Stephanie Lawson, a Covington Republican, is running for the 47th Legislative District House Position No. 1 seat held by Debra Entenman, D-Kent.
Lawson described herself as a community leader and child advocate in a March 12 news release to announce her campaign.
“I am excited to launch this race and use my position to advocate for those who don’t have a voice,” Lawson said.
Lawson said she looks forward to working with officials and candidates to fight for parents and ensure their voices are being heard in the education system even before taking office.
Lawson ran unsuccessfully for the Kent School Board in 2023. She placed third out of four candidates in the August primary, taking 19% of the vote. Incumbent Leslie Hamada and Donald Cook advanced to the November 2023 general election, which Cook narrowly won.
Voters reelected Entenman in November 2022 to her third consecutive two-year term that ends this year. She defeated Covington Republican Kyle Lyebyedyev in 2022 and 2020. She defeated incumbent Mark Hargrove, R-Covington, in 2018.
The 47th District includes parts of Kent and Auburn and all of Covington.
Lawson, a property manager, said she is aware of the struggles that landlords are currently facing from overregulation by state officials.
“Our legislators have forgotten that we need landlords in order to have an affordable rental market,” she said. “In a place where housing is at a premium, we should be doing more to help our landlords and not make it harder for them, and by extension, struggling families.”
Lawson opposed the recent passage of House Bill 1589, which starts the process of removing natural gas from the Puget Sound Energy service area. She said it is going to make costs rise substantially and harm our communities, including marginalized communities and single parents. She said these costs to retrofit their homes could be what breaks the bank for many families.
Lawson shared her experience as a single mother in the greater Seattle area.
“I know what it takes to balance a budget and pinch pennies,” she said. “Our families in the 47th and across the state are struggling to pay for basic necessities.”
With crime and inflation at an all-time high, Lawson said she wonders why legislators aren’t doing more to help.
Carmen Goers, a Republican candidate for U.S representative in the 8th District, a seat held by Kim Schrier, D- Sammamish, expressed her support of Lawson.
“When I first met Stephanie, I knew she was the kind of leader that we needed to represent us in Olympia,” Goers said in the news release. “I look forward to working with her as we continue in our respective races.”
Lawson plans an official campaign kickoff in April.
“I look forward to meeting the voters over the next eight months and hearing directly from them on the issues that are front and center of their mind,” Lawson said.
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