| Field | Detail | Source |
|---|
| Full Name | James J. Streifel Jr. (known as JR Streifel) | T2 |
| Residence | Cosmopolis/Aberdeen area, Grays Harbor County (inferred from Cosmopolis School Board service and Aberdeen Fire career) | T2 |
| Party | Republican | T1 |
| Employment | Aberdeen Fire Department (September 17, 1979, June 30, 2008). Rose from Hoseman through ranks to Battalion Chief. EMT since March 1980, Paramedic since April 1984. Nearly 29 years of fire/EMS service. Retired as Captain.; State employee (specific agency not identified, post-fire retirement); Cosmopolis School Board member; Grays Harbor County Commissioner District 3 (appointed May 5, 2026, assumed office May 16, 2026, replacing resigned Vickie Raines). Selected from 5 applicants after public interviews. | T2 |
1 Election History
| Year | Race | Result |
|---|
| 2022 | Grays Harbor County Commissioner District 3 | Lost primary, third place with 22.17% (1,663 votes) behind Vickie Raines (46.01%) and Lisa Zaborac (31.55%) |
| 2024 | WA State House LD24 Position 1 | Lost primary, third place with 23.12% (3,032 votes) in Grays Harbor County |
2 Political Positions
| Topic | Position | Source |
|---|
| Public Safety | Believes police have been 'handcuffed' by post-2020 reforms and recruitment has suffered. Supports law enforcement and public safety funding. | T2 |
| County Operations | Committed to strengthening county operations, supporting economic development, and addressing local challenges through community partnerships. | T2 |
| Affordable Housing | Identified affordable housing and rising costs as top concerns during 2024 legislative campaign. | T2 |
3 Campaign Finance (PDC T1 Data)
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Filing Entity | PDC committee STREJ--837 (cid 40669); 2026 cycle as of 2026-06-21: $3,355 cash raised, $2,013 in-kind, $2,774 spent, ~$582 cash-on-hand across 18 contributions; top donors small contributions $1,270, Image Signs & Design of Hoquiam $790 in-kind, Kenny Hughes $500. Source: WA PDC SODA API (data.wa.gov), as_of 2026-06-21. | T1 |
4 Notable Public Statements
“We used to get a ton of people applying. Now they can't even get enough people to fill their list because they don't have the support of our leaders.”
2024 LD24 candidate forum, discussing law enforcement recruitment challenges (2024)
5 Vulnerability Assessment
3 sourced findings. All sourced at T1 (Official Record) or T2 (Multi-Source Media) per clearthemud provenance model. No T3/T4 claims included.
Finding 5.1: Lost the last two elections he entered LOW
- What happened
- Streifel finished third in the 2022 Commissioner District 3 primary (22.17 percent) and third in the 2024 State House LD24 primary (23.12 percent), and did not advance past the primary either time. He was later appointed to the District 3 seat he had lost in 2022.
- Source tier
- T1
- Political impact
- Low
- Defense
- The current commissioners interviewed all five applicants and selected Streifel for the appointment. His prior losses came against a long-serving incumbent (Raines) and in crowded primaries.
- https://ballotpedia.org/J.R._Streifel_(Grays_Harbor_County_Commissioner_3,_Washington,_candidate_2022)
- https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20220802/graysharbor/
Finding 5.2: PDC enforcement warning for late 2022 disclosure filings (Case #111040) MODERATE
- What happened
- In 2022, PDC enforcement Case #111040 was filed against Streifel for failing to timely disclose contributions and expenditures on C-3 and C-4 reports, in violation of RCW 42.17A.235 and .240. The case was closed with a written warning.
- Source tier
- T1
- Political impact
- Moderate
- Defense
- PDC staff treated the violation as minor, with no financial penalty and only a written warning. The amounts were small; his 2024 campaign raised about $3,000 in total.
- https://www.pdc.wa.gov/rules-enforcement/enforcement/enforcement-cases/111040
Finding 5.3: Appointed to the seat by the sitting commissioners LOW
- What happened
- Streifel was appointed to the commissioner seat by the two commissioners he now serves alongside (Georgia Miller, Rick Hole), who selected him from a pool of five applicants. He holds the seat by appointment rather than by election.
- Source tier
- T2
- Political impact
- Low
- Defense
- The appointment process was public, with all five candidates interviewed in an open meeting on April 28, 2026. This is the standard legal process under Washington law for filling mid-term vacancies, and Streifel must still win the election to keep the seat.
- https://www.thedailyworld.com/2026/05/06/grays-harbor-county-appoints-j-r-streifel-jr-as-district-3-commissioner/
6 Source Verification
- Data Sources
- WA SOS, WA PDC, local media, public records
- Collection Date
- 2026-06-24
- 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.