Meet Alex
Alex Scheel isn't a career politician. He's a worker, a veteran, a former union member, and a community organizer who believes Congress should look a lot more like the people it represents.
Born in San Diego, California, Alex is the son of a public school teacher and a carpenter. After his parents divorced when he was young, he moved with his father and stepmother to rural northern Michigan. At age 14, he got his first job at the local McDonald's while attending high school. By age 16, he had been promoted to assistant manager, a position which paid only $7.85 an hour.
Like millions of working class Americans, Alex balanced full-time work with the demands of high school in order to help his family pay for basic necessities like food, clothing and transportation.
After attending community college, Alex enlisted in the United States Army during the 2007 surge. He served as a Human Intelligence Collector from 2008 to 2014, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Seeing the human cost of war firsthand profoundly changed his worldview.
While stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord he fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and decided to make Tacoma his forever home. After leaving the military, he turned his focus to organizing in his own community and co-founded the south sound crew of About Face: Veterans Against the War, joining fellow veterans in speaking out against American Imperialism and corporate war profiteering.
For nearly a decade, Alex has been a community organizer with the Tacoma and Pierce County Democratic Socialists of America, working on campaigns for housing justice and helping to pass the strongest tenant rights protection in Washington state.
He's spoken at rallies across the region, including the No Kings demonstrations, and believes that real political change comes from ordinary people organizing together.
Alex studied Sustainable Agriculture and Political Science at The Evergreen State College in Olympia before building a career in the craft brewing industry and managing a small local beverage distributor. Along the way, he proudly worked as a Teamster, served as a UFCW shop steward representing his coworkers, and was twice elected as a Precinct Committee Officer in Washington's 27th Legislative District.
In 2023, Alex met his wife, Julia, at a holiday gathering she hosted for members of their local DSA chapter. A few days later they bonded over their shared values while eating cold pizza and listening to their favorite blues records. Julia is a registered nurse who is passionate about winning the fight for universal healthcare via Medicare For All, and the Washington Health Trust championed by Whole Washington.
Together, they purchased their first home in Tacoma's Eastside in 2025 using a VA loan assumption, a milestone they know remains out of reach for far too many young families today.
Alex loves to cook and tend to his backyard vegetable garden, while Julia cares for her ever growing jungle of houseplants. They are currently in the slow process of winning over a playful community cat they've names Buddy Guy, hoping that he'll choose the soft life indoors before the rain returns.
Alex's life has never been about personal enrichment, it's been about showing up for coworkers, neighbors, fellow veterans, and working families.
Alex's story isn't unique, and that's exactly why he's running.
He believes Congress needs more teachers' kids, more veterans, more union workers, and more regular people who understand the struggles of working class Americans. It's time to end the era of corrupt career politicians who block the solutions we need while selling us out to the highest bidder.
A better future is possible.
