Emily is a proven bridge-builder. She ran in 2018 because the people of the 26th deserved someone who would set aside partisan politics and put us first. She will continue to be a champion for our communities.
Emily was raised in Port Orchard and is the daughter of two union workers — her father worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for over 25 years, and her mother has been a paraeducator at South Kitsap High School for 20 year. Emily understands that our community has struggled to bounce back after the recession and that we need to refocus on building our local economy, including bringing back living wage jobs with benefits.
After graduating from South Kitsap High School, Emily became the first in her family to attend 4-year college. She strongly believes that all students deserve access to high quality education, including higher education. As State Senator, Emily has prioritized expanding access to apprenticeship and job training programs and making college more affordable, so that all students are well prepared for the jobs needed most by local businesses.
Emily has dedicated her career to helping expand access to affordable healthcare for women, kids, and LGBTQ folks across the country. She knows how important affordable healthcare is for all families in our district. Emily’s sister Olivia was born with complex disabilities, and because of their family’s access to Medicaid, Olivia was able to live a happy life for 19 years in their family home. Emily believes no one should go bankrupt or risk losing their jobs to take care of family members in need — and with healthcare at risk at the national level, it’s time for states like Washington to pick up the slack.
In 2018, Emily won a historic election to become the first Latina elected in the 26th District. Since elected, she has focused on delivering results to expand our local economy, improve access to high quality education, and to lower healthcare and prescription drug costs. She is running for re-election to continue her work finding solutions that put people first.