Looking Ahead to the 2025 Local Elections

As the 2024 General Election recedes in the rearview mirror, and a new year begins, it’s a time to reflect on events of the past year, but also look to the future. In other posts, the Coalition has detailed some of our legislative priorities in Olympia that we hope to get passed. In addition, we look forward to collaborating with newly-elected County Executive Ryan Mello and Pierce County Councilmembers to get important things done for our communities and the environment. Still, there are important local offices on the ballot in 2025:

Pierce County Council: After a bit of drama, the council appointed Bryan Yambe to fill the vacant seat left by Marty Campbell when he assumed the office of Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer. Yambe has many years of elected experience as a City of Fife Councilmember, and will be running to retain this seat in a special election for District 5, which includes Northeast Tacoma, Southeast Tacoma, Fife, Summit/Midland, and parts of Parkland and Spanaway. All hands on deck to help Bryan defend this seat!

Washington State Senate: Congratulations to Emily Randall who was recently sworn in as our new Congresswoman in the 6th District. Her vacated State Senate seat in LD-26 was recently filled by Deb Krishnadasan, who was appointed by a combination of Pierce and Kitsap County officials. Krishnadasan is a former President of the Peninsula School Board, and founded an advocacy organization called Stand Up for Peninsula Schools. She grew up on a farm in Puyallup, and worked in communications and human resources with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Microsoft. She will work to defend this critical swing seat in a special election this fall, and (hopefully) again in 2026.

City of Tacoma: Tacoma will elect a new mayor this year, as Victoria Woodards is completing here second and final term. Early filings indicate a 4-way race between current City Councilmember John Hines, former City Councilmember Anders Ibsen, previous mayoral candidate Steve Haverly, and 27th District Democrats Chair Whitney Stevens. This looks to be a competitive primary election in August, after which the top two candidates will face off in November. Four city council seats are also on the ballot this year. Sarah Rumbaugh and Joe Bushnell are both running for second terms in Districts 2 and 5, respectively. In District 4, Silong Chhun has begun his campaign to challenge recent appointee Sandesh Sadalge. For At-Large Position 6, Deputy Mayor Kiara Daniels has decided not to run for reelection, and Krista Perez has secured several endorsements from elected officials as an early frontrunner for the seat. Hunter Henderson has decided not to run for Mayor, and instead will join Perez and Lindsay Wills to compete for the At-Large Position 6 open seat.

Port of Tacoma Commission: Incumbents for Positions 1 and 2, John McCarthy and Dick Marzano, are reportedly running for reelection, and potential challengers have yet to emerge. In the race for Position 4, incumbent Don Meyer has decided to retire, creating a rare open seat. Former Washington State House Minority Leader JT Wilcox filed with the PDC, and will have resources and assistance to run a solid countywide campaign. No one else has announced.

Parks Tacoma: Three positions will be on the ballot this year, as the Board is currently in process of appointing new members to fill three vacancies. Rosie Ayala was elected to the Pierce County Council, Aaron Pointer retired after many years of service, and longtime board member Tim Reid passed away in December. The first appointment was given to Alisa Lee, who is now running to retain Position 1 for a full 6-year term. The second appointment was given to Carla Santorno, former Tacoma Public Schools Superintendent. The Board will make its third appointment in March. On this year’s ballot, Position 2 will be a full 6-year term while Position 3 will be a short 2-year term before resetting the cycle in 2027. Two candidates have filed to run against Santorno for Position 2: Bronwyn Clarke and Malachi Cabera, while Position 3 remains in question.

Puyallup, Lakewood, University Place City Councils: Outside of Tacoma, the next three most populous cities in Pierce County are Puyallup, Lakewood and University Place. In Puyallup, three positions in Districts 1, 2, and 3 will be on the ballot, currently held by Mayor Jim Kastama, Deputy Mayor Dennis King, and Julie Door. In Lakewood, Positions 1, 2, 3 and 5 will be on the ballot, currently held by Mary Moss, Mike Brandstetter, Jason Whalen and Patti Belle. Philip Lindholm has announced his campaign for the Position 3 open seat to be vacated by Whalen. He is so far the only candidate with a campaign website who has registered with the PDC. Finally, four positions will be on the ballot in University Place. Currently holding those seats are Javier Figueroa, Steve Worthington, Ed Wood, and Denise McCluskey. Once we have a clearer picture of the state of play in each race, the Coalition will attempt to work with environmentally-minded candidates in these municipalities. We are also keeping our eyes on races in DuPont and Steilacoom. It’s important to “build the bench” outside of Tacoma!

Previously Endorsed Candidates – 2024

ELECTED:  Pierce County Executive:  Ryan Mello

ELECTED:  Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer:  Marty Campbell

ELECTED:  Pierce County Council – District 4:  Rosie Ayala

RE-ELECTED:  Pierce County Council – District 6:  Jani Hitchen

Pierce County Council – District 2:  Davida Haygood

WA Legislative District 25 – Pos. 1:  Cameron Severns

WA Legislative District 25 – Pos. 2:  Shellie Willis

WA Legislative District 25 – Senate:  Kenneth King

ELECTED:  WA Legislative District 26 – Pos. 1:  Adison Richards

WA Legislative District 26 – Pos. 2:  Tiffiny Mitchell

RE-ELECTED:  WA Legislative District 27 – Pos. 1:  Laurie Jinkins

RE-ELECTED:  WA Legislative District 27 – Pos. 2:  Jake Fey

RE-ELECTED:  WA Legislative District 27 – Senate:  Yasmin Trudeau

RE-ELECTED:  WA Legislative District 28 – Pos. 1:  Mari Leavitt

RE-ELECTED:  WA Legislative District 28 – Pos. 2:  Dan Bronoske

RE-ELECTED:  WA Legislative District 28 – Senate:  T’wina Nobles

ELECTED:  WA Commissioner of Public Lands:  Dave Upthegrove

RE-ELECTED:  WA Lieutenant Governor:  Denny Heck

ELECTED:  WA Governor:  Bob Ferguson

ELECTED:  U.S. Congress – District 6:  Emily Randall

RE-ELECTED:  U.S. Congress – District 8:  Kim Schrier

RE-ELECTED:  U.S. Congress – District 10:  Marilyn Strickland

RE-ELECTED:  U.S. Senate:  Maria Cantwell

U.S. President & Vice President:  Kamala Harris & Tim Walz