Tacoma’s newly appointed deputy mayor to run for state Legislature
Tacoma City Council member Joe Bushnell announced he will run to represent Washington’s 29th District in the state House of Representatives, just weeks after becoming the deputy mayor.
Bushnell has served on the Tacoma City Council representing District 5 – which includes parts of the South End and South Tacoma – since he was elected in 2021. He won re-election against Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate Zev Cook in November. Bushnell told The News Tribune he plans to retain his seat on the council for the duration of his campaign for the state house seat, but if elected would resign from the city council.
“My constituents elected me to serve the city of Tacoma, and I take that responsibility super seriously,” he said.
The announcement of his candidacy comes amid a domino effect that kicked off after state Sen. Steve Conway, who represented the 29th District since 1993, announced his retirement on Jan. 21. Conway’s retirement paved the way for state Rep. Sharlett Mena to announce her candidacy for Conway’s seat, and Bushnell is campaigning for Mena’s seat.
If Bushnell makes it through this year’s August primary and wins the seat in the November election, he’d leave behind an empty spot on the Tacoma City Council for District 5. The council would fill the position using an appointment process as it did most recently for the District 4 seat after council member Catherine Ushka died in the middle of her term. Candidates that the council appoints are often successful in retaining their seats when the seat eventually goes up for election, as was now-council member Sandesh Sadalge who was appointed to the District 4 seat in 2024.
Positions on the Tacoma City Council are non-partisan, but Bushnell is running for the house seat as a Democrat, according to his release.
Washington’s 29th Legislative District includes South Tacoma, Parkland and East Lakewood.
Bushnell said in a news release he would run for the House seat on a campaign focused on helping families contend with rising costs and access to healthcare.
“Regardless of the shifting political landscape at the national level, and a combative Trump administration, we have a responsibility to stand up for our residents right here at home,” Bushnell said in the release. “We cannot wait for the ‘perfect time’ to address affordability or healthcare access. We must govern for the moment we are in, building a stronger local economy so that our families do not have to absorb economic shocks alone.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
