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Portrait of John LeyPhoto: leg.wa.gov

WA · Officeholder

John Ley

RState Representative · District 18

On the ballot Nov 3, 2026: Washington House District 18

Biography

John Ley is a Republican member of the Washington House of Representatives for District 18-Position 2, in office since January 13, 2025, and he is running for re-election in the November 3, 2026 general election against Democrat Deken Letinich.[1] A retired Air Force officer and airline pilot, he worked for Delta Air Lines for more than 31 years.[2]

Ley earned an Air Force ROTC scholarship in college, then a commission as a public affairs officer, and secured a pilot slot on his fifth attempt, according to his House Republican biography.[2] He flew KC-135 tankers during more than 11 years of service, then became a pilot for Delta Air Lines.[2] After retiring, he spent 20 months as a reporter for Clark County Today.[2]

Ley served five years on the board of directors of the Airline Pilots Association and, after Delta's bankruptcy following the September 11 attacks, started a small business, the biography says.[2] He succeeded Republican Greg Cheney in the House.[1] His priorities include transportation, particularly the I-5 Interstate Bridge project, public safety, reducing government overreach and improving student outcomes, and he serves on the Environment and Energy Committee.[2]

  1. 1.John Ley · Ballotpedia Reference
  2. 2.About Rep. John Ley · Washington State House Republicans · 2026-10-21 Official record

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.

Washington House District 18

John Ley is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Washington House District 18 as R. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.

Ballotpedia ↗

Other candidates for this seat

Deken LetinichCandidateDWashington House District 18WashingtonRandi KnottCandidateDWashington House District 18WashingtonPortrait of Stephanie McClintockStephanie McClintockState Representative · District 18RAlso on the 2026 ballot: Washington House District 18Washington

Votes by issue

Their recorded votes on bills that divided the chamber (unanimous votes left out), grouped by topic. A bill can sit under more than one topic. "With" and "against" compare each vote with how most Republicans voted. How topics are assigned

Where they stood out

Voted against most of their party on 25 of 554 party-divided votes on file.

Most often on: Jobs & cost of living (8), Climate & energy (4), Rights & public safety (4)

  • Low-income energy assistance

    What it does: Establishing a statewide low-income energy assistance program.

    Voted yes · most Republicans voted no · Democrats 58–0, Republicans 12–26

    Mar 11, 2026Official record ↗

  • AI companion chatbots

    What it does: Concerning regulation of artificial intelligence companion chatbots.

    Voted yes · most Republicans voted no · Democrats 58–1, Republicans 16–20

    Mar 11, 2026Official record ↗

  • Waste to energy facilities

    What it does: Concerning fair treatment of waste to energy facilities under the climate commitment act.

    Voted yes · most Republicans voted no · Democrats 59–0, Republicans 17–20

    Mar 11, 2026Official record ↗

  • Wrongly convicted persons

    What it does: Concerning the wrongly convicted persons act.

    Voted yes · most Republicans voted no · Democrats 54–4, Republicans 18–19

    Mar 6, 2026Official record ↗

  • Student mobile device use

    What it does: Restricting mobile device usage by public school students.

    Voted yes · most Republicans voted no · Democrats 56–2, Republicans 7–32

    Mar 4, 2026Official record ↗

How this is counted

Their votes on the most contested roll calls

The votes in their chamber that came out closest and most divided by party, among those they voted on. How we rank

See all their split votes

Substantive votes concern legislation or nominations; procedural votes concern how the chamber considers them. A Yes vote applies to the motion shown, which may not be final passage.

HB 1526 · WA HOUSE

Snack bar liquor licenses

YesVOTED

Motion: Final Passage as Amended by the Senate

Modifying the snack bar liquor license.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed 87–9·Substantive·Mar 12, 2026Roll call ↗
HB 1701 · WA HOUSE

Liquor licensee premises

YesVOTED

Motion: Final Passage as Amended by the Senate

Authorizing multiple liquor licensees to have licensed premises within a facility owned and leased out by another liquor licensee or person.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed 89–7·Substantive·Mar 12, 2026Roll call ↗
HB 1795 · WA HOUSE

Student restraint, isolation

NoVOTED

Motion: Final Passage as Amended by the Senate

Addressing restraint or isolation of students in public schools and educational programs.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed 58–37·Substantive·Mar 12, 2026Roll call ↗
HB 1941 · WA HOUSE

Agricultural coops/cannabis

NoVOTED

Motion: Final Passage as Amended by the Senate

Authorizing agricultural cooperatives for cannabis producers.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed 69–26·Substantive·Mar 12, 2026Roll call ↗
HB 2034 · WA HOUSE

LEOFF 1 restatement

NoVOTED

Motion: Final Passage as Amended by the Senate

Concerning termination and restatement of plan 1 of the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed 50–46·Substantive·Mar 12, 2026Roll call ↗
HB 2215 · WA HOUSE

Fuels/climate commitment act

NoVOTED

Motion: Final Passage as Amended by the Senate

Concerning climate commitment act compliance obligations for fuels supplied or otherwise sold into Washington.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed 57–38·Substantive·Mar 12, 2026Roll call ↗
SB 5998 · WA HOUSE

Operating budget, supp.

NoVOTED

Motion: Final Passage as Recommended by the Conference Committee

Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed 54–43·Substantive·Mar 12, 2026Roll call ↗
SB 6005 · WA HOUSE

Transportation budget, supp.

NoVOTED

Motion: Final Passage as Recommended by the Conference Committee

Making supplemental transportation appropriations for the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed 69–26·Substantive·Mar 12, 2026Roll call ↗
SB 6231 · WA HOUSE

Data center equipment/taxes

YesVOTED

Motion: 2663 Orcutt Pg 2 Ln 25

Removing a tax exemption for the replacement of equipment for data centers.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Failed 47–50·Substantive·Mar 12, 2026Roll call ↗
SB 6231 · WA HOUSE

Data center equipment/taxes

NoVOTED

Motion: 3rd Reading & Final Passage

Removing a tax exemption for the replacement of equipment for data centers.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed 51–46·Substantive·Mar 12, 2026Roll call ↗

Showing 10 of 857 votes in this collection. Coverage may be incomplete; each entry links to the official record.