Key Takeaways
- • Hedge fund executive Brian Heywood, founder of Let's Go Washington, is the principal funder of Initiative 645 on the November 2026 Washington statewide ballot, which seeks to repeal the state's new millionaire income tax.
- • Heywood has complained publicly that Democratic lawmakers and the Public Disclosure Commission are isolating him and trying to make him "toxic" to donors, a claim the Northwest Progressive Institute column rejects as self-inflicted.
- • Per the column, Heywood has funded ten initiatives across two election cycles, and of the first batch, three were overwhelmingly rejected by voters, one was struck down by the Washington Supreme Court, two were superseded by legislation, and one remains on the books.
- • Heywood's 645 campaign has struggled to attract donors and polling, while a separate "Yes on 645" committee, not affiliated with him, is funded by Madrona Venture Group LLC, Lawrence Hughes, Gordon Truck Centers, Kemper Freeman and Larry Gordon.
- • The column is an opinion piece from an advocacy group opposed to Heywood's measures, so its characterizations should be weighed accordingly.
Summary
A Northwest Progressive Institute opinion piece, drawing on a Guardian report by Adam Willems, takes aim at hedge fund executive Brian Heywood, a Donald Trump donor and the principal funder of Initiative 645 on the November 2026 Washington ballot. The measure seeks to overturn the state's new million-dollar earners tax. Heywood, a conservative hedge fund executive and founder of the political action committee Let's Go Washington, moved his business from California to Washington in 2010, in part for the state's lack of capital gains and income taxes.
According to the Guardian report cited in the piece, Heywood claimed that Democratic lawmakers and the state's election-finance watchdog have strategically tried to isolate him and Let's Go Washington and "try to make me toxic, somehow" in the eyes of donors. State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen suggested that advocates of repealing the tax may be distancing themselves from Heywood's "pretty toxic brand." A separate campaign backing the repeal, launched in July, named former Republican congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler as its spokesperson; that campaign did not respond to the Guardian's request for comment. Heywood also argued that the tax would trigger capital flight, citing departures of acquaintances, though the column notes his support consists of anecdotes.
The column argues that Heywood's fundraising difficulties stem from his own record. It cites ten initiatives funded across two cycles and says that three of the first batch were rejected by voters, with 64.11% opposing his I-2109 capital gains repeal, 61.95% opposing I-2117 on the Climate Commitment Act, and 55.46% opposing I-2124 on WA Cares. The column also criticizes IL26-001, a reinstatement of Initiative 2081, and Initiative 638 on girls' sports eligibility, which it characterizes as extreme.
The piece is an opinion column from an opposition coalition and reflects its authors' views. Independently, a "Yes on 645" committee not associated with Heywood has been formed and is funded by Madrona Venture Group LLC, Lawrence Hughes, Gordon Truck Centers, Kemper Freeman and Larry Gordon, according to the column. The column also reports that Heywood's donor base for 645 has been thin and that polling has been weak as the November 3 vote approaches.
According to the Guardian report cited in the piece, Heywood claimed that Democratic lawmakers and the state's election-finance watchdog have strategically tried to isolate him and Let's Go Washington and "try to make me toxic, somehow" in the eyes of donors. State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen suggested that advocates of repealing the tax may be distancing themselves from Heywood's "pretty toxic brand." A separate campaign backing the repeal, launched in July, named former Republican congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler as its spokesperson; that campaign did not respond to the Guardian's request for comment. Heywood also argued that the tax would trigger capital flight, citing departures of acquaintances, though the column notes his support consists of anecdotes.
The column argues that Heywood's fundraising difficulties stem from his own record. It cites ten initiatives funded across two cycles and says that three of the first batch were rejected by voters, with 64.11% opposing his I-2109 capital gains repeal, 61.95% opposing I-2117 on the Climate Commitment Act, and 55.46% opposing I-2124 on WA Cares. The column also criticizes IL26-001, a reinstatement of Initiative 2081, and Initiative 638 on girls' sports eligibility, which it characterizes as extreme.
The piece is an opinion column from an opposition coalition and reflects its authors' views. Independently, a "Yes on 645" committee not associated with Heywood has been formed and is funded by Madrona Venture Group LLC, Lawrence Hughes, Gordon Truck Centers, Kemper Freeman and Larry Gordon, according to the column. The column also reports that Heywood's donor base for 645 has been thin and that polling has been weak as the November 3 vote approaches.
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