Nobles declares victory in WA senate race, becomes first Black member in a decade
T’wina Nobles has declared victory in the race to represent the 28th Legislative District in the Washington state Senate.
Nobles held a lead over incumbent Steve O’Ban of more than 1,000 votes as of the latest batch of Pierce County election results dropped Monday evening.
Nobles thanked her supporters on social media Monday night.
“Thank you #TeamTwina — we made history!” Nobles’ campaign account posted on Twitter. “We flipped a seat from red to blue for the 1st time since the 60s. You elected the ONLY current Black member of WA State Senate & only the second Black woman to serve in the Senate!”
Nobles flipped a longtime Republican seat to Democrat and becomes the only current Black member of the state Senate and the first in a decade, since Tacoma’s Rosa Franklin served from 1993 to 2010.
The 28th Legislative District represents Lakewood, University Place, DuPont and parts of Tacoma.
O’Ban conceded Monday afternoon after a call to Nobles to “wish her the best as senator-elect.”
“The race was close, and we wanted to wait to see if we could pull closer after today’s ballots were released, but we did not,” O’Ban posted on Facebook on Monday evening. “I want to thank so many of you who contributed, sign-waved, made countless calls, and even prayed in support of our campaign.
“Serving as your senator has been one of the highest honors of my life. There are few greater privileges than to have the influence of this office and use it to help others who need government to work for them.”
Nobles is a University Place school board member and president of the Tacoma Urban League, a social services organization advocating for Black businesses and community at large.
With a background in education, Nobles ran her campaign on increasing pay for educators, reducing class size and pushing for more equity and inclusion in schools. Nobles also supports policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by investing in low-carbon jobs in green energy, water and transportation infrastructure.
Nobles has been a vocal advocate for increased transparency in policing conduct, including racial bias and equipment training. She drew endorsements top Democrats, including former vice president and president elect Joe Biden and former presidential candidate and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Nobles declares victory in WA senate race, becomes first Black member in a decade."
