Six-term GOP lawmaker won't seek reelection to WA House

Republican state Rep. Michelle Valdez of Gig Harbor said Tuesday that she will not seek reelection to the Washington Legislature, saying personal priorities and her legislative district’s evolving political direction led to her decision.

First elected in 2014, Valdez was re-elected five times in the 26th Legislative District, which encompasses parts of Kitsap and Pierce counties and includes Bremerton, Port Orchard, Purdy and Gig Harbor. Valdez changed her last name from Caldier following her recent marriage.

“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve this community,” she said in a statement.

Her announcement comes just months after she failed to unseat Democratic state Sen. Deb Krishnadasan in a closely watched special election cast as a bellwether of the political mood in Washington.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/six-term-gop-lawmaker-wont-seek-reelection-to-wa-house/