Barely a month after confirming her plans to run for reelection, Washington state Rep. Michelle Valdez, R-Gig Harbor, backtracked Tuesday, announcing she would not seek a seventh term in the House of Representatives.
Valdez, neé Caldier, has represented Washington’s 26th Legislative District — spanning Gig Harbor, the Key Peninsula, Port Orchard and part of Bremerton — for 12 years. She legislated as a moderate Republican, occasionally at odds with her own party’s leadership. She cited personal priorities and the “evolving political direction” of her district as the reason for her departure.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve this community,” she said in a statement. “I remain hopeful about Washington’s future and grateful for the trust the 26th District placed in me for 12 years.”
Career in Olympia
Born and raised in Kitsap County, Valdez spent a portion of her youth in the foster system. She graduated from Olympic College and the University of Washington and worked as a dentist before losing vision in her left eye due to glaucoma…