2 WA state lawmakers, a Democrat and Republican, to vie for 26th District Senate seat
State Sen. Deb Krishnadasan was appointed to a state Senate seat late last year. Now the Gig Harbor Democrat will have to fight to keep her job.
On Monday morning, May 5, Krishnadasan filed to run for the 26th Legislative District’s Senate seat. A Republican entered the field later that day: state Rep. Michelle Caldier, also of Gig Harbor, who represents the district in the state House.
The two state lawmakers were the only ones in the race as of May 6. Friday was the filing deadline for candidates for the state’s 2025 election season. Any single seat that draws three or more candidates will be winnowed to two in an Aug. 5 primary; the general election will be Nov. 4.
Covering parts of Pierce and Kitsap counties, the 26th Legislative District Senate position was previously held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emily Randall. When Randall was elected to Congress, Krishnadasan vied for — and was appointed to — the seat.
Now, whoever wins this year’s election will finish out the rest of Randall’s Senate term.
The race between Krishnadasan, a freshman lawmaker, and Caldier, who was first elected to the state Legislature in 2014, could prove to be a close one.
Incumbent Randall in November 2022 narrowly bested the Republican candidate, then-state Rep. Jesse Young. She received 50.8% of the vote compared with Young’s 49.1%.
The race between Krishnadasan and Caldier will be one to watch.
In a video posted to social media May 5, Caldier vowed to restore balance to Olympia and help “turn our state around.” The Senate currently counts 29 Democrats and 19 Republicans. One other Senate race this year will fill the seat left vacant by the late Sen. Bill Ramos, an Issaquah Democrat who died unexpectedly last month.
Born and raised in Kitsap County, Caldier is the fourth generation of her family to live there, according to her biography on the state House Republicans’ website. She earned associate and bachelor’s diplomas before getting her doctor of dental surgery degree from the University of Washington School of Dentistry; she was also an affiliate professor there.
Before joining the Legislature, Caldier served Puget Sound-area nursing-home residents with her dental practice.
Caldier in 2013 helped to successfully lobby the state Legislature to restore adult dental-care funding for people on Medicaid, according to her bio. Her priorities in the Legislature include affordability, education, public safety and government-accountability issues.
She serves as an assistant ranking member on the House Health Care and Wellness Committee.
Krishnadasan grew up in a union household on a Puyallup farm; she is described on the Senate Democrats’ site as a lifelong Washingtonian dedicated to improving educational opportunities for youth. She’s committed to advancing public transportation and infrastructure, “and creating an economy that works for everyone,” according to her biography.
Krishnadasan earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University, the first in her family to do so. Specializing in communications and human resources, she’s worked for Washington companies such as Microsoft and nonprofits such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She also served as president of the Peninsula School Board and founded a public school advocacy organization, Stand Up for Peninsula Schools.
In this year’s session, the Democrat served as vice chair of the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections and Agriculture and Natural Resources committees.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "2 WA state lawmakers, a Democrat and Republican, to vie for 26th District Senate seat."
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