation releases its Big Spender List annually. The Institute ranks all Washington legislators based on their total proposed taxes and fees. To find each legislator’s total, the Institute adds up the 10-year tax and fee increases or decreases, as estimated by Washington’s Office of Financial Management, of all bills sponsored or co-sponsored by that legislator.[18]
2012
Moeller proposed a 10-year increase in state taxes and fees of $8.05 billion, the 8th highest amount of proposed new taxes and fees of the 93 Washington state representatives on the Freedom Foundation’s 2012 Big Spender List.
- See also: Washington Freedom Foundation Legislative Scorecard (2012)
The Freedom Foundation also issued its 2012 Informed Voter Guide for Washington State voters, including a legislative score card documenting how Washington State legislators voted upon bills the Foundation deemed important legislation. The legislation analyzed covered budget, taxation, and pension issues.[19] A sign indicates a bill more in line with the Foundation's stated goals, and a
sign indicates a bill out of step with the Foundation's values. Here's how Moeller voted on the specific pieces of legislation:
| 2012 House Scorecard - James Moeller | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill #6636 (Balanced budget requirement) |
Bill #5967 (House Democrats budget) |
Bill #6582 (Local transportation tax increases) |
Bill #6378 (Pension reforms) | ||||||||
| Y | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||
See also
- Washington State Legislature
- Washington House of Representatives
- Washington House of Representatives Committees
- Washington Joint Committees
- Washington state legislative districts
- Lieutenant Governor of Washington
- United States House of Representatives
- Washington's 3rd Congressional District election, 2016
- Washington's 3rd Congressional District
External links
- Jim Moeller's campaign website
- Washington House of Representatives - Rep. Moeller
- Profile from Open States
- Profile by Vote-USA
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002
- Jim Moeller on Facebook
- Washington Lieutenant Governor
Footnotes
- ↑ The Columbian, "Moeller to run for Congress against Herrera Beutler," May 18, 2016
- ↑ Lauren Dake, The Columbian, "Moeller running for lieutenant governor," October 19, 2015
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed April 17, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Unofficial List of Candidates in Ballot Order," accessed May 23, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Washington House Primaries Results," August 2, 2016
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2014 Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "August 5, 2014, Official Primary Results," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Official general election results, 2014," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ Re-elect James Moeller, "Endorsements," accessed July 16, 2014
- ↑ C-SPAN, "AP Election Results - Washington State House of Representatives," accessed August 7, 2012
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Candidates," accessed July 16, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Re-elect James Moeller, "Solutions," accessed July 16, 2014
- ↑ Multi State, "2015 State Legislative Session Dates," accessed July 13, 2015
- ↑ StateScape, "Session schedules," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ StateScape, "Session schedules," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Washington Policy Center, "2014 Missed Votes Report for Legislators Released," March 18, 2014
- ↑ Freedom Foundation, "2012 Big Spender List," accessed April 17, 2014
- ↑ My Freedom Foundation, "Home," accessed June 18, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Washington House of Representatives District 49-Position 2 2003–2017 |
Succeeded by Monica Jurado Stonier (D) |
 |
State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
|---|---|
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