Thomas Kelly, who campaigns as Jeff Kelly, is running as a Cascade Party candidate for Washington House of Representatives District 38, Position 1, in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Kelly, a registered nurse and U.S. Army combat medic veteran, is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data. He faces Julio Cortes, a Democrat. The Cascade Party is a third party in Washington state.

Candidate information

  • Common name: Jeff Kelly
  • Party: Cascade
  • Office sought: Washington House of Representatives, District 38, Position 1
  • Occupation: Registered nurse
  • Military service: Combat medic, U.S. Army

Experience and public service

Kelly served as a combat medic in the U.S. Army, according to his BallotReady profile. He works as a registered nurse. Kelly's campaign website and BallotReady profile list his nursing career and Army service but no other public-service experience.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Kelly's campaign website and his BallotReady questionnaire responses. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.

Public safety and drug policy: Kelly said he supports fully funding law enforcement and funding police units to combat organized retail theft. He said he wants to protect public spaces from what he called harmful and illegal activities. On drug policy, Kelly said he supports treating drug addiction rather than enabling it.

Housing: Kelly said he supports increasing housing through builder-friendly policies.

Economy and jobs: Kelly said he wants to support living-wage job creation through business-friendly policies. He also said he wants to stop outsourcing regional industries.

Environment, energy and gas tax: Kelly said he opposes Cap-and-Invest and the Climate Commitment Act. He argued these programs are not meeting their carbon emission reduction goals and are diverting funds away from their stated purposes. Kelly also said he wants to reduce the state gas tax burden at the pump, tying his energy-cost positions together.

Education: Kelly said he wants to expand trade programs.

Taxes and budget: Kelly said he wants to facilitate a proportional tax plan that he said would decrease burdens on working families.

What's next

Julio Cortes, a Democrat, is the other certified candidate in the District 38, Position 1 race.

The Port Gardner Gazette candidate questionnaire was sent to Jeff Kelly's campaign. No response was received as of Oct. 12, 2026. The policy positions below are drawn from his public campaign website and public records.