Ethics panel: WA lawmaker broke no rules trying to thwart challenge from fellow Democrat

Washington Democratic state Rep. Tarra Simmons tried hard to keep fellow Democrat Daria Ilgen from running against her this year.

It didn’t work. The two will face off in November’s general election after she soundly beat him in the primary.

Moreover, Simmons’ aggressive efforts to deter Ilgen did not violate state ethics laws as a local Democratic Party leader had formally alleged.

That’s politics, concluded the state Legislative Ethics Board in dismissing the complaint against the Bremerton lawmaker earlier this month.

“It does not seem to be an ethics violation for a legislator running for re-election to request that a potential opponent not file to run against that legislator,” the board ruled. “There is insufficient evidence to indicate that (Simmons) was using her legislative position to try to convince Mr. Ilgen to drop out of the race.”

Val Torrens, chair of the 23rd Legislative District Democrats in Kitsap County, filed a complaint Jan. 8 accusing Simmons of breaching ethics rules by using her legislative position to pressure a private citizen for “personal political benefit.” 

The ethics board discussed it July 27, and its written opinion is dated Aug. 13.

“It’s frustrating to see people weaponize the process and waste taxpayers’ money, but I simply don’t have time to attend to the frivolous complaints of political opponents,” Simmons said Thursday morning.

Simmons is seeking a fourth term representing the legislative district that includes the communities of Hansville, Kingston, Poulsbo, Bremerton and Bainbridge Island. Ilgen is a member of the state committee of the Washington State Democratic Party.

Ilgen said in an email that Torrens acted “after reviewing messages Rep. Simmons sent me when she learned I was considering challenging her.” Ilgen’s campaign reported a $1,000 contribution from Torrens in February. A month later an amended filing showed the money coming from her husband.

“I respect the Ethics Board’s decision, but I do not regret being transparent about conduct I found alarming or, as a private citizen when the messages were received, holding my elected representatives accountable,” Ilgen said in an email. “No one should be intimidated out of participating in our democracy through threats or pressure from high-powered elected officials whom average citizens don’t have relationships with.”

The decision contains excerpts of a Dec. 17, 2025 text exchange in which Simmons told Ilgen that she had “absolutely no clue” he was pondering the race.

“Is this true?” she wrote. “I would personally hope you’d challenge one of the men instead as our district deserves some diversity in gender, race, geographical location, socioeconomic status and lived experience. Anyways, I do hope that is just an awful rumor because it would be disappointing considering all the other work I had planned on doing for our district instead of spending all of my time beating you.”

Ilgen responded that he had not made a decision.

“I hear what you are saying about representation and lived experience and I take that seriously. For me, this isn’t about running against anyone but about thoughtfully considering how I could best serve the whole district,” he wrote.

In subsequent texts, Simmons suggested he consider another elected post, and alerted him that several Democratic elected officials would be reaching out to him.

“If Bob Ferguson calls you will you stop doing this? Because I worked my a** off for our district,” she said.

Simmons reportedly asked several people, including state Sen. Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge, Rep. Greg Nance, D-Kitsap, Kitsap County Commissioner Christine Rolfes, and Suquamish Tribe chair Leonard Forsman, to talk with Ilgen about his potential candidacy.

Ilgen told ethics board staff that he was aware “because many of them, in turn, contacted him to let him know they had been contacted,” according to the decision.

Simmons made no secret of her desire not to be primaried by Ilgen. And her actions came up at the legislative district Democrats’ meeting on Feb. 26.

“I don’t see anything remotely resembling an ethics act violation in any of this,” Hansen said, according to an excerpt included in the ruling.

He said that while he wouldn’t have expressed himself the same way as Simmons, he interpreted her response to the intraparty challenge as “this is somebody who I thought was a friend, I have heard you are going to primary me, I am very hurt by that, (and) would you change your mind if I have the following people who I know who have positions of influence in the Democratic Party explain to you why that’s a bad idea.” 

“That’s not harassment, intimidation, bullying,” he added. “That’s campaigning.”

Meanwhile, in an unrelated case, the Legislative Ethics Board, in a decision dated Aug. 14, fined Simmons $15,000 for improperly using her position to steer public funds to a nonprofit where she worked, and trying to retaliate against the person who filed the original complaint against her in February 2025.

The nine-member board issued its finding after conducting a trial-like proceeding into the allegations in June. The board will soon issue a final order that could require Simmons pay some or all of the state’s $37,000 in legal costs. 

Simmons adamantly denies wrongdoing and has said she plans to appeal.