| Field | Detail | Source |
|---|
| Full Name | Laurel Karryn Smith | T1 |
| Residence | Clark County, Washington. Reported as a resident of Camas. The campaign committee lists a Vancouver mailing address (PO Box 1122, Vancouver 98666). | T1 |
| Party | No party preference is listed on the candidate's SOS filing or PDC registration. Clark County lists the Prosecuting Attorney as a nonpartisan elected position. | T1 |
| Education | Licensed to practice law in Washington in 2013 (WSBA admission). Specific undergraduate institution and law school are not disclosed on campaign materials or public candidate profiles. | T1 |
| Employment | Deputy and Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, since 2012. Handled serious and complex cases including homicides and sex offenses.; Senior Deputy Prosecutor supervising the Children's Justice Center prosecution unit; has supervised attorneys and staff across three units, including the domestic violence and child abuse units.; Judge Pro Tempore, Clark County District Court, presiding over civil dockets on an as-needed basis.; Member, Washington State Bar Association Rules and Procedures Committee. Member of the Clark County Bar Association Continuing Legal Education and Hearsay newsletter committees. | T1 |
1 Election History
| Year | Race | Result |
|---|
| 2026 | Clark County Prosecuting Attorney | Pending. Filed 5/5/2026. Sole candidate to file during filing week (May 4-8, 2026) and the only declared candidate on the SOS and PDC rosters as of 2026-07-04. Would succeed retiring incumbent Tony Golik, who is not seeking reelection after 16 years. A second potential candidate, Alysha Evelyn Chandra, registered a PDC committee but did not declare candidacy (PDC shows active_candidate false, no declaration date). |
2 Political Positions
| Topic | Position | Source |
|---|
| Victim Protection and Public Safety | Smith's platform emphasizes seeking justice for victims, advocating for victim protection laws, prioritizing crimes that directly affect residents, and maintaining partnerships with law enforcement. | T3 |
3 Campaign Finance (PDC T1 Data)
4 Endorsements
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Unknown
5 Notable Public Statements
“My husband and I amicably separated earlier this year. I began my new relationship with Sergeant Dewey in June of 2026. Immediately thereafter, I reassigned the cases in which he had an investigative role, disclosed the relationship to the defense attorneys in those cases, and screened myself from any oversight of them.”
Responding to a June 24, 2026 defense motion to disqualify the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in State v. Steven Ward (2026)
“She is well liked and respected and has an excellent reputation with the bench and law enforcement.”
Outgoing Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik endorsing Smith to succeed him (2025)
6 Vulnerability Assessment
1 sourced findings. All sourced at T1 (Official Record) or T2 (Multi-Source Media) per clearthemud provenance model. No T3/T4 claims included.
Finding 6.1: Prosecutor's office faces a defense motion to disqualify it over Smith's relationship with a lead police investigator in a case she was prosecuting MODERATE
- What happened
- On June 24, 2026, Vancouver defense attorney Neil Anderson filed a motion in Clark County Superior Court (State v. Steven Ward) asking the court to disqualify the entire Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and appoint a special prosecutor. The motion states that Senior Deputy Prosecutor Laurel Smith, the sole filed candidate to become the next elected prosecutor, began a relationship on June 2, 2026 with Vancouver Police Sergeant James Dewey, a lead investigator on the Ward case who authored probable cause statements, interviewed the defendant, and testified at a May 20 hearing. Smith personally conducted Dewey's direct examination before disclosing the relationship. She reassigned the case to prosecutor Cord McCabe on June 9; the defense states she did not give a reason until June 18. McCabe reports to Smith, who supervises the unit. A hearing was set for July 8, 2026 before Judge Robert A. Lewis. Smith's estranged husband, Colin Hayes, remains a senior deputy prosecutor in the same office, which the motion cites as an additional conflict concern. As of 2026-07-04 the matter is pending and no ruling has been reported.
- Source tier
- T2
- Political impact
- Moderate
- Defense
- Smith stated on the record that she and her husband amicably separated earlier in 2026, that she began the relationship with Sergeant Dewey in June 2026, and that immediately afterward she reassigned every case in which he had an investigative role, disclosed the relationship to the affected defense attorneys, and screened herself from any oversight of those cases. The motion is a defense filing whose merits are for the court to decide, and the reassignment and disclosure occurred before the motion was filed. No court has ruled that a conflict requires disqualification, and the WSBA reports no disciplinary action against Smith.
- https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/lone-prosecuting-attorney-candidate-scrutinized-for-actions-in-superior-court-case/
7 Source Verification
- Data Sources
- WA SOS, WA PDC, local media, public records
- Collection Date
- 2026-07-04
- Highest Tier
- T1 (Official Record)
- Methodology
- OSINT deep-dive using exclusively public-record sources. All findings at T1 or T2. No T3/T4 claims included.