Cindy RyuCindy Ryu

Rep. Cindy Ryu is challenging incumbent Senator Jesse Salomon in the 32nd Legislative District. Ryu was originally elected in 2011, becoming the first Korean American to join the state Legislature. Before that, Ryu also made history as the first Korean-American woman mayor in the country when she served the City of Shoreline. Outside of elected office, Ryu runs a property management business. Ryu is a reliable Democratic voice in Olympia with her top policy priorities as public education, climate, transit infrastructure, and small businesses. Throughout her tenure, she helped pass a slate of progressive bills, including bills to strengthen voting processes, support professional licensing for undocumented Washingtonians, and enact the Nothing About Us Without Us Act to ​​promote greater representation of people with direct lived experience in policymaking. Ryu has also co-sponsored legislation to support gun safety measures, including requiring new permits for gun ownership and banning guns from certain public spaces. In our interview, she identified housing as one of her continued priorities if elected to the Senate. During her time in the House, Ryu supported a number of affordable housing bills through her votes and sponsorships. She voted in favor of rent stabilization and co-sponsored a bill to promote transit-oriented housing developments. Some of the other priorities she highlighted were consumer and immigrant protections, particularly from federal overreach. Cindy Ryu has a strong record of legislative experience and is continuously committed to creating a better future for us all. She is our choice to be the next state Senator in the 32nd Legislative District.