Joe McDermott seeks election to the 34th District Washington State Senate seat for which he was appointed in October of 2007.  Previously, he represented the same district as a State House member for six years, winning re-election in 2006 with 80 percent of the vote.

During his tenure in the House, Joe worked to pass two historic measures in the struggle for equal rights. The first bill was the Anti-Discrimination Bill of 2006, which added sexual orientation to Washington’s discrimination laws. Then he helped pass the Domestic Partnership Registry in 2007, giving state-registered domestic partners some basic protections for their families, such the right to visit a partner in the hospital, the right to make health care decisions and the right to make funeral arrangements.  In 2006, he was awarded the Greater Seattle Business Association’s (GSBA: the LGBT Chamber) Collaboration for Social Change Award. 

Joe is a third-generation resident of West Seattle where he lives with his partner, Michael, and is on the Board of the West Seattle Helpline. His civic activities and memberships include the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Vashon Allied Arts, and the Highline Historical Society.

Help Joe in his bid for State Senate by contributing to his campaign today.