Democratic primary in Washington heats up with high-profile endorsements

A Democratic House primary in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is drawing national attention, with a number of the state’s elected officials taking sides in the race.

State Sen. Emily Randall (D) and Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz (D) are running to replace retiring Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), who is backing Franz.

But Randall scored one of the most surprising endorsements of the election cycle so far, with Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.) taking the unusual step of jumping into a primary.

The primary’s results are likely to depend heavily on name recognition and the candidates’ profiles.

A recent poll conducted on behalf of Randall’s campaign showed Franz, a statewide elected official, with a small lead among Democratic respondents within the survey’s margin of error, but those same respondents returned a strong lead for Randall after they were read a summary of both candidates’ personal histories.

While local polling, particularly in primaries, can be unreliable, Randall’s campaign is encouraged that the before-and-after test shows a path to victory in the Aug. 6 primary.

“These encouraging poll results confirm what our team has known — when voters learn about Emily Randall’s record on protecting abortion access and delivering bipartisan results that lower costs for every day people, they know she’s the best choice for Congress,” said Anna Carlson-Ziegler, Randall’s campaign manager.

But endorsements are taking an outsize role in the Democratic primary, and of the two most well-known endorsers in the race, Murray leads Kilmer by double-digits in both name ID and favorability.

Before Murray stepped into the race, two Democrats in neighboring Washington districts, Reps. Marilyn Strickland and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, had sided with Randall.

Those two endorsements are especially relevant, in one case because Strickland’s district shares the Tacoma metropolitan area with Kilmer’s, and in the other because Democrats are not guaranteed a win in either Kilmer nor Gluesenkamp Perez’s districts.

Randall, who grew up in the district, won tight contests for her state Senate seat in 2018 and 2022 and is basing her race in part on her ability to reach the area’s libertarian and independent voters.

But Franz’s role as the statewide official in charge of fighting forest fires, among other duties, has built goodwill for her among groups including several Native American tribes and firefighters’ unions.

“We’re excited to see that even a push poll from our opponent confirms what we know: Hilary is up by five among Democrats because of her strong support from 30 local unions, 13 Washington Tribes, and leaders across the district. Our local endorsements, coupled with having more cash on hand than our opponent has raised during the course of her entire campaign, will power us to victory in August and November,” said Eve Zhurbinskiy, Franz’s campaign manager.

And Kilmer has made no secret of throwing his weight behind Franz.

In a December interview with The Columbian shortly after announcing her candidacy, Franz said Kilmer called her before announcing his retirement to gauge her interest in the seat.

“He wanted to be sure he was leaving the 6th District in good hands,” Franz said.

In February and March, the endorsements rolled in for Randall, including from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Murray, with whom she campaigned and established a rapport in 2022.

Still, sitting senators rarely throw their weight into primaries, making Murray’s move a head-turner in an election otherwise likely to fly under the national radar.

Murray’s office pointed to her statement endorsing Randall, which highlighted Randall’s origins in the district.

“I’m with Emily for Congress because I know she will be a strong voice for working people — the friends and neighbors she grew up with — in a district that is her home,” said the senator.

“Emily will be a strong voice for women’s rights and health care at a crucial moment, and she’s someone with a proven track record of being able to deliver on common sense legislative solutions that will make life better for the people she represents.”

But the Democratic primary in Washington’s 6th District could play a role in control of the House after November, and is already a focus point for national groups like Bold PAC, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s campaign arm.

Because Washington has so-called “jungle primaries,” Franz and Randall will compete against two Republicans in August, and the top two candidates will advance to the general election in November.

Updated at 2:59 p.m. EDT