Brianna K. Thomas, the Democrat appointed to represent the 34th Legislative District in the Washington House of Representatives, is running for a full term in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
The seat covers West Seattle, Georgetown, White Center, west Burien, Vashon Island, Maury Island and downtown Seattle. Thomas, a West Seattle resident, said on her campaign website that her career has centered on workers' rights and housing affordability.
Candidate information
- Office sought: Washington House of Representatives, District 34, Position 1
- Party: Democratic
- Ballot status: Certified for the ballot
- Residence: West Seattle
- Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, University of Washington, 2011
Experience and public service
The King County Council appointed Thomas to the Position 1 seat on Jan. 21, 2025, to replace Emily Alvarado, according to the Washington House Democrats.
Thomas said she first engaged with state government as a teenage legislative page in 1998. She later worked as an intern and legislative aide in Olympia and as a staffer in the Washington State Senate.
She served as chief of staff to Seattle Councilmember M. Lorena Gonzalez from 2015 to 2021, according to her campaign website. Thomas said Gonzalez brought her onto staff after winning the 2015 citywide race. She then worked as a senior policy and labor advisor at the City of Seattle from 2022 until her appointment to the House.
Before joining city government, Thomas said she managed the SeaTac "Yes for $15" minimum wage campaign, which she described as the first $15-per-hour wage initiative in the nation. She also said she led Seattle's Honest Elections initiative, which created the city's democracy voucher public-financing system.
Her earlier career included work as field director at the Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund from 2014 to 2015 and as office manager at The Church Council of Greater Seattle from 2006 to 2009.
On the issues
Housing: Thomas said buying a home "shouldn't feel like winning the lottery" for working families. She introduced HB 1732 in the 2025 legislative session, a bill she said would prevent large corporations and institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes. The proposal would prohibit businesses that already own 25 homes in Washington from buying more, with exceptions for nonprofits, home builders adding supply and those rehabilitating derelict properties. The bill also directs the state Department of Commerce to study further solutions, according to Thomas.
Wages and workers' rights: Thomas said she has "fought for workers" throughout her career, advocating fair wages, strong labor standards and support for working parents, including affordable child care. She pointed to the SeaTac $15 wage campaign and Seattle's labor standards enforcement through the Office of Labor Standards as accomplishments.
Endorsements
- AFL-CIO
- UFCW Local 21
- Washington State Nurses Association PAC
- SEIU Local 775
- Washington Federation of State Employees (AFSCME Council 28)
- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 751
- Fuse Washington
- Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund
- OneAmerica Votes
- Win With Women PAC
- Democrats for Diversity and Inclusion
- Children's Campaign Fund
