Financier Drives Ballot Measures in Washington
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Overview
Brian Heywood, a Seattle-area hedge-fund founder, has spent $11 million since 2022 to push conservative ballot proposals in Washington via his political action committee, Let’s Go Washington. He seeks to tilt a once‑blue state toward conservatism or, at minimum, push Democratic lawmakers to move more cautiously. “My intention with the initiatives always is to do as little intrusive damage as possible — to fix stupid stuff that’s happening,” Heywood says, framing his work as pragmatic reform rather than ideological conquest. He attended President Trump’s inauguration and named his Redmond, Washington ranch after John Galt, signaling a libertarian instinct underlying his approach.
Strategy and Context
Washington’s initiative system lets petitioners send proposals directly to voters or to the Legislature, which can adopt them or send them to the ballot. Heywood has pursued both avenues, effectively playing a chess-like game to flood the system with proposals. In 2023 he tried 11 initiatives, then moved to paid signature gathering in 2024 and succeeded with six to the Legislature. Lawmakers adopted three outright; the others headed to the ballot, where voters rejected them. Heywood describes these outcomes as fragile, noting that the legislative wins were not durable if not protected by public support. Professor Todd Donovan of Western Washington University says, “He’s flooding the system in a way no one has tried before.”
Two Measures This Year
One initiative would restore the original list of parental rights granted by lawmakers in 2024, while the other would bar transgender athletes from girls’ scholastic sports unless they prove they were born female. The latter would require health‑care professionals to verify a student athlete’s biological sex based on reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels. Critics argue the standard is invasive and discriminatory; supporters see it as restoring norms. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association estimates that about 10 of roughly 75,000 girls who competed last year are transgender. A Spokane runner who twice won the state high‑school 400‑meter title has been cited by supporters as a motivating case for the measure.
Reactions & Implications
Opponents describe Heywood as an oligarch using wealth to shape policy; civil‑rights groups, Planned Parenthood, and the state’s largest teachers union oppose the sports measure. The initiative push follows Heywood’s earlier campaigns on policing and taxes, including attempts to roll back police oversight and repeal a capital‑gains tax. Let’s Go Washington was fined $20,000 in 2024 for failing to adequately report signature‑gathering expenditures, a reminder of ongoing transparency tensions around donor disclosures.
Next Steps
Last week, Let’s Go Washington filed 445,187 signatures for the transgender sports measure—well above the required threshold—pushing the proposal toward a Legislature review or a statewide vote. Heywood says, “If the Legislature passes them, that’s fantastic. If they put them on the ballot, then that’s a campaign issue from now until November.” He adds that he can “afford to do this for a long time.” He also hints at a forthcoming initiative to require nonprofits to disclose donors, board members, and how they spend public funds.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/us/politics/ballot-measures-washington-state-wealthy.html
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