CC BY 4.0
IndependentRunning for WA-5 U.S. House · 2026
Nate Powell
Nathan Lee Powell (born 1978) is an American graphic novelist and musician . His 2008 graphic novel Swallow Me Whole won an Ignatz Award and Eisner Award for Best Original Graphic Novel. He illustrated the March trilogy, an autobiographical series written by U.S. Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin , which received the 2016 National Book Award , making Powell the first cartoonist to receive the award.
Born 1978 · Little Rock, Arkansas
In brief
AI · verified vs data · 2026-07-03
Nate Powell, an independent graphic novelist and musician, is running for Washington's 5th Congressional District. His graphic novel Swallow Me Whole won the Ignatz and Eisner Awards, and he illustrated the March trilogy by U.S. Congressman John Lewis, becoming the first cartoonist to win a National Book Award. In polls, he's effectively tied with Michael Baumgartner at about 53% to 52%, having raised around $100,000.
53%
Polling average
our aggregate
$133k
Raised this cycle
FEC · committee
Independence scorecard
Computed · FEC money mixWho Powell's money comes from.
B+
72/100
Independence index
Funding mix leans independent — pac independence is the standout.
1 watch item · small-dollar reliance
Small-dollar reliance48
24% of individual + PAC money from donors under $200
PAC independence92
2% of individual + PAC money from PACs
In-state funding64
36% of itemized receipts come from out of state
Outside-money exposure83
$28k in outside spending supports the campaign
MONEY-MIX INDEX, COMPUTED FROM FEC FILINGS ONLY: SMALL-DOLLAR SHARE, PAC RELIANCE, IN-STATE MONEY AND OUTSIDE (IE) SPENDING. IT DOES NOT SCORE VOTES OR DONOR–VOTE ALIGNMENT. HIGHER = MORE INDEPENDENT · GREEN ≥70 · AMBER 50–69 · RED <50.
Governing & voting record
—
No legislative record
Roll-call votes and sponsored bills are collected for members of Congress from congress.gov. There is no roll-call source for this office yet.
Where they stand
—
Key positions not yet compiled
Positions are drawn from the candidate's public record and statements. We haven't compiled a verified set for this candidate yet.
How they vote
—
No party-unity or ideology scores
Party-unity and DW-NOMINATE ideology scores are only available for candidates with a congressional roll-call record.
Ratings from advocacy groups
—
No advocacy-group ratings
Interest-group scorecards have no machine-readable feed — they're curated per candidate, and none are on file yet.
Career & history
—
No career timeline
Career history is built from Wikipedia / Wikidata records. No matching public record was found for this candidate.
Public favorability
—
No favorability data
This candidate isn't tracked by YouGov's public-figure panel, and no published state polling on their favorability was found.
Donors & money
FEC itemized filings · cycle-to-dateWho funds the campaign.
$133k
Raised
$75k
Spent
$58k
Cash on hand
Source of funds · individual + PAC
24% small (<$200)74% large indiv.2% PAC
64% in-state · 36% out-of-state (itemized)
OWN-COMMITTEE TOTALS FROM FEC FILINGS THROUGH 2026-03-31 · INDUSTRY GROUPS ARE ITEMIZED RECEIPTS CLASSIFIED BY EMPLOYER — A KEYWORD APPROXIMATION, NOT OPENSECRETS CODING. SOURCE: FEC ↗
Race
The contest Powell is running in.
WA · HOUSE · 2026safe r
Powell (I) vs Michael Baumgartner (R)
53%+0.8 Powell52.2%
Open full race detail →
Related prediction markets
All markets →Live contract prices tied to Powell and the seat. Prices are ¢-per-share of the YES outcome; context only, never merged into our polling averages.
Sources & provenance
Biography
Public record
Wikipedia + state records
Money & donors
FEC filings
itemized + committee totals
Markets
Live venues
Polymarket · Kalshi
ALL FIGURES DRAWN FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE RECORDS · CANDIDATE PROFILES ARE NONPARTISAN AND CARRY NO ENDORSEMENT. · PHOTO: SWINXY · CC BY 4.0 (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Independent · WA-5 U.S. House
Nate Powell
Nathan Lee Powell (born 1978) is an American graphic novelist and musician . His 2008 graphic novel Swallow Me Whole won an Ignatz Award and Eisner Award for Best Original Graphic Novel. He illustrated the March trilogy, an autobiographical series written by U.S. Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin , which received the 2016 National Book Award , making Powell the first cartoonist to receive the award.
Where Powell standsRace →
Powell 53%Michael Baumgartner 52.2%
53%
Poll avg
$133k
Raised
In brief
AI · verified vs data · 2026-07-03Nate Powell, an independent graphic novelist and musician, is running for Washington's 5th Congressional District. His graphic novel Swallow Me Whole won the Ignatz and Eisner Awards, and he illustrated the March trilogy by U.S. Congressman John Lewis, becoming the first cartoonist to win a National Book Award. In polls, he's effectively tied with Michael Baumgartner at about 53% to 52%, having raised around $100,000.
Governing & voting record
—
No legislative record
Roll-call votes and sponsored bills are collected for members of Congress from congress.gov. There is no roll-call source for this office yet.
Where they stand
—
Key positions not yet compiled
Positions are drawn from the candidate's public record and statements. We haven't compiled a verified set for this candidate yet.
Career & history
—
No career timeline
Career history is built from Wikipedia / Wikidata records. No matching public record was found for this candidate.
Public favorability
—
No favorability data
This candidate isn't tracked by YouGov's public-figure panel, and no published state polling on their favorability was found.
Independence scorecard
Who Powell's money comes from.
B+
72/100
Independence index
Funding mix leans independent — pac independence is the standout.
1 watch item · small-dollar reliance
Small-dollar reliance48
24% of individual + PAC money from donors under $200
PAC independence92
2% of individual + PAC money from PACs
In-state funding64
36% of itemized receipts come from out of state
Outside-money exposure83
$28k in outside spending supports the campaign
MONEY-MIX INDEX, COMPUTED FROM FEC FILINGS ONLY: SMALL-DOLLAR SHARE, PAC RELIANCE, IN-STATE MONEY AND OUTSIDE (IE) SPENDING. IT DOES NOT SCORE VOTES OR DONOR–VOTE ALIGNMENT. HIGHER = MORE INDEPENDENT · GREEN ≥70 · AMBER 50–69 · RED <50.
How they vote
—
No party-unity or ideology scores
Party-unity and DW-NOMINATE ideology scores are only available for candidates with a congressional roll-call record.
Ratings from advocacy groups
—
No advocacy-group ratings
Interest-group scorecards have no machine-readable feed — they're curated per candidate, and none are on file yet.
Donors & money
$133k
Raised
$75k
Spent
$58k
Cash on hand
Source of funds · individual + PAC
24% small (<$200)74% large indiv.2% PAC
64% in-state · 36% out-of-state (itemized)
OWN-COMMITTEE TOTALS FROM FEC FILINGS THROUGH 2026-03-31 · INDUSTRY GROUPS ARE ITEMIZED RECEIPTS CLASSIFIED BY EMPLOYER — A KEYWORD APPROXIMATION, NOT OPENSECRETS CODING. SOURCE: FEC ↗
Sources & provenance
Biography
Public record
Wikipedia + state records
Money & donors
FEC filings
itemized + committee totals
Markets
Live venues
Polymarket · Kalshi
ALL FIGURES DRAWN FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE RECORDS · CANDIDATE PROFILES ARE NONPARTISAN AND CARRY NO ENDORSEMENT. · PHOTO: SWINXY · CC BY 4.0 (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)