James Etzkorn

[{"question": "Ballotpedia survey responses", "answer_html": "<p>See also: <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a></p>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>James Etzkorn completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Etzkorn's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-403759-2026-01-31\" id=\"heading-bio-403759-2026-01-31\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-403759-2026-01-31\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-403759-2026-01-31\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-403759-2026-01-31\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-403759-2026-01-31\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI am not a career politician looking for a promotion. I am an engineer, a father and a problem-solver who is frustrated.\r\n<p>I'm a 5th generation Washingtonian with an Electrical Engineering degree from UW and a Master's in Nanotechnology. With over a decade in tech and 50+ patents, I know how to build solutions. I am deeply committed to our community, having started the Monroe High School robotics team and currently serving on the Monroe School Board.\r\n</p><p>I govern much like I run engineering projects. I use data to make decisions and focus on outcomes. Too often, politicians declare victory by throwing money at a problem, feeding a bureaucratic machine of consultants and lawyers rather than delivering results.\r\n</p><p>We must break the cycle. We keep ping-ponging between Democratic and Republican control, expecting a different outcome. This constant swinging is a symptom of a broken system. Our quality of life is eroding while we bounce between the same two options.\r\n</p><p>We cannot run a 21st-century economy with leadership stuck in the 20th century. As a new technological revolution unfolds, our leaders are making rules for systems they do not understand. We need a representative who understands the risks well enough to harness the benefits.\r\n</p><p>I am running as an Independent because I don't answer to party bosses. I answer to you. Career politicians are afraid of losing their jobs. I am afraid of losing our country.\r\n</p>\nThe future doesn't just happen. The future is built.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-403759-2026-01-31\" id=\"heading-key-message-403759-2026-01-31\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-403759-2026-01-31\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-403759-2026-01-31\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease 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?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-403759-2026-01-31\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-403759-2026-01-31\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>Strip the Bureaucracy\r\n<p>Over a third of Congress are lawyers and only a handful are engineers. No wonder we have replaced legislation with litigation.\r\n</p><p>Polarization has left Congress incapable of passing substantive laws, forcing them to abuse the tax code to steer industry. This bypasses the hard work of budgeting and adds layers of bureaucracy that distort original goals.\r\n</p><p>Time is of the essence. We need leaders who understand that complexity is a tax. We must enforce accountability to measure results, not dollars spent.\r\n</p>\nI will fight for direct funding and align incentives with outcomes. By stripping away this friction, we eliminate the waste and fraud that thrive in complexity.</li><li>Engineer Abundance\r\n\r\nOur nation was once defined by its capacity to build. Today, we are defined by red tape. China completes the project while we're still reviewing the permit.\r\n\r\n20th-century leaders created an economy of scarcity, driving up costs for housing, healthcare and energy. We need new leaders to Engineer Abundance.\r\n\r\nWe must trigger an economic flywheel. By incentivizing tech giants to build power generation for their data centers, we expand the grid. This abundant energy makes advanced manufacturing feasible in America, restoring the middle class through production, not subsidies. \r\n\r\nGovernment must set strategic incentives to harness market efficiency. By rewarding outcomes, we replace bureaucracy with abundance.</li><li>Confront the Debt\r\n\r\nLow interest rates masked our debt for years. That era is over. We now pay over $1 trillion annually in interest, surpassing defense and Medicare.\r\n\r\nIgnoring this guarantees a future of permanent inflation, crushing tax increases and deep cuts to the safety net that will destabilize our society.\r\n\r\nWe cannot tax or cut our way to solvency; the math doesn't work. The only palatable solution is to Strip the Bureaucracy and Engineer Abundance to grow our way out.\r\n\r\nStatus-quo politicians won't fix this. They have had decades to solve these problems and have only made them worse. They are content to manage the decline. I am running to engineer a recovery.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-403759-2026-01-31\" id=\"heading1-403759-2026-01-31\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-403759-2026-01-31\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-403759-2026-01-31\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-403759-2026-01-31\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-403759-2026-01-31\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI am passionate about restoring legislative accountability. Congress has abdicated its Constitutional duty to unelected bureaucrats. Instead of writing specific laws, they pass vague mandates and allow federal agencies to fill in the blanks. <br/><br/>\n<p>Furthermore, Congress funds too many programs through tax breaks rather than the annual budget. Congress bypasses the debate, compromise and prioritization that the governing requires. This shadow spending lacks checks and balances, fueling our ballooning debt.