Washington State Legislature: 2026 Departures, Retirements & Seat Transitions
Washington State Legislature: 2026 Departures, Retirements & Seat Transitions
Every known departure — and what it means heading into the 2027 session.
Think of it like someone picked up the game board and gave it a good shake. Pieces that have sat in the same square for a decade or more are suddenly in motion — some moving to a different seat, some rolling under the sofa to turn up later in a cloud of dust bunnies, and many rearranging into different positions on the board. The 2026 cycle is shaping up as one of the more turbulent transition years in recent memory for Olympia. A mix of retirements, higher-office ambitions, and cross-chamber moves will open seats, vacate committee chairs, and in several districts leave both the Senate and House seats in play simultaneously. This is a list of every known departure, with notes on where one move sets off a chain reaction of openings and where Chairs are departing key committees heading into the 2027 session.
Key Dates: Filing Deadline: May 8, 2026 | Primary: August 4, 2026 | General Election: November 3, 2026
Strategic Highlights
- All 98 House seats and 25 Senate seats are on the ballot in 2026.
- Six committee chairs or vice-chairs are vacating their roles: Saldaña (Senate Labor & Commerce), Shewmake (Senate Env/Energy/Tech), Conway (Senate Labor/Commerce VC & Rules VC), Ormsby (House Appropriations), Tharinger (House Capital Budget), Mena (House State Government), and Ryu (House Tech/Econ Dev/Veterans).
- LD 13 is a full domino district: Warnick retiring → Ybarra running for her Senate seat → 13th District House Pos. 2 opens. Rep. Tom Dent confirmed reelection and is NOT departing.
- LD 32 features a rare intra-party primary: Rep. Cindy Ryu is challenging incumbent Sen. Jesse Salomon (D), calling him too moderate. Ryu's House seat opens regardless of outcome.
- Spokane area sees the most turbulence: Ormsby (LD 3), Graham & Volz (LD 6), and Schmidt (LD 4) all departing — four open House seats in one metro area.
- Three districts face a domino effect — a House member running for the open Senate seat, opening their House seat in turn: LD 29 (Conway/Mena), LD 37 (Saldaña/Street), and LD 13 (Warnick/Ybarra).
- CD-3 (SW Washington): Senate Minority Leader Braun challenging Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez; rated toss-up by Cook Political Report.
- CD-4 (Central WA): Open seat after Newhouse retirement; Boehnke among several R candidates in primary.
- The 26th District (Gig Harbor) remains one of the few true purple districts in the state, with Valdez's departure opening the House seat.
Departures by Legislative District
Organized by district number. Chair and ranking-member roles are noted. Domino effect districts are flagged.
Timm Ormsby (D) · House · Retiring
Chair House Appropriations Committee — lead budget writer, 23-year career
Announced: John Kness (R). No Democrat announced.
Suzanne Schmidt (R) · House · Running for Spokane Co. Commission
Member, Consumer Protection & Business
Announced: Rob Chase (R)
Mike Volz (R) · House Pos. 1 · Retiring (focusing on Spokane Co. Treasurer)
Member, various committees
Announced: Isaiah Paine (R), Jennifer Morton (R)
Jenny Graham (R) · House Pos. 2 · Retiring
Ranking Member — House Community Safety Committee; criminal justice & victim advocacy focus
Announced: Jonathan Bingle (R)
Matt Boehnke (R) · Senate · Running for CD-4 (Congress) — must vacate seat
Member, Senate Republican Caucus moderating voice
Announced: Nikki Torres (R) running in the 8th District Senate primary (redistricting)
Judy Warnick (R) · Senate · Retiring after 20-year career
Member, Ways & Means; Member, Higher Ed & Workforce Dev.; Senate R Caucus Chair; agricultural policy focus
Announced: Rep. Alex Ybarra (R) running for seat → opens 13th District House Pos. 2
Alex Ybarra (R) · House Pos. 2 · Running for Senate in the 13th District
Ranking Member — Postsecondary Education & Workforce; Asst. Ranking Member, Labor & Workplace Standards
Announced: Deanna Martinez (R, nurse / former Moses Lake city council)
Tom Dent (R) · House Pos. 1 · Running for reelection — NOT departing
Ranking Member — House Agriculture & Natural Resources; Member, Early Learning & Human Services; Member, Transportation
Dent confirmed reelection bid despite retirement speculation.
Nikki Torres* (R) · Senate · Running for 8th District Senate seat (redistricting move)
First Latina senator representing Central Washington
Announced: Rep. Jeremie Dufault (R) running for 15th District Senate seat → opens House Pos. 2
Jeremie Dufault (R) · House Pos. 2 · Running for Senate in the 15th District
Asst. Ranking Member, Consumer Protection & Business
Announced: Chase Foster (R). Complex redistricting situation.
John Braun (R) · Senate Minority Leader · Running for CD-3 — does NOT vacate Senate seat
Senate Minority Leader; seat remains filled while he campaigns
No vacancy unless Braun wins in November.
