Washington Democratic primaries heat up with high-profile endorsements

The Democratic primary on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is drawing national attention, with several state elected officials taking sides in the race.

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

The primary results will likely depend heavily on the name recognition and profile of the candidates.

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

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

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

But endorsements are taking on an outsized role in the Democratic primary, and of the two best-known endorsers in the race, Murray leads Kilmer by double digits in both name identification and favorability.

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

These 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 victory in Kilmer’s or Gluesenkamp Perez’s districts.

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

But Franz’s role as state official responsible for fighting wildfires, among other duties, has built her goodwill among groups that include several Native American tribes and firefighter unions.

And Kilmer made no secret of the fact that he gave Franz his full support.

In a December interview with the Colombian Shortly after announcing her candidacy, Franz said Kilmer called her before announcing her retirement to gauge her interest in the position.

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

His campaign could not be reached for comment.

In February and March, support poured in for Randall, including from Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Murray, with whom she campaigned and established a relationship in 2022.

Still, incumbent senators rarely give weight to primaries, making Murray’s decision a turnaround in an election that would otherwise likely fly under the national radar.

Murray’s office did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

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

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

Updated at 12:22 pm EDT