Candidate forum will feature rare battle in the 43rd Legislative District

The candidates seeking to lead Washington state’s 43rd District will be on First Hill Thursday night in the highest profile political tangle yet as the races head into the August primary.

The 43rd District Democrats group is organizing the candidates forum in an event co-hosted by the Capitol Hill Community Council. The forum will be moderated by Publicola journalist Erica Barnett and feature candidates for the 43rd House and Senate seats.

This campaign season includes a rare challenge in the 43rd, a district that has notable for political peace. Last time around, its legislative leaders headed into their respective primaries unopposed.

Things have changed.

CHS reported here on the upstart challenge to State Sen. Jamie Pedersen, the current Majority Leader in the Washington State Senate, an architect of the Millionaires Tax, and a veteran lawmaker who has been part of 43rd District leadership for twenty years.

“Tax the rich” labor leader Hannah Sabio-Howell says she believes the 43rd District needs a fighter who will act with urgency to address the affordability crisis. While acknowledging Pedersen’s 20-year legacy including marriage equality, and the capital gains tax, Sabio-Howell says Pedersen’s approach is too slow for the current pace of change and too influenced by corporate interests.

Pedersen, meanwhile, says this year’s challenging session and the forging of compromises and political strength behind the Millionaires Tax is an illustration of his approach to navigating the Olympia of 2026.

In addition to the Pedersen-Sabio-Howell tussle, Thursday night’s forum will also feature the race for District 43-Position 2 where incumbent housing champion State Rep. Nicole Macri is running to keep the seat she has held since 2017. Macri has also drawn a fresh challenger. Alby Clendennin is a resident director and student affairs practitioner at the University of Washington who says he will take on issues around affordability, immigration enforcement, and public safety and has criticized Macri over “corporate interests.”

The race for District 43-Position 1, meanwhile, is more like the district’s recent past political calm in the days before the 2024 passing of district political legend Frank Chopp. That year,Scott scored a landslide victory over Andrea Suarez in the race for Chopp’s seat.

Scott is currently running unopposed for District 43, Position 2.

The mix headed into the August primary might make for some awkward meetings for the incumbents. Rep. Scott and Pedersen’s challenger Sabio-Howell are political allies and organized a “Tax the Rich” forum last summer. Macri, meanwhile, has endorsed Pedersen — as have a phalanx of Democratic stalwarts including Gov. Bob Ferguson.

There is a third candidate in the mix. Political newcomer and cell biologist Heather-Marie Wilson is running in the race as an independent.

Any battle lines established by the candidates Thursday night are likely to last. With the top-two primary structure, there is only one candidate set to be left behind across the three seats up for grabs in the August 4th primary vote. Expect to watch the Pedersen-Sabio-Howell battle continue to flare up into November.

43rd Legislative District Candidate Forum
Thursday, June 11th — 6:30-8:00 PM
Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave

Or watch live, here:

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