Candidate filing begins for 9 Washington state legislative seats
The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
The curtain is officially rising on Washington's 2025 election season.
Candidates can begin filing at 8 a.m. Monday for more than 3,200 seats on city councils, county commissions, school boards, and special districts. They must turn in declarations and pay any fees by 5 p.m. Friday.
There are contests for nine Democrat-held legislative seats. Eight involve lawmakers appointed for the just-completed session who are seeking to stay in office. Winners will serve through 2026.
One race is to fill the vacancy created by the death of Democratic state Sen. Bill Ramos in April. The victor in November will serve the remaining three years of the term.
Here's where things stand as filing gets underway.
26th District: Sen. Deb Krishnadasan, a Gig Harbor Democrat, wants to keep the seat she was appointed to after the district's former state senator, Emily Randall, was elected to Congress. The district covers parts of Kitsap and Pierce Counties.
Republican state Rep. Michelle Caldier of Gig Harbor is the lone GOP challenger to emerge so far.
33rd District: Sen. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, served in the state House until she was chosen to succeed Sen. Karen Keiser, who retired. Orwall was the only candidate with a campaign committee as of Friday. The district includes Burien, Normandy Park, Des Moines, SeaTac, and much of Kent.
34th District: Sen. Emily Alvarado, D-Seattle, moved from the House to the Senate to replace Joe Nguyen when Gov. Bob Ferguson named him to lead the state Department of Commerce. The district includes West Seattle, Vashon Island, White Center, and part of Burien.
48th District: Sen. Vandana Slatter, D-Bellevue, served in the House until being appointed to succeed Patty Kuderer, following her election as Washington's insurance commissioner. Rep. Amy Walen, D-Kirkland, who also sought the appointment, is challenging her former seatmate. The district covers communities in Redmond, Bellevue and Kirkland.
5th District: No one had publicly announced their candidacy as of Sunday. Meanwhile, a Democrat will be appointed to serve in the office through the election. That process is expected to get underway this month. The district covers Issaquah, Black Diamond, Covington, and part of Snoqualmie.
33rd District: Rep. Edwin Obras, D-SeaTac, was appointed to fill Orwall's House seat. Kevin Schilling, a Democrat and the mayor of Burien, is gearing up to challenge him.
34th District: Rep. Brianna Thomas, D-West Seattle, was tapped to succeed Alvarado in the House.
41st District: Rep. Janice Zahn, D-Bellevue, was appointed to replace Tana Senn who resigned to join Ferguson's administration as secretary of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. The district includes Mercer Island, Newcastle and part of Bellevue.
48th District: Rep. Osman Salahuddin, D-Redmond, was chosen to replace Slatter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
43 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee promises ‘relentless effort' at community inauguration
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee promised during a community inauguration Sunday to lead with 'openness, honesty and relentless effort' and invited the community to join her to make the city better. 'If we match hope with hard work, there's nothing that this city can't do, so let's do it,' Lee said on a stage at Jack London Square. 'Let's grab whatever you can grab — a paintbrush, a policy idea, a neighbor's hand, because the next chapter of Oakland starts now.' She added: 'All of you are co-authors of this next chapter.' Lee was elected in April and sworn in last month. The former congresswoman replaced former Mayor Sheng Thao, whom voters ousted in November in a recall fueled by a federal investigation that resulted in bribery charges against her. Thao pleaded not guilty to the charges. Lee takes over as the city confronts a historic budget deficit, public safety concerns, homelessness and illegal dumping, among other issues. By the end of this month, the city must balance its budget, which includes an annual deficit of about $140 million. Lee previously said the city will address the deficit through both short- and long-term solutions, though she did not provide specifics. During her remarks Sunday, after she again took the oath of office, Lee spoke of her work in the first few weeks of her administration. The goal from the start was to 'turn hope into action,' the Democrat told the crowd, which included faith leaders, business owners and other dignitaries, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta, California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. Already she's met with faith and business leaders to discuss public safety strategies. She acknowledged that despite violence prevention efforts and a decrease in homicides last year, some residents still don't feel safe. 'We've got to work to change this narrative in Oakland,' she said. Lee also said she traveled to the state Capitol to advocate for the city, 'because Oakland deserves its fair share of state resources,' she said. 'I made it clear: Investing in Oakland lifts the entire Bay Area.' State Sen. Jesse Arreguín, a Democrat whose district includes Oakland, said the city needs a 'proven leader with integrity and experience' to unite the city and region. 'That leader is Mayor Barbara Lee,' he said. Arreguín, who serves as chair of the public safety standing committee, said he's committed to working with Lee to curb crime in Oakland and make the city safer. He pledged to support the city's Ceasefire strategy and other violence-prevention programs. Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins called Sunday 'a beautiful day in Oakland.' He noted that Lee is the city's fourth mayor in two years. 'But I think we got it right this time,' he quipped. Jenkins described Lee as a mayor for all, especially Oakland residents 'who don't know where City Hall is.' 'The way she campaigned is the way she's going to govern: with integrity,' he added. Selena Wilson, CEO of the East Oakland Youth Development Center, urged the public to support Lee. 'We must continue to stand with her.' Barbara Leslie, president and CEO of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, picked by Lee as a co-chair of her transition team, said she can attest that Lee 'hit the ground running.' 'Frankly, my goal is just to keep up,' Leslie said, joined by members of the Rotary Club of Oakland #3 and Oakland Restaurant Collective. 'We are here to support you, as your success is Oakland's success,' Leslie said.
Wall Street Journal
2 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
GOP Senators' Competing Demands Risk Pulling Trump Megabill Apart
WASHINGTON—Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) is trying to release this week a revised version of President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' But as he races to pass the legislation ahead of Republicans' self-imposed July 4 deadline, he has got about as many problems as there are GOP senators, with lawmakers battling over the additional borrowing and spending cuts that will be used to finance tax relief, plus spending on the border and military.
Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
Read: Newsom demands Trump pull National Guard from LA protests
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Sunday formally that requested President Trump's administration withdraw the National Guard from Los Angeles County, where troops are responding to immigration raid protests. Why it matters: Trump in a Saturday memorandum that authorized the action in response to the LA unrest cited a rarely used provision in federal law that enables presidents to deploy national National Guard troops, but Newsom called the action "unlawful." The big picture: Newsom and other Californian Democratic leaders criticized Trump and his administration on Sunday for the action, as tensions remained heightened between authorities and protesters in a weekend that's seen tear gas deployed. Driving the news: Trump in his memo said that to the "extent that protests or acts of violence directly inhibit the execution of the laws, they constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States." However, David Sapp, the California governor's legal affairs secretary, said in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that local law enforcement resources were "sufficient to maintain order." What they're saying: Newsom said the action was "a serious breach of state sovereignty" that inflamed tensions "while pulling resources from where they're actually needed," as he posted copies of Sapp's letter to his social media accounts on Sunday.
