by Laurel Demkovich, Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero and Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard
January 2, 2025
The upcoming legislative session will see high levels of turnover among Washington state lawmakers.
Following the retirements of longtime legislators, a few redistricting switch-ups, and some departures for higher office, there will be new faces in 29 seats.
Some are familiar, as many new senators are former House members. Some are returning after a term or two off. Others are completely new to the process.
And there may be up to four more.
Sen. Patty Kuderer is leaving in early January to become insurance commissioner, opening up at least one more vacancy. If a member of the state House of Representatives fills that spot, someone new will have to be appointed to fill the House vacancy. A replacement will also need to be chosen for Rep. Tana Senn, who is leaving the Legislature next month to lead the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. And yet another replacement will be needed for Sen. Joe Nguyễn who was picked to lead the Department of Commerce by Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson.
Here’s a look at every new member in order by legislative district.
House of Representatives
Rep. Matt Marshall, R-McKenna, is joining the House representing the 2nd Legislative District, which stretches east of Olympia to Mount Rainier National Park. Marshall is an Army veteran and a medical professional, working as a physician assistant. He ran on a platform to defend parental rights, enhance public safety and support small businesses.
Rep. Natasha Hill, D-Spokane, is the first Black woman to represent the Spokane area’s 3rd Legislative District. Hill is an attorney who has also served as interim editor for a Spokane community newspaper, The Black Lens. She ran on a platform to support investments in housing, child care and substance abuse treatment.
Rep. Rob Chase, R-Liberty Lake, is rejoining the House representing the 4th Legislative District, which is northeast of Spokane along the Idaho state border. Chase was elected as a state representative in 2020 but lost his reelection bid in 2022. He was previously the Spokane County treasurer and spent the last three years collecting signatures for the Let’s Go Washington initiatives.
Rep. Victoria Hunt, D-Issaquah, joins the House from the 5th Legislative District. Hunt has served on the Issaquah City Council since 2018 and is a scientist who holds a doctorate in ecology. She ran on a platform to support environmental stewardship, affordable housing and education. The 5th District spans areas south and east of Issaquah.
Rep. Andrew Engell, R-Colville, represents northeast Washington’s 7th Legislative District. He ran on a platform to support law enforcement, enhance parental rights and protect Second Amendment rights. Engell worked as the deputy district director for outgoing eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Colville, joins the House representing the 7th Legislative District. Abell is an attorney and U.S. Navy veteran. He ran on a platform to support law enforcement, rural communities and gun rights.
Rep. Brian Burnett, R-Wenatchee, represents the 12th Legislative District, which sprawls over the Cascades, covering towns along the Highway 2 corridor and the area around Lake Chelan. Burnett has had a long career in law enforcement and served as the Chelan County Sheriff. He ran on a platform to increase public safety, protect property rights and help small businesses.
Rep. Gloria Mendoza, R-Grandview, joins the House from the newly drawn 14th Legislative District in the Yakima Valley region. Mendoza has served as a city councilmember and mayor in Grandview. She bills herself as a conservative, who is prepared to oppose new taxes and regulation and support religious freedoms and gun rights.
Rep. Deb Manjarrez, R-Wapato, is joining the House from the newly drawn 14th Legislative District. Manjarrez is an accountant and has been a Yakima County Republican precinct committee officer for 16 years. As a lawmaker, she’s said she wants to rein in state spending and protect agricultural interests.
Rep. Jeremie Dufault, R-Selah, is rejoining the House representing south-central Washington’s 15th Legislative District. Originally elected in 2018, he stepped down in 2022 after redistricting left him outside the district. Dufault is a real estate developer and serves as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. He’s said he’ll fight for lower taxes and smaller government and has previously backed programs to assist homeless veterans.
Rep. David Stuebe, R-Washougal, joins the House from southwest Washington’s 17th Legislative District. Stuebe is a city councilmember and mayor of Washougal and retired Marine Corps colonel. He’s said he wants to prioritize public safety, promote community policing efforts and improve emergency response capabilities.
Rep. John Ley, R-Vancouver, represents southwest Washington’s 18th Legislative District. Ley was previously a U.S. Air Force pilot and a commercial airline pilot. He has voiced support for parental rights in public schools, opposition to the state’s cap-and-trade law, and he’d like to see property taxes reduced.
