Washington state Senate Democrats elected Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, as the Senate Majority Leader on Monday.
Pedersen, who has served in the Senate since 2013 and previously served in the House, replaces outgoing Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane. While in Olympia, Pedersen has chaired the House Judiciary and Senate Law and Justice committees and served as majority floor leader in the Senate since 2022.
“I’m eager to build on the bipartisan progress we have made since Democrats took back control of the Senate in 2018. I am humbled to lead this diverse and talented group of senators,” Pedersen said. “We are excited to see our majority grow. I am confident this new energy and passion will help Senate Democrats continue to put people first and tackle the issues Washingtonians care about most — affordable housing, great public schools, behavioral health, gun violence prevention, climate change, and more.”
In an announcement Monday, Senate Democrats noted that Washington will be the first state in the country with two members of the LGBTQ community serving as legislative leaders concurrently. Pedersen joins Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, who became the first woman and first lesbian to hold the position in 2020.
Pedersen serves as executive vice president and general counsel for McKinstry, a Seattle-based construction and engineering firm that specializes in green building.
Democrats hold control of both chambers of the Legislature, as well as the governor’s mansion.
Since November 2020, Republican Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, has served as the Senate minority leader.
The 105-day legislative session will begin on Jan. 13.
