Randall speaks on federal issues

Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, July 8, 2026

PORT ANGELES — U.S. Rep. Emily Randall spoke to the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, reflecting on her first 18 months in Congress, touching on issues related to housing, National Parks, political turmoil in Washington, D.C., and healthcare.

“I am so proud to represent our community here in the sixth district,” said Randall, who grew up in Port Orchard and whose grandfathers both worked at what is now Naval Base Kitsap.

Randall, D-Bremerton, is finishing her first 18 months representing Washington’s 6th Congressional District, which covers Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason and Pierce counties.

She won the seat in 2024 and succeeded six-term Rep. Derek Kilmer, who did not seek re-election.

Randall served for six years in the state Senate, representing the 26th Legislative District, where she rose to deputy majority leader and chaired the higher education committee.

Randall is seeking a second term in Washington, D.C., this year. Four challengers have filed for the seat: Republican Teresa Fox of Bremerton, Trump Republican Leon Lawson of Aberdeen, Independent Brian P. O’Gorman of Shelton and Macy Jones of Sequim, who lists no party preference.

Under the state’s top-two primary system, the two candidates who draw the most votes in the Aug. 4 primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.

Randall said serving in the minority for the first time in her career has been a new experience. In Olympia, she said, she could reliably deliver for constituents; in Washington, she is 423rd out of 435 members in seniority.

“A little fish in a very big pond,” she said.

Randall said her office has held roughly 20 town halls across the district and brought home about $18 million in infrastructure investments in the last budget cycle, with a similar amount expected in the current one. She said she has secured community investments in every appropriations bill even though she has not voted for any of them.

Among her accomplishments, Randall cited the ANCHOR for Military Families Act — legislation she introduced with Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., that was folded into the annual defense bill and signed into law — which helps families making a permanent change of station enroll children in school, including students with disabilities, before they have a permanent address.

She predicted Democrats will likely take control of the House in January and said the party has housing policy ready that aims to build 5 million to 10 million new homes.

“We absolutely need it,” she said.

She also pointed to the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan measure to boost housing supply and limit large investors from buying single-family homes. It cleared both chambers, but President Donald Trump declined to sign it, saying he would only act when Congress passes the SAVE America Act, which would impose proof-of-citizenship and voter-ID requirements.

Randall, who called the elections measure a bill that “would actually make it harder for people to vote,” credited Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, with refusing the president’s push to eliminate the filibuster to force it through.

Randall serves on the House Oversight Committee, where she said Democrats have worked to force disclosure of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and have sought testimony from figures including Bill Gates. She said if Democrats win control of the House in this year’s mid-term elections, they would gain the power in 2027 to subpoena witnesses and pursue allegations of corruption in the administration.

Much of her interest in health care is personal, Randall said, recounting how Medicaid covered surgeries and equipment for her younger sister, Olivia, who was born with complex disabilities.

Navigating the system is its own ordeal, she said, describing her mother filling out claim paperwork late at night.

“You don’t have to be a lawyer to navigate it,” she said. “This should be easier.”

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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com