I am Michelle Darnell; wife, mother, grandmother, paralegal, author, entrepreneur, concerned citizen, dreamer, and visionary. I have been a lover of Washington State for over 34 years. I know together we can restore Washington.
I became a citizen activist in 2010 when I became aware of the massive corruption in our banking sector. I observed how thousands of Washington citizens were stripped of their wealth and homes during and immediately following the recession. I wanted to fight back for these people!! I became a paralegal and I also participated in activities calling attention to and protesting wrongful foreclosures. Just last session the organization I founded RiseUPWa, was able to help get a bi partisan bill passed to help property owners, specifically landlords who have suffered because of covid moratoriums, in foreclosure.
I realized pretty quickly that property owners were not finding justice in the court room. They were out-spent, out-maneuvered and IF they were fortunate enough to have an opinion in their favor rendered, lobbyist simply went to Olympia to change the law. I decided to run for office. My experiences running for office from 2014 to 2017 opened my eyes to the challenges that face everyday citizens wanting to make a positive change.
In 2019, I founded a political marketing agency called Ignite Foundation LLC. We provide campaign services to “lunch box candidates” like myself; ordinary citizens with a passion for trying to change their community and country – in a good way. “We equip the called”.
Running for office is a difficult decision. It’s time consuming and can be brutal on candidates and the their families. I have made the decision to run because our state is spiraling out of control due to the atrocious policies in recent years. Crime is surging; tents are popping on our streets like mushrooms; our schools are not only failing our kids now, but also damaging them and shutting out parents. Small businesses are boarding up and permanently closing their doors.
We have lost over 500 businesses in King County, many in Eastern King County. Substance abuse and suicide are raging — even among our children. Many of the issues that started in Seattle are spilling over to the East Side, even as the focus in Olympia remains on Seattle. Seattle-style leftists control our entire state — to the detriment of all of us.
