TNT endorses: Washington State Senate’s 26th legislative district

The candidates running for state senate in Washington’s 26th legislative district defy standard narratives. To start with, the incumbent is a newcomer in Olympia, while her challenger is a veteran of the state house. And neither candidate is a cookie cutter representative of her political party.

This showdown between unusual candidates is taking place as the Washington state legislature faces big questions. Earlier this year, lawmakers wrangled a structural budget deficit while constituents dealt with an affordability crisis. As a result, every cut to services or new tax came with high stakes.

These problems didn’t go away when the new budget passed, which is why the outcome of this race is so important. There’s a chance Democrats would lose their supermajority if the senate seat in the 26th district flips to Republican. That would make future budget negotiations very different.

The News Tribune Editorial Board feels that could be a good thing, and that’s why we’re backing Michelle Caldier. Current budget negotiations don’t require much Republican feedback, which isn’t healthy for a decision-making body.

Caldier, 49, isn’t just a token Republican. She has the benefit of 10 years of experience in the state’s house of representatives, serving in Position 2 of the 26th district. In our endorsement interview, she emphasized her willingness to work across the aisle, and also push back on her own party when warranted.

It could also make sense for the 26th to be the district that makes the legislature more purple. The district itself is on the purple side, with two Democrats and one Republican serving its constituents in Olympia. In August, Caldier’s opponent Deb Krishnadasan won the head-to-head primary in this race by more than a 2-point margin, but that still leaves more than 48% of voters who cast ballots for Caldier.

Krishnadasan was appointed to the district’s state senate seat in December. She’s a former school board member of the Peninsula School District, where she ran successful campaigns for levies and bonds to fund new and updated schools.

The chance of eliminating the Democratic supermajority has gotten the attention of political actors. Independent expenditure committees have spent over $1.1 million to either support Caldier or oppose Krishnadasan. (In contrast, just over $300,000 in outside money has gone toward supporting Krishnadasan or campaigning against Caldier.)

There are some qualifiers to the board’s stance. It should be said that Krishnadasan, 57, also describes her approach as bipartisan. Since taking office, she has both opposed new taxes from Democrats and tax cuts from Republicans. She lists lowering costs as one of her top priorities, which Republicans have also claimed as their cause. Taking her out of the legislature isn’t going to remove a Democrat who refuses to listen to the other party.

The candidates also overlap on some policy positions. Both discuss funding education as a top budget priority. They have both taken stances to keep some aspects of healthcare funded despite federal spending cuts.

And lastly, there was one policy stance Caldier took that we’ve opposed in the past, and continue to do so now. She holds that jail time should be on the table as a consequence for people who do not accept addiction treatment in some circumstances.

Caldier’s thinking on this is not punitive toward people going through addiction. It’s practical, stemming from her experiences as a foster parent who’s seen many people struggle with addiction. Still, we differ with her on this solution as an appropriate use of jail time.

Ultimately, experience is what differentiates Caldier beyond her ability to break the other party’s supermajority hold on the lawmaking process. Caldier consistently answered our questions with specifics and knowledge, while Krishnadasan came up short at times in this regard.

It wouldn’t be fair to hold Krishnadasan to the same standard we’d apply to a typical incumbent. But Caldier’s experience makes her more qualified. Combined with her promises to work across the aisle and potential to bring balance into the conversation, that wins her our support.

The News Tribune Editorial Board is: Laura Hautala, opinion editor; Stephanie Pedersen, TNT president and editor; Jim Walton, community representative; Justin Evans, community representative; Bart Hayes, community representative.

This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.