SEATTLE – Emily Alvarado (D-West Seattle) was selected by the King County Council Tuesday to replace former Sen. Joe Nguyễn, who was recently selected to lead the Washington State Department of Commerce. Alvarado was sworn into office shortly after.
“I’m honored to step into this new role and continue to serve my community,” Alvarado said. “Let’s get to work to make life better for the people of Washington.”
Alvarado was elected to the state House in 2022 to represent the 34th Legislative District, which includes West Seattle, Vashon Island, White Center, and west Burien. Since then, she has led on issues such as housing access and affordability, economic opportunity, high-quality public education and child care, reproductive justice, and breaking the cycle of poverty.
Before joining the Legislature, Alvarado served as the director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Housing, an executive with a national affordable housing nonprofit, and as professional staff at Planned Parenthood. She is an attorney who graduated from the University of Washington School of Law and has also worked as a community organizer.
In the Senate, Alvarado will serve as vice chair of the Housing Committee and a member of the Labor & Commerce and Transportation committees.
