Accusations of harassment trail rising state Democrat

• Earlier this year, Rivera became a member of the Washington State Democrats' executive committee, which runs the organization and enforces party rules.
• Former Gov. Jay Inslee appointed her last year to serve on the state's Sentencing Guidelines Commission, which advises the governor and the Legislature on criminal sentencing policy.

What they're saying: Renton City Councilmember Kim-Khánh Văn emailed the Renton police chief in December 2022 to report what she described as a yearlong pattern of "bullying and harassment" by Rivera.

• Separately, four people involved in local politics or community groups — who requested anonymity, citing potential professional consequences — described six instances since 2021 in which they allege Rivera yelled at them while using profanity or acted in a way they found physically aggressive or intimidating.
• Axios has interviewed witnesses who corroborate three of those accounts, one of which pertains to an interaction from last year.
• The former executive director of Seattle Pride, Krystal Marx, also told Axios that a Pride employee accused Rivera of harassing behavior in 2022, when Rivera was a Pride board member.

The other side: Rivera denies the allegations and has said at least one of her accusers was bullying her, not the other way around.

• Her campaign consultant, Michael Charles, called the accusations "politically motivated retaliation" for Rivera supporting progressive policies, such as raising Renton's minimum wage.

Catch up quick: In 2021, after Rivera worked as a voluntary security guard at a Seattle Pride concert, an artists collective that took part in the event wrote a letter of complaint to Seattle Pride's leadership.

• That group, BeautyBoiz, described Rivera's behavior as "hostile, confrontational, and bordering on harassment" — a characterization she disputes.
• Rivera's behavior included "yelling" at multiple performers backstage and threatening to kick them out, even when they were "engaging in behavior that was consistent with the other performers," wrote BeautyBoiz, a group in which Rivera was formerly a member.
• Some group members couldn't finish their work because they "had to step away from the situation," per a copy of the letter shared with Axios. (Rivera told Axios she did not yell, but "spoke assertively" while trying to enforce security and alcohol control rules.)

Marx told Axios that Rivera left the Pride board the next year after a Seattle Pride employee accused Rivera of harassment.

• "Those are false accusations," Rivera told Axios.
• Rivera said she resigned her board position in October 2022 partly because of "unprofessional behavior" by Marx — a claim Marx disputes. Marx was let go as Seattle Pride's executive director about a month later.

Later that year, Văn, Rivera's council colleague, emailed the Renton police chief to report being "harassed and verbally attacked" by Rivera, according to an email Axios received through a public records request.

• Văn later told Axios that at a public event in December 2022, Rivera screamed and swore at her roughly a foot away from her face, during an encounter that lasted for a few minutes.
• A month earlier, Văn said, Rivera physically blocked her from reentering a meeting room by putting herself between Văn and a sliding glass door.

• Rivera denied Văn's account, saying that in both instances she approached Văn to have conversations, "but I was not yelling at her" and "definitely did not curse at her."

The police chief forwarded Văn's concerns to the human resources department, which Văn also emailed separately. Văn didn't file a police report.

• Renton Mayor Armondo Pavone later sent an email to council members and city staff saying staff didn't have the authority to intervene in disputes involving elected officials.

Flashback: In 2016, five years before her election in Renton, Rivera was arrested and charged with a gross misdemeanor following an alleged domestic violence incident, in a case that was eventually dismissed, court records show.

• The charge — malicious mischief in the third-degree domestic violence — stemmed from an incident in which Rivera told a police officer she tore a side mirror off her former romantic partner's car, according to a police report.
• Rivera's ex said she was inside the stopped car when Rivera began kicking it and ripped off the mirror, the police report says.
• The prosecutor's office in Redmond, where the case was filed, told Axios it no longer has notes that might help explain why prosecutors dropped the charges.

Asked about the arrest, Rivera said, "It's hard for me to recollect the details — I was not in the best place personally at the time."

• Rivera said the experience has informed her work as a policymaker, including her support for Project Be Free, which provides mental health support for people involved in domestic disputes.

Between the lines: Shasti Conrad, who chairs the state Democratic Party, said she wasn't aware of Rivera's 2016 arrest until recently but that such incidents shouldn't necessarily be disqualifying.

• "We have to give people space to grow and learn from mistakes," Conrad told Axios. "I believe that Carmen has."

What's next: Two people are challenging Rivera in this year's election. The Aug. 5 primary will decide which two candidates advance to the November ballot.