(The Center Square) – One of the most expensive races on the Nov. 4 ballot is the Washington State Senate race in Legislative District 26, which encompasses an area across southeastern Kitsap Peninsula from Bremerton and Port Orchard to Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula.
The race pits Democratic Sen. Deb Krishnadasan against Republican Rep. Michelle Caldier in a contest for control of a purple district that has seen both candidates sometimes buck their own party’s leadership.
Krishnadasan was appointed to the position in December 2024, replacing former Sen. Emily Randall, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Krishnadasan served on the Peninsula School Board for more than six years.
In a Friday interview with The Center Square, Caldier said she was thrilled to have recently earned the endorsement of the Tacoma News Tribune.
“There was one question in particular where they asked us if there was ever a time where it would be acceptable to put somebody who struggles with drug abuse in jail and I said absolutely,” she said. “If they commit a crime, we should give the offer for treatment or jail, and I think a lot of people choose treatment. And for the people who choose jail, you wait till they sober up, and then you go back to them and you ask them, ‘How does treatment sound now?’ And I have a funny feeling a lot more people will start pushing towards treatment, right?”
According to Caldier, when it was Krishnadasen’s turn to respond, she struggled to give a clear answer.
“They asked her, and she does this whole word soup and word salad thing, saying it’s a public-private partnership and talking to the tribes,” she said “And then they said, ‘Well, you never answered the question,’ and they asked her the second time, and it was the same thing, and they said you still have not answered the question, and they asked her a third time, and at that point, she said she didn’t know anything about that issue.”
“There’s a chance Democrats would lose their supermajority if the Senate seat in the 26th district flips to Republican. That would make future budget negotiations very different. The News Tribune Editorial Board feels that could be a good thing, and that’s why we’re backing Michelle Caldier,” wrote the TNT Editorial Board.
Caldier said that after more than a decade in the Legislature, she feels empowered to truly represent her constituents without worrying about offending either party.
“I truly believe that I represent the interest of the majority of the population that I serve, and it’s kind of freeing, you know to have because I have the truth on my side when it comes to issues, and I always go back to the people who I represent, and at the end of the day,” she said. “That’s my job as I’m a public servant. I should be listening to the people, and I feel very confident that I have been representing the people in my district,” she said.
Caldier suggested that Krishnadasan only voted against some tax increases during the 2025 legislative session to make it appear she is more moderate, thereby better positioning her for success in her reelection effort in the swing district.
“Before she even got appointed, I announced that I was running for the Senate position, Caldier said. “They knew she would be the number one [to] protect in the entire Legislature, so they allowed her off. They didn’t need her vote for some of these tax bills, right? So they let her off on those votes.
“But here’s the thing: At the end of the day when her leadership needs her vote, they will squeeze her like a little bitty grape and they will get those votes right out of her, and I’ve seen it happen over and over and over in Olympia and in the end I really believe that we need more legislators in there that have a backbone that are willing to stand up for the people regardless of the political consequences that come with it.”
Krishnadasen’s campaign said she was unavailable on Friday, but late in the day, Erik Houser, spokesperson for the Washington Senate Democratic Campaign, sent a lengthy email to The Center Square.
“Career politician Michelle Caldier’s daily attacks on Deb Krishnadasan’s personal life and sterling bipartisan record have become tired and offensive,” he said. “I suspect her increasingly insecure comments are because she lost the primary by an embarrassing margin. After more than $1.2 million in negative attacks from Rep. Caldier and her allies like Koch Industries and Chevron, Deb’s record of delivering for Bremerton, Gig Harbor, and the Key Peninsula is still intact. Every day as a Senator, Deb wakes up and gets to work to make people’s lives better. She works with members of either party because a good idea is a good idea, and she voted against both the Democratic and the Republican budgets. In contrast, Rep. Caldier is incapable of stating where she disagrees with Donald Trump, and has said explicitly that her only goal this year is to defeat Democrats. While Caldier invents new misleading attacks, Deb has personally knocked on more than 6000 doors in every corner of the district to hear directly from her constituents. Olympia needs more people like Deb Krishnadasan and less people like Michelle Caldier.”
The prospect of narrowing the Democratic majority in the state Senate has sparked considerable interest from party influencers. Independent committees have spent over $1.45 million to support Caldier or oppose Krishnadasan, according to the Public Disclosure Commission. Just over $450,000 in outside money has been spent in support of Krishnadasan or in opposition to Caldier.
Most voters have already received ballots for the Nov. 4 general election.
