Franz: Voters want results ‘more than ever’ in race for 6th District
Dec 12, 2023, 6:00 AM | Updated: 9:16 am
Washington state Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz is running for U.S. Congress (WA-6th) and wants to get results for her voters if elected.
Franz announced in November that she is dropping out of the race Washington governor and instead will be running to represent the 6th Congressional District.
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In an interview on Seattle’s Morning News, Franz explained why she’s best qualified to represent the 6th district in a national office.
“I’ve worked in almost every acre of this district. From helping in the maritime industry and our ports and our shellfish industry; to helping protect our salmon habitat, addressing ocean acidification and sea level rise plaguing the waterfront of this district. To land resources when it comes to our forestry and our natural resource economy, growing jobs and ensuring we’re protecting and keeping jobs in this district,” Franz said.
Franz has served as the Washington state Public Lands Commissioner since 2017 after Commissioner Peter J. Goldmark retired.
Franz has been endorsed by incumbent Representative Derek Kilmer, who abruptly announced in November he won’t seek a seventh term.
Franz said she decided to run for Congress after speaking with voters across Washington and learning of their concerns: rising prices, reproductive freedom and women’s rights, the future of democracy, the support of veterans and military families and the climate crisis. She has touted her success in 2021 when she secured $500 million from the Washington state Legislature to prevent and fight wildfires.
Apart from the Public Lands commissioner, Franz served on the Bainbridge Island City Council, Puget Sound Transportation Futures Task Force and other panels. She was also the executive director of Futurewise, an environmental advocacy group.
The 6th Congressional District has been held by Democrats since the 1960s, and when asked why she thinks voters should continue to vote blue, she stated voters don’t care about partisan politics. All they want is someone who can do what they say.
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“I think what voters are looking for, with this district and the people within it, what they want and need more than ever is results. And I’ve proven that everything from environmental results to economic results to social results,” Franz said. “More than ever, we have got to say the status quo of bickering and fighting is not working here in Washington. It’s not working in the other Washington.”
Franz initially announced her candidacy for governor in May but failed to win endorsements of prominent state democrats like incumbent Governor Jay Inslee, who instead endorsed incumbent Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
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