Rep. Lisa Parshley, D-Olympia, was elected to serve the House from the 22nd legislative district. Parshley is a city council member in Olympia and a veterinarian. She’s said she wants to focus on homelessness, combatting opioid addiction and climate-related issues.
Rep. Adam Bernbaum, D-Port Angeles, joins the House representing the 24th Legislative District on the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula. Bernbaum previously worked as a field organizer for outgoing Congressman Derek Kilmer and legislative assistant to former state Sen. Kevin Van De Wege. He’s said he’ll push for investments in rural broadband, expanding child care access and programs to assist older state residents.
Rep. Michael Keaton, R-Puyallup, represents the 25th Legislative District. Keaton served in the Air Force for over 20 years and on the Puyallup School Board for eight years. During his campaign, he said he wants the state to do more to combat crime and improve government transparency.
Rep. Adison Richards, D-Gig Harbor, was elected to the House from the 26th Legislative District. Richards is a lawyer who has worked with people facing housing crises and victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. He ran on a platform to lower child and health care costs, fund more police officers and expand career and tech education.
Rep. Joshua Penner, R-Orting, represents the 31st Legislative District, which extends north and west of Mount Rainier, over to areas around Tacoma and Puyallup. Penner is the current mayor of Orting and a Marine Corps veteran. He’s said he wants to focus on improving schools and public safety.
Edwin Obras, D-SeaTac, was appointed to fill Sen. Tina Orwall’s seat in the 33rd Legislative District. He has worked for Seattle’s Human Services Department for 16 years and is the board president of the Filipino Community of Seattle.
Rep. Shaun Scott, D-Seattle, represents the 43rd Legislative District. Scott will be taking over former House speaker Rep. Frank Chopp’s seat after he decided to not seek reelection. Scott is the policy lead at Statewide Poverty Action Network and ran on a platform that called for new taxes targeting the state’s wealthiest residents and corporations.
Senate
Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, is moving to the Senate after 12 years in the House. Riccelli is taking over the 3rd Legislative District’s Senate seat from former Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig who retired this year. He also works for the Community Health Association of Spokane.
Leonard Christian, R-Spokane Valley, was elected to the Senate after serving one term representing the 4th Legislative District in the state House of Representatives. He also served a partial term after being appointed in 2014. He is a real estate broker and served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 20 years.
Bill Ramos, D-Issaquah, was elected to the Senate after three terms in the state House representing the 5th Legislative District. He is the outgoing chair of the State Government and Tribal Relations Committee. He is a former Issaquah City Council member and previously worked as a community planner for the Federal Transit Administration.
Keith Goehner, R-Dryden, is entering the Senate after serving three terms in the House representing the 12th Legislative District. He served four terms on the Chelan County Commission and was an elected member of the Peshastin-Dryden school board. He is a former teacher and a third-generation orchardist.
Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, is joining the Senate after seven terms in the House representing the 17th Legislative District. He is a former elected director of Evergreen Public Schools and is the owner of a Vancouver-based company that does sales, marketing, consulting and public relations work.
Adrian Cortes, D-Battle Ground, was elected to the Senate following the closest legislative race in the 2024 elections in southwest Washington’s 18th Legislative District. He is in his second term as a member of the Battle Ground City Council and is a special education teacher at Camas High School.
Jessica Bateman, D-Olympia, enters the Senate following two terms in the House for the 22nd Legislative District. She previously served on the Olympia City Council and its planning commission. She works as a policy advisor for community health centers in Washington.
Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, joins the Senate after four terms representing the 24th Legislative District in the House. He is an ex-law enforcement officer and served four terms as a Clallam County commissioner. He is the outgoing chair of the House Rural Development, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee.
Deb Krishnadasan, D-Gig Harbor, was appointed to fill a vacancy left by Emily Randall in the 26th Legislative District. Krishnadasan served six years on the Peninsula School District Board of Directors, including two as its president.
Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, was appointed by the King County Council to replace retiring Sen. Karen Keiser in the 33rd Legislative District. Orwall served as a state representative since 2009. She spent 20 years working in the mental health system and most recently worked for Seattle’s Office of Housing.
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