Emily Randall
Emily Randall
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Emily Elissa Randall[1] (born October 30, 1985)[2][3] is an American politician and healthcare advocate serving as the U.S. representative for Washington's 6th congressional district since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the Washington State Senate from 2019 to 2024.[4] Her district encompasses the Olympic Peninsula, the Kitsap Peninsula, and most of the city of Tacoma.[5][6] Randall was elected to succeed fellow Democrat Derek Kilmer in the U.S. House of Representatives.[5][6]

Key Information

Early life and education

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Randall was born in the Kitsap Peninsula to a white mother who works as a paraeducator and a Chicano father who worked as a shipyard worker.[7][8] Raised in Port Orchard, Randall graduated from South Kitsap High School in 2004.[1] The first to graduate college in her family,[9] Randall graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and women's studies. Her sister, Olivia, was born with microcephaly resulting in severe developmental and physical disabilities.[10][11] Her family relied on Medicaid to help cover costs for her sister's healthcare that was not covered by her father's insurance.[11]

Randall worked at Boston Children’s Hospital and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation advocating for healthcare and education.[8]

Washington Senate (2019–2024)

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In 2018, Randall was elected to the Washington State Senate, defeating Republican challenger Marty McClendon by 104 votes.[12] In 2022, Randall won re-election to the Washington State Senate with around 51% of the vote.[13][14]

As senator, Randall focused on increasing access to better behavioral health and reproductive health, affordable housing, and public safety.[15][16] She served as whip for the state senate majority.[15]

In February 2019, she spearheaded and helped pass the Randall Bill that "allowed the children of service members who receive transfer orders to any base in Washington to enroll in school before they have an address in district" to help support their family's transition. “As we welcome the families connected to the USS Carl Vinson to Bremerton this year, we want to make sure that regardless of the makeup of your family or how soon you know that you’re coming to our community, we’ve cleared the ground for you.”[17]

In March 2022, Randall sponsored a bill to lower the toll to cross the Tacoma Narrows Bridge by 75 cents. The bill was passed and took effect in October of the same year.[18] Alongside Senator Claire Wilson, Randall was one of two openly LGBTQ+ women serving in the Washington State Senate.[5] Randall served in the senate’s Higher Education committee, Workforce Development Committee, and on the Health and Long Term Care and Transportation committee.[19]

In June 2024, Randall fired her campaign manager for liking anti-Zionist and pro-Hamas Instagram posts.[20] In an interview following the firing, Randall stated, "Israel has exercised its lawful right to defend itself against terrorist attacks, and has the unalienable right to do so against any future attacks from internal or external malign actors, such as Hamas or Iran." She further stated, "As an LGBTQ+ person and the grandchild of people who left their home to find a place to live with less discrimination, I feel a great connection to Israel. Israel is the only country in the region where I could live openly with my wife, Alison."[21]

U.S. House of Representatives (2025–present)

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Elections

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2024

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After U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer announced his retirement from Congress, Randall entered the race to succeed him. Washington's 6th congressional district which covers the Olympic Peninsula, the Kitsap Peninsula (including Naval Base Kitsap) and the majority of Tacoma. During her primary campaign, Randall was endorsed by several prominent Democrats including U.S. Senator Patty Murray, U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland, U.S. Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, and former governors Christine Gregoire and Gary Locke.[22]

In the 2024 open primary for Washington's 6th congressional district, Randall finished first ahead of[23] Republican state senator Drew MacEwan who also advanced to the general election ballot after finishing second.[23] Randall defeated MacEwan in the 2024 general election carrying 56.8% of votes.[6] On January 3, 2025, Randall became the first queer Latina to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.[24]

Tenure

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Before the start of the 119th Congress, Randall placed third in a three-way race for freshman class representative for the Democratic Caucus that included Representative-elects Luz Rivas of California and Sarah Elfreth of Maryland.[25] In the first five months of Randall's tenure, she hosted numerous town halls to address constituents' anger and fear over the Trump administration's proposed changes to Medicaid. During a roundtable with Puget Sound Naval Shipyard union leaders, she listened to reports of how the Trump administration's efforts to fire federal employees had caused large disruptions, lowered morale, and led to increased turnover and plans for early retirement amongst senior employees.[11]

