House lawmaker announces run for Mullet’s Senate seat

State Rep. Bill Ramos, D-Issaquah, will run for state Sen. Mark Mullet’s seat, following Mullet’s announcement Thursday that he would run for governor in 2024.

Ramos since 2019 has represented the 5th Legislative District, which sprawls east of Seattle, toward Snoqualmie Pass and to the south stopping just shy of Enumclaw. He said in a news release the 2024 elections are going to be “critical” for the future of Washington and the nation. 

“I’m eager to continue working for good jobs and infrastructure investments, safeguarding health care rights, and making sure kids get the future they deserve – with good schools, safe communities, and action on climate change,” he said in a statement. 

Before being elected as a legislator, Ramos served in the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration. He also held a seat on the Issaquah City Council from 2016 to 2018. 

Ramos currently chairs the State Government and Tribal Relations Committee and sits on the House’s Community Safety, Justice and Reentry panel, as well as the Transportation Committee. He is also vice chair of the Legislature’s Latino Democratic Caucus.

Already, Ramos has endorsements from 16 state lawmakers, including his seatmate Rep. Lisa Callan, D-Issaquah, who said in a news release that she has a strong partnership with Ramos that she hopes will continue if he serves in the Senate. 

“Together we’ve delivered for the communities we serve, and we can do even more in the coming years,” Callan said. 

Mullet, vice chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, won his Senate seat in 2012.

As of Thursday, no one else had announced a campaign to replace him. Mullet, a moderate Democrat, was the third member of his party to announce a candidacy to succeed Gov. Jay Inslee in 2024, following Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz.