Natalie Poulson, the Republican candidate for Washington state’s 3rd legislative district state House seat, expressed concern about rising Jew-hatred in the state after recent comments by her likely Democratic opponent, Luc Jasmin III.

Poulson is expected to face Jasmin, the eastern Washington outreach coordinator for Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, in the general election in November if he advances from the Aug. 4 primary. Jasmin is one of three Democrats running for the open seat, which has been held by Democrat Timm Ormsby since 2003.

Jasmin told JNS recently that he didn’t think it would be “fair” to answer if Hamas is a terror organization, because “I don’t think it’s fair for me to label any group, because I’m not in it.”

The Democrat spoke to JNS amid calls for his father, a member of the state human rights commissions, to resign after making antisemitic remarks at a meeting of the panel last year. The state commission posted video footage from the meeting recently.

Poulson told JNS that “it is impossible to look at the situation that involves Hamas and not see terrorism.”

“Look at what Hamas is doing to its own people,” she said. “It’s using them as pawns.”

Poulson questioned how someone who works in the governor’s office could be unfamiliar with Hamas being a U.S. designated terrorist group. Washington designated it as such in 1997. Jasmin’s lack of knowledge of that is “discrediting,” she said.

“That being said, what has come out of his work with the governor’s office?” she said. “I’ve done some research and haven’t really found very much.”

Jasmin’s father, Luc fils Jasmin, a pastor in Spokane and member of the Washington State Human Rights Commission, recently apologized to JNS for antisemitic remarks that he made during a commission hearing. He also declined to say if Hamas is a terrorist group.

“He’s a pastor,” said Poulson, who has a ministry degree from an evangelical Pentecostal church, of the elder Jasmin.

“If you are a pastor, you know the Old Testament and you know the New Testament, so you should have a very clear idea of what’s going on,” she said. “Because this has been going on since biblical times.”

Poulson has spent most of her life in Spokane. She told JNS that Jew-hatred in Washington state is a growing problem to which elected officials ought to be paying attention.

“It’s hard not to see it,” she said. “Since Oct. 7, Spokane County tripled in 2023 and 2024 of incidents of antisemitism. That’s a 400% increase.”

“If you’re running for office, wouldn’t you want to know those things?” she told JNS. “I want to know those things about my entire community. If you’re going to serve in Olympia, you’re supposed to represent the people. You need sound judgment.”

Poulson, who has three children, worked for Spokane Public Schools for more than 18 years. After being fired for not wearing a mask during the Covid pandemic, she settled a lawsuit against the school district.

She told JNS that she threw her hat in the race at the last minute, close to the filing deadline, and that she hopes to “bridge some gaps” in Olympia to save the state.

“I grew up here,” she said. “When you grow up here, you see how beautiful Spokane and Washington state can be and how bad it’s gotten. Downtown Spokane is zombie-land. Businesses are leaving. It’s becoming incredibly unaffordable.”

“I’m fighting for our kids and future generations,” she told JNS. “Stop voting for your own struggle. You’ve been voting the same way for how long and Washington is getting worse, especially district three. Try something new.”

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