Cindy Ryu

Cindy Ryu earned a high school diploma from Centralia High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1980 and a graduate degree in 1983 from the University of Washington, Seattle. Her career experience includes working as an insurance agent and business owner. She has been affiliated with the Pacific Northwest Economic Region and the FCC Interagency Advisory Committee.[1]

Washington State Senate District 32

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I immigrated to Washington State after living in Korea, Brunei, and Manila. I am a product of public schools and a proud Mom of 3 kids who graduated from Shoreline & Edmonds Schools and the University of Washington - Seattle, like my husband Cody and I.

I ran a successful Allstate Insurance agency with Cody, after working in several healthcare settings, in customer service of a health insurer, at Seattle City Light, and Seattle's Department of Construction and Land Use.

I served 8 terms as State Representative and I chair the Technology, Economic Development & Veterans Committee. I served as Shoreline Mayor (first Korean American female Mayor in the USA) & City Councilmember.

My record is one of action and standing up for Democratic values. I’m ready to bring my experience, proven results, and progressive values to the State Senate. I will continue to fight for a fairer tax system that asks the wealthiest to pay their share while providing relief to working families, those on fixed incomes, and helping small businesses succeed.

My Community Service includes Boards of Shoreline Schools Career and Technical Education; Shoreline Parks Bond Advisory; UW Consulting and Business Development Center; Lynnwood Economic Development; Pacific Northwest Economic Region; Richmond Beach Community Association; Shoreline Chamber; Dollars for Scholars; Women in Government; FCC Intergovernmental Advisory Committee. Also PC-USA Sunday School Teacher, Summer Food Program.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Affordability:

My focus will be on making housing, childcare, transportation, and other everyday necessities more affordable and accessible for Washington’s working families. I will continue the fight to expand housing opportunities, increase access to universal childcare, strengthen consumer protections, and support family-wage jobs.Public Education:

In the State Senate, I will support fully funding our schools because all students deserve access to the support, tools, and opportunities needed to thrive, from kindergarten through the 12th grade. We must ensure our educators have what they need to teach safely in their classrooms and to help students who are struggling and need additional behavioral health support.Investing in Local Businesses:

Washington's local businesses are the backbone of our communities. In the State Senate, I will fight to ensure small business owners have the resources, support, and fair playing field they need to grow, create local jobs, and keep our neighborhoods thriving.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

* During my legislative career in the House, I have championed the state’s broadband expansion, including competing for BEAD funding and making capital investments.

I support the Washington State Climate Commitment Act and our goals of electrifying our transportation system. With the increasing pressures of building additional data centers and to improve the efficiency and resilience of our transmission and distribution lines, I foresee the need to increase state investments in our power infrastructure.

I want to continue working on reducing copper wire thefts and vandalism of critical infrastructure.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

WSLC, AFSCME WFSE Council 28, WEA, SPEEA IFPTE Local 2001, ATU Local 587, AFT Washington, 32nd LD Democrats, Snohomish County Democrats, King County Democrats, WA College Dems, Action 3.14 Fund, FairVote Washington, First Mile Circle, Women of Color in Politics, Democrats for Diversity & Inclusion, Environment & Climate Council of the WA State Democratic Party, Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund, National Women’s Political Caucus of WA, WSNA PAC

Washington House of Representatives District 32-Position 1

Cindy Ryu did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am honored to serve as your Representative, championing bills to reduce crime, expand broadband access, support economic development, and invest in infrastructure and emergency preparedness. My priorities are protecting education funding, ensuring public safety, safeguarding the environment, and increasing affordable housing. I will continue advocating for local businesses and jobs, making Washington a better place to live, work, and raise our families.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Disaster Preparedness and Resiliency:

As a former insurance agent, I proposed standing up a statewide Office of Resilience and I am now working on ramping up our state’s disaster preparedness, response, and resiliency, including recovery and rebuilding alongside my colleagues and the Military Department’s Emergency Management Division.Affordable Broadband and Digital Equity:

I will continue to work on affordable broadband and digital equity, as we work with the private and public sectors over the next few years on a successful implementation of the BEAD Broadband infrastructure funding – we’re eligible for $1.23B in federal funds!Tourism and FIFA 2026 World Cup:

As the chair of the committee responsible for tourism the past 8 years and as the incoming President of Pacific Northwest Economic Region, I helped form and co-chair a two-nation Regional Tourism Council with the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup games in Seattle and Vancouver, BC. I look forward to the jobs and economic development opportunities these games will bring to our state while highlighting the Pacific Northwest as a world-class region.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Having lived in 4 countries, the longest in rural, suburban and urban communities of Washington state, I have seen the importance of communications and cooperation in keeping families and communities connected and democracy strong. Having achieved my American Dream of getting a public education and raising our children with stable housing and jobs, I want to continue to give back to my adopted homeland.

