Marilyn Strickland is the US representative from Washington’s 10th congressional district. She is running for re-election to Congress.

Born September 25, 1962, in South Korea, Strickland is the daughter of Inmin Kim, a Korean, and Willie Strickland, an African-American serviceman. She and her family moved to Tacoma, Washington, in 1967. She was raised in Tacoma’s South End neighborhood and attended Mount Tahoma High School. She earned a degree in business from the University of Washington and an MBA from Clark Atlanta University.

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After roles at Northern Life Insurance, Starbucks and the City of Tacoma’s public broadband cable service Click! she served as a council member for two years before being selected to serve as mayor from 2010 to 2018.

Strickland was the first Asian-born elected mayor of Tacoma, as well as the first African-American woman in that office.

In May 2010, the Tacoma Board of Ethics sanctioned Strickland for accepting frequent flyer miles from a local businessman for an official trip to Asia.

Strickland was approached by the pro-business Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce to serve as its president.

In early 2020, she declared her candidacy for Washington’s 10th congressional district in the 2020 election. Rep. Denny Heck held the seat since the district’s creation.

In the August 4 jungle primary, Strickland placed first in a field of 19 candidates. She and the second-place finisher, Democratic State Representative Beth Doglio, advanced to the November general election.

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In the November general election, Strickland defeated Doglio. 

“The people of the South Sound want a proven leader who will fight for a fairer economy and a nation that is more safe, just, and secure,” Strickland said. “During my time as mayor, I did work a lot with our congressional delegation and so I had a good idea of what the work is and what the work isn’t. But it is recognizing that sometimes Washington state is like being in a bubble, and when you get to a place like Congress you realize that there are people from all over the country with very different life experiences and very different views on things and you try to work together to advance our priorities, to get things through the Senate, and to get things to the President’s desk.”