Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley Will Not Seek Re-Election

SEATTLE — Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley (D-Seattle) has announced she will not be running for another term in the Washington State Legislature.

In her announcement, Harris-Talley says she'll complete the remainder of her term, but will not run again. Instead, she suggests she'll try to find other ways to perform community service through "liberative and healing work.”

“It has been an honor to serve my neighbors in the 37th district this term," Harris-Talley's announcement opens. "I am proud of all we have built together, but I’ve decided not to run for a second term. I look forward to continued work through the end of this year on the issues our neighbors care about most."

Formerly a member of the Seattle City Council, Hallis-Tarrey was elected to the state Legislature in 2020 on a progressive, anti-racist platform with a focus on fixing Washington's regressive tax system and furthering prison reform. Her announcement celebrates several successes to that end, like HB 1894, which expanded access to juvenile diversion programs over incarceration, and HB 2050, which ended the practice of forcing parents to pay for their child’s incarceration.

However, Harris-Talley has also expressed frustration with the legislature's recent decision to roll back several police accountability measures.

"As a Black queer woman, I am dedicated to movement and liberation work. I came into the legislature on the heels of the protests of 2020; with local and national cries for change because Black Lives Matter," Harris-Talley said. "I’ve been able to be part of some incredible work to address the structural issues of police violence and incarceration, the package of policing reform legislation we passed in 2021 was a monumental shift in the right direction. I was heartbroken this year to see much good work rolled back."

One bill that made it through the 2022 legislature, HB 1735, lowered the bar for officers to use physical force, which can now be used in behavioral health circumstances, for involuntary treatment commitments, in instances of child welfare, and similar circumstances. Another, HB 1719, cleared officers to use beanbag rounds or less-lethal munitions launchers on civilians.

Harris-Talley further clarified her decision in an op-ed in the South Seattle Emerald, calling the legislature a "toxic work environment".

"I know the signs when leadership is propping you up or looking for a place to put you to shut you up," Harris-Talley wrote. "While there are many individual representatives and senators who are some of the most principled people I know, what was forming was a question of whether the institution and the leadership were as well."