In December, I challenged a long-term incumbent because I believe that we need a new generation of energetic, committed leaders in Congress to build a region that works for everyone, from long-time Washingtonians to recent immigrants. For me, these values are personal. While my father’s family has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, my mother came to this country from Cuba. My abuelos arrived without a word of English, and no education beyond middle school. My grandfather started work as a line cook at a roadside diner, and fifty years later retired into the middle class, with three children who graduated debt-free from public universities. They arrived here when economic equality and social mobility were at historic highs, and when organized labor represented 30 percent of the non-agricultural workforce.
I was born after Ronald Reagan took office, and over the course of my life, my grandfather’s story has become less common. Millennial Americans have lived through an era of federal disinvestment—from housing to transportation, from mental healthcare to homelessness, states and cities have increasingly had to go it alone. For the first time in American history, my generation faces the prospect of being worse off than our parents. As my husband and I pay down our own student debt and witness the reality of climate change, we understand the urgency of the moment. I went into public service to bring people together to reinvest in the policy and the infrastructure that we need for a prosperous and inclusive future.
I’ve established a strong record in a state legislature divided between parties. Last year I passed Joel’s Law, which infuses much-needed funds into our mental health system and helps families secure treatment for loved ones. I passed legislation to tackle opiate addiction and reduce deaths from overdose—policy that both Democratic presidential candidates are now calling for at the federal level. I’ve advanced legislation that creates employment opportunities for people as they re-enter society from prison. I’ve fought for increased investment in our schools, universities, and transit system, and I was recognized as the 2015 Legislator of the Year by the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance. I’ve sponsored and championed legislation to tackle climate change, advance voting rights, protect farmworkers, safeguard reproductive rights, support equal pay, and promote gun responsibility.
Our region has so much to offer as a model for our country, but we also need more in return. Over the next two decades, our corner of the Pacific Northwest will grow to become one of the most important urban centers in the nation. We’re at a crossroads, trying to balance growth and equity. Here’s my vision for how our next member of Congress can help us strike that balance.
First, deliver on our needs. Federal policy must catch up with the needs of urban centers, and reinvest as a partner in housing and transportation systems for our fast-growing region. Our next member of Congress must fight for federal partnership to address our homelessness crisis and to catalyze the development of affordable housing through HUD. federal funds can accelerate the development of our light-rail system, so we can get from Ballard to West Seattle ahead of schedule. The reauthorization of the Farm Bill needs to focus on human health, and the climate impacts of our food system. To preserve the tremendous natural assets of the Puget Sound region, we must aggressively cut our reliance on fossil fuels and move to a clean energy economy.
Second, stand for our values. Mass incarceration cripples our ability to tackle racial justice – we need fundamental reform. We need impassioned voices to stand for the rights and safety of our transgender community. We need to reinstate laws that hold banks accountable, and end tax policies rigged for those at the top. We must open a pathway to citizenship for 13 million undocumented Americans, like the friends I grew up alongside in rural Whatcom County. We must lift the payroll tax cap to protect and expand social security. We must protect funding for Planned Parenthood, and demand federal action on wage equity. And we should embrace a foreign policy that continues the legacy of Congressman Jim McDermott—setting the very highest bar for military intervention.
Third, lead the way. Our minimum wage laws have inspired national action, and changed the narrative: when we invest in the wellbeing and independence of our workers, our communities thrive. Our recreational cannabis market and drug policy reform offer a model for reducing rates of arrest and incarceration. Housing First policies that originated here in Seattle are proven to transition people out of chronic homelessness. Our region is charting a path on challenging national issues, and our next member of Congress must take this innovation to Washington, D.C., and move our values and solutions into the mainstream.
I’m inspired by where our region is headed and by what we can achieve together—not by pointing fingers, but by joining hands. I’ve worked hard to live by these words, and I’m proud to have the endorsements of over 25 of my legislative colleagues, and a record of legislative achievement with likely and unlikely allies. I’m running for Congress because I want to secure a better future for my home, my neighbors, and the kids that my husband and I hope to have. With your vote, we’ll bring new ideas, energy, and progressive leadership to Congress, to win the partnership and reinvestment that we need from the federal government, and to share our innovative policies with the nation.
Brady Piñero Walkinshaw is a state representative from Washington’s 43rd Legislative District. State Senator Pramila Jayapal and King County Council Member Joe McDermott are also running for the seat.