OLYMPIA – On the heels of Thursday’s announcement that Rep. Derek Kilmer will not seek re-election next year, another political bombshell dropped on Friday.
State Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz now says she is dropping out of the race for Governor and is running for Kilmer’s seat in Congress.
Franz announced Friday morning she’s running to represent the 6th Congressional District — with the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer.
Franz, a Democrat who has served as the Commissioner of Public Lands since 2017, said her decision was made after talking with voters around the state about their concerns, such as inflation, protecting abortion rights and the climate crisis.
Here’s a clip from her new campaign video.
“The challenges we face today go beyond the borders of our state. So must our solutions. That’s why I’m running for congress, to lower costs for working families, to get at the root causes of our most intractable problems, and to build a future the next generation can count on.”
Since announcing her gubernatorial campaign in May, Franz has lagged in fundraising behind two fellow Democrats: Attorney General Bob Ferguson and state Sen. Mark Mullet.
In her announcement, the 53-year-old said she lives in Grays Harbor County, which is in the 6th District.
As of this writing, no one else has officially announced themselves as a challenger to Franz for the congressional seat.