On January 22, 2025, Randall voted against the passage of the Laken Riley Act.[26] In response to the Protecting Women's Private Spaces Act, Randall posted an "All Gender Bathroom" sign outside of her office welcoming everyone to use her private restroom "regardless of gender identity or expression, political ideology or shoe size."[27] In her first speech on the House floor, Randall denounced House Bill 28, the "Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025" that sought to ban trans women from playing on women's sports teams.[27]

Randall walked out of President Trump's Address to Congress on March 4, 2025, while Trump was speaking.[28] She noted, "That decision to walk out was not calculated. Instead, when Trump began uplifting a child cancer survivor while working with Republicans to pass Medicaid cuts that would gut funding for cancer research and children facing cancer, I could not sit through it anymore. I got into politics because I care about healthcare. We should be investing in our rural access healthcare.” She noted that many rural hospitals rely on Medicare and Medicaid to provide services and stay open.[29]

As a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Randall re-introduced the Equality Act to ensure explicit nondiscrimination protections for all LGBTQI+ Americans. "Queer folks deserve the same rights and protections as every American...But instead of ensuring every American has the tools to build their futures, this administration is hyper-focused on taking away our rights and trying to erase our very existence. But our community cannot be written out of history – because history isn’t made without us, and the future is not built without us.”[30]

In May 2025, Randall introduced the bipartisan Assuring Navigation of Compact Help For Ongoing Relocation (ANCHOR) for Military Families Act along with Republican Rob Wittman of Virginia. The bill would help "ensure military families are informed of their educational rights, school enrollment support, and other key relocation resources—such as housing assistance, spouse employment support, and services through the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)—under the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) during Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves."[31]

In June 2025, Randall was one of the four Democrats who did not vote on the initial $9 billion rescission package put forward by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).[32] The bill targeted reversing $1.1 billion for public broadcasting and $8.3 billion in foreign aid. House Republicans narrowly passed the initial rescission package by 2 votes; however, it was changed by the Senate to exclude cuts to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and Donald Trump had to re-submit the revised version to Congress in July. On July 18, Randall voted no.[33]

Committee assignments

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Caucus memberships

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Personal life

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Randall co-owns a home in Bremerton, Washington with her partner of 19 years, Alison Leahey, who works as a carpenter in construction.[27] The Pew Research Center reported that Randall responded "none" to their religion survey.[36]

Randall is the first LGBTQ+ Latina elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.[37]

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Emily Randall is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Washington's 6th congressional district since 2025.[1] A Democrat, she previously represented Washington's 26th legislative district in the state senate from 2019 to 2025, where she served as deputy majority leader and chaired the Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee.[2] Before entering elected office, Randall worked as a community organizer and healthcare advocate, prioritizing expanded access to affordable care for women, children, and LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as education opportunities.[2] Born and raised on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington's 6th congressional district to a working-class union family, Randall grew up in Port Orchard, where her father worked at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and her mother became a paraeducator.[2][3] She was the first in her family to attend a four-year college, graduating from Wellesley College.[2] Her commitment to healthcare policy was deeply influenced by her sister Olivia's severe developmental and physical disabilities, which made the family reliant on Medicaid to provide home-based care for 19 years.[2]

Early life and education

Early life

Emily Elissa Randall was born on October 30, 1985, in Washington's 6th congressional district.[4] Raised on the Kitsap Peninsula, she grew up in a hardworking, union household that reflected the working-class roots common to many families in the district.[2][3] Her early experiences were shaped by the socioeconomic environment of the region, including its emphasis on labor and community resilience amid economic challenges faced by working families.[3][5]

Education

Randall earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and women's studies from Wellesley College, graduating in 2008.[6][7]

