Randall with a commanding lead in Washington’s 6th District

Democrat Emily Randall is leading Republican Drew MacEwen 57%-43% in Washington’s 6th Congressional district.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer announced last November that he would not seek reelection in the district, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. Kilmer, who has held the seat since 2013, emphasized the personal costs of his congressional duties in his decision to step down.

Following Kilmer’s announcement, state Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz dropped her gubernatorial bid to run for Kilmer’s seat. Kilmer immediately endorsed Franz, who has served as the state’s lands commissioner since 2017, overseeing the Department of Natural Resources and its 2,200 employees, according to Cascade PBS. Franz, 54, also has experience as an environmental and land use attorney and served on the Bainbridge Island City Council from 2008 to 2011.

Democratic state Sen. Emily Randall also entered the race, positioning herself to the left of Franz. Randall, 38, has garnered endorsements from high-profile Democrats, including Sen. Patty Murray. Randall, one of the first openly LGBTQ+ women in the Washington Senate, has represented the 26th Legislative District since 2019 and currently serves as deputy majority leader, according to USA Today.

Republican state Sen. Drew MacEwen is also running for the seat. MacEwen, 51, has represented the 35th Legislative District in the Washington House from 2013 to 2023 and in the Senate since then. A real estate investor and financial advisor, MacEwen lives in Shelton with his wife and has two grown children and four grandchildren.

Washington’s open primary system means that Randall and Franz could potentially face off in the general election, despite MacEwen’s candidacy. The 6th Congressional District, which spans from the Interstate 5 corridor to rural areas along the Pacific Coast, has not elected a Republican since Thor Tollefson, who served from 1946 to 1964.

The district includes the Olympic Peninsula, the Kitsap Peninsula, and parts of Tacoma, with key industries including tourism, timber, and naval facilities such as the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton.

The race to replace Kilmer was expected to be highly competitive, reflecting the diverse political landscape of the district.

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.