Rep. Drew Stokesbary

The Three-Layer Structure

Stokesbary's financial picture is the most structurally complex in the screener. Three distinct income and investment streams all intersect with his committee work, and the F1 discloses the vehicles without disclosing the underlying holdings.

Layer 1: Stokesbary PLLC (income $200K-$500K, 2024)

A boutique corporate law firm at 701 Fifth Ave, Suite 4200, Seattle. Per public filings and bar records, the firm advises startups, emerging companies, and private investment funds on corporate governance, securities, M&A, and commercial law. The F1 also shows Chalmers, Adams, Backer & Kaufman LLC pays partnership distributions to Stokesbary PLLC, reflecting an of-counsel role in political and election law.

The client list of Stokesbary PLLC is not disclosed anywhere in the F1. His clients operate in IT, retail, finance, construction, and real estate, all sectors with active legislation before Appropriations and Finance.

Layer 2: Carbon River Ventures LLC (100% owner)

This is the critical finding. Carbon River Ventures, registered at his law firm's address, holds two categories of assets per the 2024 F1:

In 2022, he disclosed $30K-$60K in investment distributions from Carbon River as income. In 2023 and 2024, the income line is blank. The vehicle and its valuations remain on the F1; the contents do not.

Layer 3: Chalmers, Adams, Backer & Kaufman LLC

A political and election law firm where Stokesbary is a named member. The firm represents Republican candidates, political committees, and redistricting litigants. Per the Chalmers website, he is currently lead counsel in two redistricting cases pending in federal court. This layer is less a financial conflict than a context item: it explains his deep institutional role in Republican Party infrastructure.

Why Carbon River Ventures Is the Core Problem

The F1 disclosure system was designed for legislators who own farms, law firms, and rental properties. It was not designed for legislators who manage personal investment vehicles holding LP interests in undisclosed venture funds and direct equity in undisclosed startups.

Stokesbary votes on Washington's capital gains treatment, B&O tax structure, startup securities exemptions, R&D tax credits, and technology procurement as ranking member of the committees that set all of these policies. His Carbon River Ventures portfolio holds equity in companies whose valuations, exit timelines, and regulatory costs are directly affected by those votes. The F1 tells us the vehicle exists and what it's worth. It does not tell us what it holds.

This is a more acute version of the MacEwen finding (Nova Satus Venture Fund). The differences: Carbon River is entirely self-managed at his own law firm's address, not a third-party fund; his law firm clients are drawn from the same startup and fund universe his portfolio holds equity in; and as Minority Leader, his influence over Finance and Appropriations outcomes is qualitatively different from a committee member's.

Committee Assignments

The Gifts: Industry Cultivation

The 2023 F1 discloses travel and hospitality received from organizations with direct legislative interests before Stokesbary's committees:

The TechNet travel is the sharpest item. TechNet is a paid membership organization whose members lobby state legislatures on tech regulation, data privacy, AI policy, and tax treatment. Stokesbary received travel from TechNet while holding undisclosed equity in tech-adjacent companies and ranking on the committee that funds tech procurement.

Income and Asset Summary (2024 F1)

What Would Strengthen This Finding

Washington Secretary of State business registry lookup on Carbon River Ventures LLC for formation date, registered agent, and any affiliated entities. PDC lobbyist registration cross-reference to determine whether any Stokesbary PLLC clients have registered lobbyists in Olympia. Cross-reference TechNet member companies against Stokesbary's Finance and Appropriations votes on tech-related bills. Review any Washington capital gains legislation votes against Carbon River Ventures distribution timing.

About This Analysis

Income ranges, not exact figures. All income figures on this page are PDC-reported bands (e.g. "$100K-$200K"), not verified dollar amounts. A legislator at the bottom of a range and one at the top receive the same treatment. Conclusions drawn from these ranges are approximate.

Washington is a citizen legislature. The state constitution envisions part-time legislators who maintain outside careers. Outside income is expected, not inherently problematic. The presence of outside income on this page is not itself a finding. What matters is the structural relationship between that income and the legislator's official authority.

This is an editorial investigation, not a legal finding. The automated screening score on the legislature page is a first-pass filter that measures structural complexity. This deep-dive profile is a hand-investigated editorial analysis based on public records. Neither constitutes a determination that any law has been violated. The Legislative Ethics Board (LEB) and Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) are the bodies with enforcement authority.

How to Verify Every Claim

F1 Disclosure (2024)

F1 Disclosure (2023)

Campaign Contributions

Stokesbary PLLC

Chalmers, Adams, Backer & Kaufman LLC