Steve Tharinger (D) · House · Retiring after 8 terms
Chair House Capital Budget Committee; Member, Appropriations
Announced: Patrick DePoe (D, exec. director Association of Washington Tribes); Aiden Hamilton (R)
Michelle Valdez (R) · House Pos. 2 · Retiring after 12 years
Asst. Ranking Member, Health Care & Wellness; Member, Appropriations; foster youth & crime victim focus
Announced: Katy Cornell (R, nonprofit leader/pastor, Valdez-endorsed); Renee Hernandez Greenfield (D, educator/Kitsap Co. Dems vice chair); Rafe Sher (D, data engineer)
Steve Conway (D) · Senate · Retiring
Vice Chair, Labor & Commerce; Vice Chair, Rules; Member, Ways & Means; longest-serving Dem in the Legislature (since 1993)
Announced: Rep. Sharlett Mena (D) running for seat → opens 29th District House seat
Sharlett Mena (D) · House · Running for Senate in the 29th District
Chair House State Government Committee
Announced: Joe Bushnell (D, Tacoma City Council); Patrick Stickney (D, WA Office of Equity); Erin Chapman-Smith (D, exec. director ROOTS shelter); Mark Greene (R)
Jesse Salomon (D) · Senate · Running for reelection — facing primary challenge from Rep. Ryu
Chair Senate Local Government Committee; Member, Housing; Member, Law & Justice; Member, Rules
No vacancy — Salomon is NOT departing. This is a contested D primary.
Cindy Ryu (D) · House Pos. 1 · Running for Senate in the 32nd District — challenging incumbent Salomon
Chair House Technology, Economic Development & Veterans Committee; Member, Appropriations; Member, Consumer Protection & Business; 8 terms (since 2011)
Announced: Chris Bloomquist (D); Will Chen (D); Jenna Nand (D); Keith Scully (D). No R announced. Seat opens.
Rebecca Saldaña (D) · Senate · Running for King County Council
Chair Senate Labor & Commerce Committee; served since 2017
Announced: Rep. Chipalo Street (D) running for seat → opens 37th District House seat
Chipalo Street (D) · House · Running for Senate in the 37th District
Member, various committees
Announced: Jaelynn Scott
Carolyn Eslick (R) · House Pos. 2 · Retiring
Member, various committees
Announced: Steve Ewing (R, former Lake Stevens city council)
Sharon Shewmake (D) · Senate · Retiring
Chair Environment, Energy & Technology Committee; Member, Transportation; Member, Ag & Natural Resources; first Dem to hold the seat in decades
Announced: Eamonn Collins (D, teacher/Whatcom Co. Dems chair). Both sitting 42nd District House members declined to run for the Senate seat.
Sharon Wylie (D) · House Pos. 1 · Running for Clark County Auditor
Member, various committees; 8 terms (since 2011)
Announced: Kim Harless, Mike Pond
Congressional Connections
CD-3: Southwest Washington
Senate Minority Leader John Braun (R-Centralia, LD 20) is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D). Braun does not need to vacate his Senate seat to run, so the 20th District Senate seat is not immediately open. Gluesenkamp Perez has cultivated a moderate, bipartisan brand — she recently broke with her party on Homeland Security funding — and has proven durable in a Trump-leaning district. Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up.
CD-4: Central Washington Open Seat
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R) is retiring from the 4th Congressional District, creating a wide-open Republican primary. Sen. Matt Boehnke (R-Kennewick, LD 8) is among the candidates, forcing him to vacate his Senate seat. Boehnke previously faced a Trump-backed primary challenger in 2022 and has signaled he will seek the former president's endorsement if he advances past the August primary. Rep. Nikki Torres (R) has also entered the 8th District Senate primary as a result of the redistricting fallout, creating a layered competitive dynamic in Central Washington.
Domino Effect Districts
Domino effect noted where a House member is running for a Senate vacancy, opening their House seat in turn.
29th District — South Tacoma / Pierce County
Sen. Steve Conway retiring → Rep. Sharlett Mena running for Senate → 29th District House seat open.
37th District — South Seattle / Rainier Valley
Sen. Rebecca Saldaña running for King County Council → Rep. Chipalo Street running for Senate → 37th District House seat open.
13th District — Moses Lake / Grant County
Sen. Judy Warnick retiring → Rep. Alex Ybarra running for Senate → 13th District House Pos. 2 open. Deanna Martinez (R) has announced for the House seat. Rep. Tom Dent (Pos. 1) is running for reelection and is NOT part of the vacancy.
32nd District — Shoreline / Edmonds / NW Seattle
Rep. Cindy Ryu vacating her House seat to challenge incumbent Sen. Jesse Salomon in a D-vs-D primary. The 32nd District House seat opens.
15th District — Yakima Valley
Sen. Nikki Torres running in the 8th District (redistricting) → Rep. Jeremie Dufault running for the 15th District Senate seat → 15th District House Pos. 2 open. Complex redistricting dynamics add uncertainty.
6th District — Spokane
Both House seats open simultaneously: Mike Volz (Pos. 1) retiring to focus on Spokane Co. Treasurer; Jenny Graham (Pos. 2) retiring. Combined with nearby openings in the 3rd and 4th District House seats, Spokane has four open House seats heading into 2026.
Committee Leadership Impact
Senate departures first, sorted by district; House second. Chair rows highlighted.
Steve Conway (D)LD 29SenateVice Chair, Labor & Commerce; Vice Chair, Rules; Member, Ways & Means
Rebecca Saldaña (D)LD 37SenateChair — Labor & Commerce Committee
Sharon Shewmake (D)LD 42SenateChair — Environment, Energy & Technology; Member, Transportation; Member, Ag & Natural Resources
Timm Ormsby (D)LD 3HouseChair — Appropriations Committee (lead budget writer, 23-year career)
Jenny Graham (R)LD 6HouseRanking Member — Community Safety Committee
Steve Tharinger (D)LD 24HouseChair — Capital Budget Committee; Member, Appropriations
Michelle Valdez (R)LD 26HouseAsst. Ranking Member, Health Care & Wellness; Member, Appropriations
Sharlett Mena (D)LD 29HouseChair — State Government Committee
Cindy Ryu (D)LD 32HouseChair — Technology, Economic Development & Veterans Committee; Member, Appropriations
Note: Based on known information as of April 2026. Filing deadline is May 8, 2026; additional announcements may follow.