<br/><br/>\n</p>\nCongress must write specific laws, not vague mandates. We must replace opaque spending with transparent, results-based incentives that eliminate the middleman. We should reward outcomes, not the lobbyists who wrote the loophole.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> 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.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nJames Etzkorn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Etzkorn's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. I am not a career politician looking for a promotion. I am an engineer, a father and a problem-solver who is frustrated. I'm a 5th generation Washingtonian with an Electrical Engineering degree from UW and a Master's in Nanotechnology. With over a decade in tech and 50+ patents, I know how to build solutions. I am deeply committed to our community, having started the Monroe High School robotics team and currently serving on the Monroe School Board. I govern much like I run engineering projects. I use data to make decisions and focus on outcomes. Too often, politicians declare victory by throwing money at a problem, feeding a bureaucratic machine of consultants and lawyers rather than delivering results. We must break the cycle. We keep ping-ponging between Democratic and Republican control, expecting a different outcome. This constant swinging is a symptom of a broken system. Our quality of life is eroding while we bounce between the same two options. We cannot run a 21st-century economy with leadership stuck in the 20th century. As a new technological revolution unfolds, our leaders are making rules for systems they do not understand. We need a representative who understands the risks well enough to harness the benefits. I am running as an Independent because I don't answer to party bosses. I answer to you. Career politicians are afraid of losing their jobs. I am afraid of losing our country. The future doesn't just happen. The future is built. 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? Strip the Bureaucracy Over a third of Congress are lawyers and only a handful are engineers. No wonder we have replaced legislation with litigation. Polarization has left Congress incapable of passing substantive laws, forcing them to abuse the tax code to steer industry. This bypasses the hard work of budgeting and adds layers of bureaucracy that distort original goals. Time is of the essence. We need leaders who understand that complexity is a tax. We must enforce accountability to measure results, not dollars spent. I will fight for direct funding and align incentives with outcomes. By stripping away this friction, we eliminate the waste and fraud that thrive in complexity. Engineer Abundance\r\n\r\nOur nation was once defined by its capacity to build. Today, we are defined by red tape. China completes the project while we're still reviewing the permit.\r\n\r\n20th-century leaders created an economy of scarcity, driving up costs for housing, healthcare and energy. We need new leaders to Engineer Abundance.\r\n\r\nWe must trigger an economic flywheel. By incentivizing tech giants to build power generation for their data centers, we expand the grid. This abundant energy makes advanced manufacturing feasible in America, restoring the middle class through production, not subsidies. \r\n\r\nGovernment must set strategic incentives to harness market efficiency. By rewarding outcomes, we replace bureaucracy with abundance. Confront the Debt\r\n\r\nLow interest rates masked our debt for years. That era is over. We now pay over $1 trillion annually in interest, surpassing defense and Medicare.\r\n\r\nIgnoring this guarantees a future of permanent inflation, crushing tax increases and deep cuts to the safety net that will destabilize our society.\r\n\r\nWe cannot tax or cut our way to solvency; the math doesn't work. The only palatable solution is to Strip the Bureaucracy and Engineer Abundance to grow our way out.\r\n\r\nStatus-quo politicians won't fix this. They have had decades to solve these problems and have only made them worse. They are content to manage the decline. I am running to engineer a recovery. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? I am passionate about restoring legislative accountability. Congress has abdicated its Constitutional duty to unelected bureaucrats. Instead of writing specific laws, they pass vague mandates and allow federal agencies to fill in the blanks. Furthermore, Congress funds too many programs through tax breaks rather than the annual budget. Congress bypasses the debate, compromise and prioritization that the governing requires. This shadow spending lacks checks and balances, fueling our ballooning debt. Congress must write specific laws, not vague mandates. We must replace opaque spending with transparent, results-based incentives that eliminate the middleman. We should reward outcomes, not the lobbyists who wrote the loophole.\nNote: 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."}]