Sen. Mark Mullet announces campaign for Washington governor

Democratic State Senator Mark Mullet officially announced his run for Washington governor Thursday morning.

Mullet represents Washington’s 5th district which includes parts of Maple Valley, Renton, and Issaquah. He has represented the district since he won the 2012 election in the district.

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“There is no candidate for governor at this point focused on the biggest challenges facing our state including affordable housing, reducing homelessness, creating jobs and making neighborhoods safe,” Mullet said in a statement announcing his campaign. “Too many families can’t afford, even on good salaries, the rising cost of living. Too many families are worried about the direction of public safety in our state, which is why we need different leadership in Olympia.”

Washington, let’s write the next chapter, together. #WAGov #WAElexhttps://t.co/hT8In6Y33r

— Mark Mullet (@electmullet) June 1, 2023

Gov. Jay Inslee announced May 2 that he would not run again. Inslee has been the governor of Washington since 2013 and is the second elected official to serve three consecutive terms as the executive of the state’s government.

Mullet has chaired the Financial Institutions Committee and the Economic Development and Trade Committee, as well as a member of the Education Committee and the Ways and Means Committee.

Two other Democrats have announced they’ll run for Governor – state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz.

Mullett joined The Jason Rantz Show in early May to discuss the likelihood of his candidacy and what separated him from other Democratic candidates like Ferguson.

“If you want change, Ferguson is more of the same. I think if you want change, we’d have to elect a different type of Democrat or somebody completely different, Independent or Republican,” Mullet said. “I think people are really frustrated with where things are at, and we can do a lot better. I think anybody who’s happy and complacent with where things are right now is divorced from reality.”

Republican hopefuls include Richland School Board member Semi Bird and Yakima physician Raul Garcia.