Bonney Lake Mom Successfully Launches Write-In Campaign to Get on Ballot for State Treasurer

Washington State Treasurer Democrat Jim McIntire will face the underdog from Bonney Lake during the general election this November. Bonney Lake resident Sharon Hanek is on the ballot to become the Washington State Treasurer after her successful write-in campaign this primary election.

The Tacoma News Tribune reports that Hanek, a conservative Republican, started a write-in campaign not long before the Aug. 7 primary and received 3.4 percent of the vote, certified last month. Candidates must receive at least 1 percent of the vote to move forward into the general election from the primary.

It's not a landslide by any means, but it's the first time in three decades that a statewide write-in candidate made the top two primary votes and will enter the general election.

According to her website, Hanek grew up on military bases in Japan, attended the University of Washington and earned her Certified Public Accountant license. She had her own CPA firm until 1998 and has been active in many local organizations, including the White River and Kent school districts. She was a founding member of the Pierce County Citizens Alliance for Property Rights (CAPR) and treasurer for the Pierce County Republican Party.

"As State Treasurer I believe that the accounting system should be transparent and relevant data should be easily accessible to both decision makers and citizens and I will advocate for such a system," Hanek writes on her website.

She has three children and talks extensively about family dynamics in her recorded speeches campaigning for the vote on YouTube. She has called herself a "Christian conservative" in interviews.

Before the election results were certified, McIntire had shut down his fundraising campaign, believing he was running unopposed. He told the TNT he plans to re-launch fundraising now.

McIntire is a several-term lawmaker and has served as Treasurer since 2008.