Community Government
26th District Senate primary merely a preview of November
From a practical standpoint, the results of the upcoming primary between incumbent Sen. Deb Krishnadasan and challenger Gary Parker are meaningless.
Regardless of the outcome, both candidates will advance to the Nov. 3 general election, when voters will chose which of them wins a four-year term in the state Senate representing the 26th Legislative District.
The results may, however, provide some insights into how voters view Krishnadasan and Parker ahead of a high-profile legislative race.
The 26th District — covering Gig Harbor, the Key Peninsula, Port Orchard and part of Bremerton — is one of only two purple districts in the state, with both Democrats and Republicans in office. Its battleground status makes it a priority for both parties.
26th District Senate candidates Gary Parker and Deb Krishnadasan
Krishnadasan seeks first full term
Democrats, who control 30 of the 49 state Senate seats, have held the 26th District post since 2019. Krishnadasan, D-Gig Harbor, is the incumbent and seeking election to her first full four-year term.
Pierce and Kitsap county leaders appointed Krishnadasan to her position in 2024, filling a vacancy left when Emily Randall won election to Congress. Krishnadasan earned another one-year term by defeating six-term state Rep. Michelle Valdez, R-Gig Harbor, in a 2025 special election.
Krishnadasan previously served on the Peninsula School Board. Supporters credit her for leading a successful bond campaign in 2019, which funded construction of the district’s first new elementary schools in decades. She has been a moderate in the Legislature, voting against her party’s signature tax policies, including the Millionaire’s Tax.
Krishnadasan said she sought re-election to continue addressing the state’s affordability crisis and creating opportunities for the next generation to “build a future in the community they’re from.”
“As a mother of three in their 20s, it’s really important,” she said. “I think about them every day and their future and all young Washingtonians and the future that they’re guaranteed.”
Restaurateur seeks to unseat incumbent
Parker, of Gig Harbor, is attempting to become the first new Republican to win a Senate election in the 26th District since Jan Angel in 2014.
The philanthropist and retired engineer owns BBQ2U, a popular restaurant in Gig Harbor. He is involved with the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce and founded Olympic Civic Services, a nonprofit focused on serving seniors and veterans. He has no elected experience, though he ran unsuccessfully for Pierce County’s nonpartisan charter review commission in 2025.
In an interview earlier this year, Parker told Gig Harbor Now that members of the community encouraged him to run for office.
“Enough people kept asking me that and I said ‘Well, why don’t I run?’” he said in March. “It’s really as simple as that. I’m a man of the people.”
A spokesperson for Parker said he was unavailable for a phone interview due to the birth of his grandchild.
As of July 20, Parker has raised about $70,850 for his campaign, according to online records. Krishnadasan raised $160,670.
Primary Ballots
Voters must place ballots in a drop box or mail them in time to be postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Dropboxes are located at the Gig Harbor Civic Center, 3510 Grandview St.; Gig Harbor Library, 4424 Point Fosdick Drive NW; and Purdy Park and Ride, 14567 Purdy Drive.