Legislative ballot battles shaping up for Washington's fall elections

Yahoo

10-05-2025

Friday marked the deadline for candidates seeking nine seats in Washington's Legislature to file to run in elections this year. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)
Intriguing match-ups in the fall elections emerged Friday as Democrats look to retain control of several seats in the Washington state Legislature.
Two Senate contests should provide a test of voters' views on new laws, higher taxes and spending decisions pushed through by the majority Democrats over the objections of Republicans.
Races for two other legislative seats will showcase strains within the Democratic Party between its progressive and moderate factions.
Three appointed Democratic lawmakers are breathing easy. They drew no challengers before the filing window closed Friday.
This all but assures the trio — state Sens. Tina Orwall of Des Moines and Emily Alvarado of Seattle, and Rep. Brianna Thomas of West Seattle — will retain their seats for the 2026 session.
Here's where things stood Friday. Candidates have until Monday to formally withdraw from any of the races.
26th District: This looms as the must-watch contest of the year.
Sen. Deb Krishnadasan, a Gig Harbor Democrat, is looking to keep the seat she was appointed to after the district's former state senator, Emily Randall, was elected to Congress. She faces Republican state Rep. Michelle Caldier, also of Gig Harbor. She was first elected to the House in 2014 and re-elected in November with nearly 55% of the vote.
The winner will represent the legislative district which encompasses parts of Kitsap and Pierce counties and includes Bremerton, Port Orchard, Purdy and Gig Harbor. They will need to run again in 2026.
Caldier enters with backing from most of the Senate Republican Caucus. She is expected to focus on what GOP legislative leaders say has been Democrats' overreach with passage of a $9.4 billion package of tax increases to balance the budget and another $3.2 billion for transportation, anchored by a 6-cent per gallon gas tax hike.
Krishnadasan, who served six years on the Peninsula School District Board of Directors, was among the vulnerable Democrats voting against their party's major tax bills and transportation revenue package. She'll be pressed to make that clear in the coming campaign.
5th District: This race is to fill the vacancy created by the death of Democratic state Sen. Bill Ramos in April. Whoever wins will serve the remaining three years of the term.
Rep. Victoria Hunt, D-Issaquah, a scientist and former Issaquah City Council member, won her House seat in November with 54% of the vote. She formally entered the race Monday and is backed by her seatmate, Rep. Lisa Callan, D-Issaquah.
'While this was not a campaign I wanted to run, I am honored to build upon the legacy of leadership and spirit of selfless service exemplified by Bill Ramos, while continuing to rely on my experience in Olympia and local government,' Hunt said in her announcement.
Republican Chad Magendanz, a former two-term state representative for the district, is opposing her. He ran for Senate last year, losing to Ramos by 3,400 votes. In 2022, Magendanz lost to Callan for the House seat.
In his announcement, he targeted Hunt's support of 'billions in new, unnecessary, and regressive taxes' and called the election 'our opportunity to correct course.'
48th District: Sen. Vandana Slatter, D-Bellevue, and Rep. Amy Walen, D-Kirkland, are squaring off in what will be a litmus test for some of the party's priorities and the district voters' allegiances.
Slatter had served in the state House since 2017 until being appointed to replace Patty Kuderer, following her election as Washington's insurance commissioner. Walen won her seat in 2018 and also sought the appointment. The district covers communities in Redmond, Bellevue and Kirkland.
Both opposed the largest piece of the Democrats' $9.4 billion tax package, a sweeping bill containing an across-the-board increase in the business tax and surcharges on the state's largest corporations and financial institutions. And both supported another key component, extending the retail sales tax to some services.
Slatter voted for the gas tax increase. Walen did not. They differed on some high-profile policies, too. For example, Walen opposed the new rent increase cap and Slatter voted for it.
This will be a costly contest. As of Thursday, Walen had raised nearly $320,000 to Slatter's $107,000, according to filings with the state Public Disclosure Commission.
33rd District: Rep. Edwin Obras, D-SeaTac, who was appointed to fill Orwall's House seat, is being challenged by Burien Mayor Kevin Schilling, a Democrat, and Darryl Jones, a Republican and Kent resident. The two with the most votes in the August primary will advance to the general election. The district includes Burien, Normandy Park, Des Moines, SeaTac, and much of Kent.
Obras formerly worked for the city of Seattle's Human Services Department. This will be his first election campaign for a public office. 'We need someone in Olympia who will fight for the diverse communities in South King County and not settle for or slide back into the status quo,' he said in his announcement.
Schilling was elected to the Burien City Council in 2019 and reelected in 2023. He's been mayor since last year. He is the government affairs director for the Washington State Dental Association and former political director for retired congressman Derek Kilmer. Schilling did not seek the appointment to the post.
'The government of the state of Washington is not doing things differently to solve the problems that need to be solved,' he said. He said he wants to bring new approaches to addressing homelessness, housing, and public safety based on his experience as mayor.
Jones, who filed Friday, made an unsuccessful run for a Kent City Council seat in 2023.
As of Friday, Schilling had raised $83,100. Obras, who could not raise money during the session, had not reported any contributions yet on the state Public Disclosure Commission website.
41st District: Rep. Janice Zahn, D-Bellevue, who was chosen to replace Tana Senn when she left to lead a state agency, will face two opponents – Democrat Vinita Kak of Newcastle and Republican John Whitney of Bellevue. The top two finishers in the primary will face-off in November to represent the district that includes Mercer Island, Newcastle and part of Bellevue.
Zahn is a former Bellevue City Council member and chief engineer at the Port of Seattle. She's formally endorsed by more than 40 members of the House Democratic Caucus, along with Gov. Bob Ferguson. Kak is a member of the planning commission for the city of Newcastle.
48th District: Rep. Osman Salahuddin, D-Redmond, who serves on the Redmond City Council and was chosen to replace Slatter in the House, drew two challengers Friday afternoon – Ranga Bondada and Dennis Ellis.
Bondada, a Democrat, lives in Bellevue and owns two small businesses. This is his first campaign. Ellis, a Republican, lives in Redmond and has worked at Boeing. He made an unsuccessful run for Redmond City Council in 2021.