I'm Chaytan, nice to meet you. I was born in Portland, Oregon, and I have lived in the Pacific Northwest my entire life and I deeply love the diversity of life in the people, the mountains, the trees, the climates, and the plants and animals all proliferating in this corner of the world, from the dry rocky hills in eastern Oregon to the powerful and awesome Columbia River winding its way from Canada to Washington to its mouth at the Pacific. I grew up in the middle of tumultuous politics, between conservative family and progressive peers, and it shaped me, but none of it matters now. All that matters to me now is that we're in a system that is cooking us alive, and when it’s done we’ll be ads on Instagram catering to new cannibalist markets. What I’m saying is people are profit in this system, and at our current pace, when it kills us we won’t notice.

That probably sounds very pessimistic. But if you know me, you may know that I can become very fixated on ideas. And the idea I’ve been stuck on for the past decade is focusing on all that is good in life, focusing on preserving that. I will never agree with hopelessness. I always believe in trying.

Life is unfair. I am transgender, and in the beginning that felt very unfair. Life is also full of hate and evil and I’ve felt those too. We are in a system that perpetuates and exacerbates our destruction and pits us against each other. We are adept at tearing ourselves down and apart. So yes, on the other hand, I am jaded. I am angry. I am tired of this world that creates desperate imbalances of power and opportunity and makes some of my smartest friends poor and some of the dumbest humans rich and makes transgender kids the center of hatred and suffering all while we massacre the graceful conditions of the Earth that make life possible. Humans are awful. Utterly, completely unethical and evil. So you might be right to call me pessimistic. Yet, I would not be here making change if I believed we are completely hopeless. I also think we are also uniquely full of life and beauty and brimming with the capacity to help create more intelligence and life for eternity. I wouldn’t try if it weren’t so.

I started to see understanding technology as key to a path forward, a way toward dismantling our machine of destruction. I learned to code young, I worked in a DNA sequencing lab, and then I worked in a STEM cell research lab growing kidneys. I taught others to code, to use a bandsaw, to create and, I hope, to dream. I went to the University of Washington as a Computer Science major, with minors in French and Entrepreneurship. I saw the advances of machine learning and the potential for collaboration with the field of neuroscience and founded Interactive Intelligence, an undergraduate intelligence research group. I led the team to publish a peer-reviewed paper on neuroscientifically accurate algorithmic representations of pain in machine learning and led the team to present posters at conferences. I fought to create diversity in the technology leaders of the future. Our team will always welcome and teach anyone, from any discipline and any background, and to this end we host public AI ethics forums and panels to democratize the creation of powerful technologies like AI and brain-computer interfaces.

The small steps have been meaningful and beautiful to me, but they are not enough. Politicians do not understand the world of technological oligopolies. They do not understand the imminent effects of artificial intelligence. They do not understand the system from the inside out. Now the future is crumbling under the weight of inaction. I refuse to live in a machine we know will kill us. So now I'm offering a different path.

I do not believe in chasing happiness. I do not believe in 'removing friction' from our lives. I do not believe in hedonism. I do not believe in our culture of instant gratification that cripples our minds. I believe in water, food, and working hands that transform. I believe in that which creates life. And some of that will be hard work. But I believe we're ready.

As governor, I have one priority with no compromises whatsoever. We will give the earth rights. We will change the consumerist structure of exploiting ourselves and the world. My priority is ensuring that the Pacific Northwest will still have rain, will still have trees, will still have food and water for our future. Our pitiful efforts so far are leading us to a drought-stricken, burned landscape. But I believe we all love the world too much to let this happen. We won't let it happen.

There is much to be done to turn Washington into an economy that supports life. My policies are largely informed by the IPCC AR6 report which makes firm recommendations on adaptations, resilience techniques, and most importantly, mitigation strategies for the climate crisis. They will continue to be based on the most accurate and informed research as it is published and available. My top priority is restructuring the economic incentives to make these recommendations reality and to ensure life in Washington for centuries, not a few short-sighted decades, to come. First and foremost, this means those who exploit people and the Earth will pay for it.

Visit the Issues page for precise action items.

To those who worry that jobs will be scarce as a result of harsh economic change, I will tell you, I am not worried. Washington has robust, irreplaceable ports. Washington has fertile fields and crops, freshwater, and power. Washington has a wealth of intellect and innovation. Washington is not replaceable. There may be struggle. But focusing on a self-sustaining economy of energy, food, and water independence will make Washington state a global economic leader, and an example for the entire world. We can prosper without the looming shadow of our future's death. And we will.

See you soon,

Chaytan