Vandana Slatter (D)

Sen. Vandana Slatter brings a scientist’s rigor and a clinician’s perspective to public service. She immigrated from Canada in 1988 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia, where she captained the women’s varsity fencing team and won gold at the BC Junior Women’s foil championships. She went on to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington, interning for U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell along the way. A licensed pharmacist, she worked as an SEIU hospital pharmacist in Michigan and spent more than 20 years as a clinical scientist at leading biotech firms, including Amgen and Genentech. Gov. Christine Gregoire appointed her to the Washington State Board of Pharmacy in 2007. Bellevue voters elected her to the City Council in 2015, where she helped pass a $1.5 billion city budget and tackled affordable housing, public safety, transportation, and technology policy.

Appointed to the House in 2017, Slatter became the first Indian American elected to the Washington State House of Representatives. She chaired the House Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee and co-chaired the Science, Innovation and Technology Caucus. Her record includes first-in-the-nation protections for the privacy of sensitive health and reproductive data, expanded postsecondary access for low-income students, creation of the Washington Health Corps to connect medical professionals with underserved communities, and statewide emissions targets aligned with climate science. She also championed legislation helping homeless youth access services, creating a tax exemption for low-income housing, and advancing regional electric and hybrid-electric aviation. Slatter serves on the boards of the Ruckelshaus Center, the UW Evans School Dean’s Advisory Council, and the Hopelink Foundation. She and her husband Greg, a research scientist, have lived in Northeast Bellevue since 2003.

Endorsements include Congresswoman Emily Randall, Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer, State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti, Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal, King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, Senate Majority Floor Leader Marcus Riccelli, Sen. John Lovick, the King County Democrats, the Washington Federation of State Employees, SEIU 925, UFCW 3000, IAM District 751, UAW Region 6, UA Local 32, Washington Conservation Action, Sierra Club, 314 Action Fund, Washington Bikes, and the Washington Hospitality Association.