As we continue to face housing shortages, especially affordable and workforce housing, I have been convening stakeholders to build on some of the land DSHS no longer needs on the Fircrest School site in Shoreline. I am also passionate about affordable homeownership, which can be a building block for family wealth and stability.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

When I was a child, I was inspired by Albert Schweitzer and his philosophy of "reverence for life" and tireless humanitarian work. It inspired me to also try to create better conditions for people.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Trust and willingness to listen are the two most important characteristics for an elected official in a representative democracy. Willingness to work hard and negotiate pragmatic, workable solutions are especially important in these divisive times.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Listening to constituents and representing their interests in policymaking and budgetary decisions.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

At age 12 I became a blueberry picker. By age 15, I earned enough each summer to qualify for social security taxes.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The state legislature makes policies and the Governor makes sure the agencies implement them. Mutual respect for each other's roles and the ability to listen to one another would be the ideal relationship.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Adequate revenue with increasingly expensive needs in human services, infrastructure, and public education.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, I think so. I was a City of Seattle employee at both the City Light and Construction and Land Use Departments which I have found to be helpful in understanding electric power and land use issues. Subsequently, I served a term in local government as a City Councilmember and Mayor, both of which gave me perspectives (and respect) for those who tirelessly serve.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. Besides the needed majority votes on any policy bills, I believe working well together and even when we disagree, having diverse perspectives help make policies we adopt much better.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I've observed various legislators from whom I learned a lot: Policy positions, conduct as a member or as a chair, and other leadership roles and ways of conducting themselves as well as relationship building.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I am interested in running for the State Senate in two years.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

There are so many. As a former insurance agent, I learned a lot from my clients, whether happy or in distress, which helped form not only my policy positions, but also how I should relate to my fellow human beings.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

We've granted our Governor the use of emergency powers when we saw increases in wildfires before the Pandemic. Since we're in Session only part of the year, that use was timely as we found during the Pandemic.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

I am working on re-introducing a bill to help incarcerated veterans to reintegrate back into society at release. Edmonds College has a successful program and so I'd like to roll it out to the rest of the state.

What committees interest you?

I chair the Innovation, Community and Economic Development and Veterans Committee. I serve on Consumer Protection and Business Committee as well as Appropriations.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe transparency and accountability leads to better government and trust people will have in its institutions.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I support it but I find it to be a blunt tool, especially when special interest groups fund it and pay signature gatherers to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. The policies are not finessed enough yet amending them to make them work better are not always popular.

Cindy Ryu did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Cindy Ryu did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Ryu's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[10]

Education

Excerpt: "As your representative, I will fight to fully fund K-12 education. Our children are our most valuable resource and we need schools that recognize the potential in all students and create pathways to success for each child."

The Economy and Job Creation

Excerpt: "I believe that we should not balance the budget on the backs of working families. Washington State's tax burden ranks as one of the most unfair in the entire country: those who struggle the most pay almost one fifth of their entire income in taxes and fees, while the richest 1% pay less than 5 cents of every dollar they earn in taxes."

Protecting Our Environment

Excerpt: "As your representative, I will focus on cleaning up Puget Sound by making sure polluters pay their fair share of cleanup costs. I will make sure that stormwater management stays a top priority and support Open Space Restoration and Acquisitions for our District to improve water quality and create places for recreation."

Protecting Our Neighborhoods

Excerpt: " I will fight to keep sex offenders and repeat violent offenders off the streets, while making sure that drug diversion programs, a renewed focus on mental health court, and job training are part of our response to nonviolent crime to make sure we aren’t just continuing the cycle of arrest, release, and new offense."