Under God: A Conservative Majority Takes Hold in Yakima

In the November 2023 general election, the Yakima City Council went from being one of the most liberal councils in the city’s history to perhaps the most conservative in all of Washington state. As the largest city in Central Washington, this shift offers a hopeful perspective on how conservatives can still effect change in the Evergreen State. 

The council’s conservative majority gained attention throughout the state and nation when the council voted 5-2 to reject a Pride Month proclamation in June 2024, with one council member asking the question conservatives have been thinking for years: “Why are we honoring this?” 


The new conservative mayor Patricia Byers, a devout Christian, has focused her efforts on making Yakima a “family city.” 

“I’m a Christian, I’m a person of faith and that’s the lens through which I live, but my commitment is to the city,” Byers explained. “That’s why I’m here serving. It’s not about Washington, D.C., it’s about my community where I live and the people I associate with and reach out to me and want to talk to me about this or that.” 

Christian singer and activist Sean Feucht, who travels the nation leading worship events, witnessed the difference in Yakima compared to other American cities. “There’s something powerful when the mayor loves Jesus,” Feucht noted, speaking of Byers. “Trust me, I’ve been to a lot of cities. That’s not the normal case in America.” 

The city council’s conservative stance has also been bolstered by the new deputy mayor, Matt Brown, a former pastor. 

“I door-knocked on 8,000 doors when I was running in 2021,” Brown shared. “When I talked to a lot of folks at the door, they told me, ‘We actually like that you are a pastor because we know where your morals are … We know you’re not going to remove our police. We know that because of your faith and who you are.’” 

The tides are turning in Washington. Residents want faith-based politics that will protect family values and promote healthy communities. If this can be accomplished in one year in Yakima, imagine what we can do in the next five years in all of Washington! Please join us as a DEFENDER and help us reclaim our state for Christ!

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