TACOMA, Wash. — Jefferson County Commissioner Kate Dean knows she does not have the same recognition as some of her announced opponents for the state’s Sixth Congressional Seat in 2024.
But Dean said that’s not a bad thing.
Dean grew up in Chicago but came to the Sixth District to attend the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma in 1992. She later moved to the Olympic Peninsula, where she raised two children, farmed and opened small businesses, including the Finnriver Farm and Cidery.
“We need people like me representing them in Congress. I think a lot of people want to see that regular people can run for Congress and win,” said Dean, “We don’t just hand it over to the wealthy and powerful.”
She also loves bicycling and gardening.
Dean has spent seven years as a county commissioner.
Last month, incumbent Congressman Derek Kilmer announced he will not seek a seventh term in 2024.
Dean joins fellow Democrats, Washington State Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz and state Senator Emily Randall in the race.
Republican state Senator Drew MacEwen announced he is running on Monday.
Dean knows she doesn't have the name recognition or the wealthy donors some of her opponents do, but she says she knows what it's like to fight for the Sixth District and start a business there.
“This district is an extraordinary place,” said Dean, “Timber, shoreline, shellfish, and the quality of life. But all of those things are being impacted by the growth that we’re seeing on the I-5 corridor.”
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