KITSAP COUNTY, Wash. — State Sen. Emily Randall has made history as the first LGBTQ+ Latina in Congress and the first out person to represent Washington at the federal level.
Randall was elected to represent the 6th Congressional District, replacing Rep. Derek Kilmer, who did not seek reelection. The 6th District covers the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas and Mason and Grays Harbor counties.
Randall, a Democrat, defeated Republican Drew MacEwen. As of Thursday, Randall was leading with 57% of the vote.
"We have an incredible team, staff and volunteers who enthusiastically knocked on a lot of doors in the district," Randall said in an interview with KING 5. "We started reaching people in March but we also talked about the issues that resonated with voters in the 6th District. Folks care about abortion rights. Even though we feel protected in Washington we know there's more work to do."
Hailing from Bremerton, Randall currently serves as deputy majority leader in the state Senate.
Randall said she was initially inspired to run for office when Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. She launched a grassroots campaign and flipped the Republican-held seat. Now, Randall said she wanted to run for Congress to defend democracy and protect the rights that Washington state has achieved.
Before being elected to the state Senate, Randall worked in nonprofits that worked to expand access to higher education and healthcare.
A progressive, Randall said key issues she is focused on include abortion rights, climate change and lowering costs for families.
There were several other historic firsts in the 2024 election across the country. Delaware elected Sarah McBride to the U.S. House, marking the first openly transgender member of Congress. It's also the first time two Black women will serve in the Senate at the same time. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland were both elected.