Political career

Washington State Senate

Randall entered elective office by winning election to the Washington State Senate for the 26th Legislative District in November 2018, securing the seat after a manual recount confirmed her narrow victory over the Republican incumbent.[8] The district encompasses areas including Bremerton, Port Orchard, Gig Harbor, and the Key Peninsula.[9] In her initial 2019 session, Randall was assigned to the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee as vice chair, the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee as vice chair, and the Senate Transportation Committee.[10] She later advanced to chair the Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee and served as Deputy Majority Leader, while maintaining membership on the Health & Long Term Care and Ways & Means Committees.[9] Randall's legislative priorities centered on bolstering support for working families, expanding access to affordable housing and education, and enhancing workforce development.[9] She championed increased funding for the Housing Trust Fund to address affordability challenges, expansions of the Working Families Tax Credit, and measures providing utility bill relief.[9] In education policy, her efforts as committee chair emphasized reducing college tuition costs, promoting apprenticeship programs, and funding job training aligned with local business needs, alongside investments in school construction and higher compensation for paraeducators.[9] Among her contributions, Randall helped advance 2024 session initiatives that improved educational access and supported educators and families, reflecting her focus on equitable opportunities drawn from her pre-political experience in healthcare advocacy.[9] She served in the Senate until January 2025.

U.S. House of Representatives

Emily Randall launched her campaign for Washington's 6th congressional district in 2024, seeking to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer, and emphasized issues like affordable healthcare and support for working families drawing from her background as a healthcare advocate and state legislator.[11] She won the Democratic primary in August 2024 before defeating Republican state Sen. Drew MacEwen in the general election on November 5, 2024, with approximately 57% of the vote.[12][13] Randall was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives on January 3, 2025, as part of the 119th Congress.[14] In her initial months, she aligned with Democratic priorities by voting against a House Republican government funding bill in March 2025, citing concerns over its provisions.[15]

Controversies

Minnesota fraud hearing remarks

The House Oversight Committee held a hearing on January 7, 2026, examining allegations of large-scale fraud in Minnesota's state programs, including entities posing as daycare centers, medical providers, and food assistance organizations that allegedly fabricated services or inflated participant numbers to siphon millions in government funds, with potential losses up to $9 billion under Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's administration.[16] Witnesses included Minnesota Republican state Rep. Kristin Robbins, who testified on the schemes, many of which involved individuals from the state's Somali community defrauding programs intended for needy children, autistic individuals, low-income families, disabled Americans, and Medicaid recipients.[16] During the hearing, Rep. Emily Randall argued against using data to target specific groups in the context of the fraud allegations involving Somalis, stating that such data could create a perception of "a bad group of people" or "folks who are other," and urged greater scrutiny of crimes by American citizens, particularly white men, who she claimed commit violence and crimes at disproportionate rates.[16] She questioned Robbins on the percentage of U.S. sexual assaults committed by white men (citing 57 percent) and noted that 41 percent of 2023 murder suspects were white, while referencing a database indicating most domestic extremism suspects were men.[16] Randall stated, "We can trot out all the data that we want to create the sense that there is a bad guy. There is a bad group of people. There are folks that are not among us. There are folks who are other. And I think we should spend a lot more time looking at ourselves," and added, "Looking at American citizens. Looking at White men who are committing violence at disproportionate rates in our country, who are [committing crimes] at disproportionate rates in our country."[16] She also referenced crimes by 33 pardoned January 6 defendants as part of broader data on American citizens.[16] The remarks drew immediate criticism, with the White House responding via spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, who described them as symptoms of "Trump Derangement Syndrome" including "unhinged rantings and defending Somali fraudsters who rip off American taxpayers," urging Randall to represent hardworking Americans rather than fraud perpetrators.[16] In a subsequent statement, Randall highlighted harassment and threats against Washington state child care providers stemming from what she called false fraud claims amplified by the hearing, asking Robbins hypothetically about the impact of an armed individual appearing at a daycare.[17]
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