WA House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan won’t seek re-election
Washington state House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan, a Democrat from Covington, announced in a press release Wednesday that he will not seek re-election.
Sullivan, 59, joined the House of Representatives in 2004. In 2010 he was appointed as the House Majority Leader. He has been a member of the budget negotiations committee since 2009.
“We made it through some difficult times,” Sullivan said in the statement. “But we always manage to come through even stronger as a state. It’s about putting people first.”
Most recently Sullivan sponsored two major pieces of legislation for the 2022 session.
HB 1732 delays the implementation of the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Act and was signed into law by the governor early in the session.
His bill to create a pathway for a state student loan program was introduced this year and is waiting for a signature by Gov. Jay Inslee.
In a statement released Wednesday by the governor’s office, Inslee noted Sullivan’s contribution to “education opportunities” and “supporting working families.”
“Pat’s calm, pragmatic approach and willingness to consider diverse viewpoints has helped bring legislators together on many difficult issues, particularly during the Great Recession and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic” Inslee said. “Most importantly, Pat remains the most passionate legislative hockey fan in Washington state history. I appreciate his partnership over these past nine years and wish him and his family all the best.”
Sullivan served as Covington’s first mayor, after the city was officially incorporated in 1997. Later he worked for the King County Council and as a legislative assistant in the House and Senate before becoming a member of the House.
