Local Democrats made their pitches Sunday during an online candidate forum to determine the replacement for outgoing 34th legislative district state Sen. Joe Nguyễn.

On the Zoom meeting, more than 70 members of the public logged in to hear the candidates out.

Governor-elect Bob Ferguson in December selected Nguyễn to head the Washington State Department of Commerce, which manages a budget of $7.9 billion and promotes access to housing, energy, broadband and other needs.

Nguyễn, a West Seattle resident whose district includes Vashon, West Seattle, White Center and parts of Burien, was first elected to the state senate in 2018.

Only two people signed up to seek Nguyễn’s seat: Current 34th District representative Emily Alvarado, and John “Skip” Crowley, who was not present to speak at the forum.

Should Alvarado be selected to take Nguyễn’s seat, she’ll leave a vacancy of her own in the house, which would mean the county council would have to appoint someone to fill that vacancy, too. That’s where the eight eligible candidates, all running for Alvarado’s seat should it be vacated, come in.

Those candidates include Crowley, who is running for both the senate and representative seats; Ben Carr, a Vashon resident, assistant attorney general and member of the Vashon-Maury Community Council; Brianna Thomas, who has worked in the Seattle mayor’s office and ran for the Seattle City Council in 2021; Csenka Favorini-Csorba, policy director at the state Department of Natural Resources; Geoffrey Wukelic, a software developer and engineering manager; Gina Topp, president of the Seattle School Board; Sarah Moore, a city councilmember of Burien; Stephanie Tidholm, vice president of the Highline School District.

Common themes among the candidates included focusing on tax reform to help lower-income people, making housing more affordable, improving child care, fighting climate change, improving access to mental health care, reforming criminal justice, and funding schools.

Carr shared his experience working in the attorney general’s office, as a prosecutor for King County, volunteering on the island and writing and advocating for legislation in Olympia, especially around legal reforms to reduce incarceration and get “smarter on crime” and to protect seniors from phone scams. He also shared his experience as a parent, as someone who has lost a parent to gun violence, and as a Vashon resident.

“Yes, that means I do have chickens,” he said. “You get them, standard issue, when you move to Vashon.”

Favorini-Csorba said she’s dedicated her career to working on “smart environmental and climate policy, and to increasing the resilience of our communities, particularly the most vulnerable among us.” Her experience at the state DNR means she’s spent time crafting, advocating for and implementing law and policy, she said.

Topp, who is also a tax attorney and small business owner who has served as chief legal counsel and policy advisor to the King County executive, said her primary reason for running is that the 34th district, despite being “one of the best places in the state to raise a family … [is] becoming increasingly unaffordable.”

Moore said she became motivated to seek safer streets and better access for bicyclists and pedestrians after seeing her own child’s experience on unsafe roads in North Burien. That led her to greater civic engagement and a successful run for city council. She’s also worked at the Pacific Science Center and managed facilities for people exposed to COVID-19 without secure housing: “I approach new problems with empathy, curiosity and patience,” she said.

Tidholm, who’s lived in the Fauntleroy/Admiral and White Center areas, started her political activism at the Highline school board. She’s also the board president of Washington for Black Lives and involved with other nonprofits, a former substance abuse counselor at a methadone clinic, and she said she now spends much of her time working as a social worker supporting the unhoused.

Wukelic said his skills in solving technical problems, leading teams and communicating with stakeholders would translate well to the state legislature. He also shared his experience serving as a finance associate for U.S. Senator Patty Murray’s 2022 re-election campaign and volunteering: “If there’s one thing to know about me, it is that I believe in kindness and the power of listening,” he said.

Thomas touted her direct policy experience in the Seattle mayor’s office — “I have moved 15 policies in the last two years while serving in as Mayor (Bruce) Harrell’s labor liaison and special projects manager, including our housing levy last year,” she said — and said she will focus on affordable housing, behavioral health, and protecting rights for immigrants, refugees, and those seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care.

Alvarado, one of the 34th district’s current state representatives, said she’ll continue to focus on affordable housing, child care, and education. She’ll listen to constituents and remain a collaborator in the legislature with connections in both chambers, she said: “We need to be pushing policy and winning.”

Find a full video of the forum by visiting youtube.com/watch?v=XBKF77qk6sQ.

Replacement timeline

Sen. Nguyễn’s legislative term ends in January 2027, and must be filled through a replacement process. Here’s a timeline of that process and beyond.

• Dec. 26, 2024: Ferguson announced Nguyễn’s appointment to his executive cabinet.

• Jan. 5, 2025: The 34th district Democrats held their virtual forum.

• Jan. 19: At 10 a.m., the King County Democrats will hold a meeting to select the candidates who they will recommend to the King County Council for appointment. (Candidates do not necessarily need to participate in the prior forum or share their intent prior to the 19th to be nominated.)

• Jan. 15: Nguyễn starts his new job as head of the Department of Commerce.

• Jan. 21: The estimated date by which the King County Council will vote on appointments for any vacancies. By law, a selection must be made within 60 days after the vacancy occurred. The appointed politician or politicians will hold their seats until their successor takes office after being elected in November 2026.

• November, 2026: Voters elect both the senator and two representatives for the 34th district, which may or may not include anyone appointed to fill the seats in the interim.

• January, 2027: The new (or returning) state senator and representatives are sworn in.