Candidate Info
Candidate Name: Tamara Stramel
Position Sought: State Senator, 31st Legislative District – Tamara Stramel
Are you an incumbent for this position? No
Home Legislative District: 31st
Are you a Democrat? Yes
Have you ever been a member of another party? No
Campaign Info
Campaign Manager or Point of Contact: Myself/Alecia Cunningham
Mailing Address: PO Box 281, Sumner, WA 98390
Phone: (253) 987-6382
Email: togetherwithtamara@gmail.com
List social media sites: Instagram and Facebook are both Together with Tamara
Part I – Candidate Background
1. Please briefly describe your qualifications, education, employment, community and civic activity, union affiliation, prior political activity, and other relevant experience. What makes you the best candidate for this position or office? If possible, give practical examples.
I have a Bachelors of Art in Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies. I’ve held a variety of jobs since graduating in 2008. Most connected to my degree was the years I spent as a counselor in youth treatment facilities, ending that phase as the supervisor and active member of our on-campus emergency response team. More recently, I was the field organizer for the Sumner-Bonney Lake School Bond in 2024, and Kate Baldwin’s campaign manager for her successful reelection effort in 2025. I have spent most of the last decade being an engaged volunteer in my community, including as the Secretary for the Family Readiness Group of the USS Shoup, Book Fair Committee Chair, and Vice President of the PTA. I have also served on the 31st LD’s Executive Board since 2019, and am currently one of our State Central Committee Members. I have been a PCO since 2017, and won a contested PCO race in 2024.
Best feels hard to quantify, but I hope to provide a fresh perspective coupled with a real desire to find solutions that benefit all of the residents that live within the 31st. I am capable and curious, plus I have spent the past decade creating connections within the 31st and across the state that I believe will allow me to represent us well. I know there will be plenty to learn on the job, but I believe I have the ability to deeply listen, learn from others, and collaborate on solutions as needed. I believe I can represent issues within our community, as I am not above our community, but instead… I am living in the pinched middle-class sandwiched-generation navigating .
2. What prompted you to run for this office?
This decision was not impulsive, I have been debating this run for the past 18 months. What has moved me most, and what ultimately pushed me to say yes to this moment, are the conversations I’ve had at doors, community events, and our local 31st District Dem booth. Again and again, people have told me how relieved they are to see Democrats willing to show up here. Win or lose, this campaign is about reminding people they are not alone and about building community power that lasts beyond one election.
3. What are your campaign’s most important priorities (three to five)? How do your priorities align with this position?
I care deeply about and plan to focus this campaign on:
• Affordability for middle-class families, so people can stay in the communities they love
• Fully funding public education, because our kids deserve better than constant budget shortfalls
• Rural infrastructure investment, including roads, bridges, and transportation solutions that match our growth and climate reality
I believe we can make these investments responsibly without continuing to rely on tax systems that hit working families the hardest.
4. How did you arrive at these priorities?
These priorities come from my lived experience and conversations with neighbors in our district. Trying to balance the family budget as costs continue to rise at rates that out pace salary increases is not a hypothetical situation for me, but one I am currently navigating. Additionally, volunteering in a Title 1 school that is lucky to have a flourishing PTA shows me over and over that schooling budgets leave gaps that are hopefully covered by parents and community partners, but in reality leave inequalities. Lastly, rural infrastructure has always been close to my heart as someone who loves to recreate in the backcountry. Now living in an area that doesn’t rank as a priority for infrastructure dollars it has become even more clear to me that areas outside of our metropolitan cores need stronger advocates. We shouldn’t watch 100 year old bridges skip maintenance and end up closed, these are preventable situations that affect residents and businesses, plus all those that travel to our small towns and beautiful mountains.
5. What steps are you taking to run a successful campaign?
Most of the important steps have occurred over the last 18 months. I applied and successfully graduated from Emerge, and I said yes to the opportunity to run for a smaller office in 2025. Each experience has allowed me to enter this race clear with expectations and goals, both of which feel necessary to be successful. Additionally, I have hired a team that I feel confident in, and started early! Happy to be seeking this endorsement in February with plans to start direct voter outreach in March.
6. Will you accept donations from large corporations or are you going to be a small donor campaign?
It is my hope to be a small donor powered campaign. I do not plan to accept corporate donations.
7. What is the code of conduct for your campaign?
I believe that how one runs a campaign matters just as much as the policies advocated for.
I commit, and expect all on my team, to conduct this campaign with honesty and transparency, ensuring that all communications whether with voters, volunteers, staff, opponents, or the media are truthful, respectful, and in good faith. We will not engage in personal attacks, misinformation, harassment, intimidation, or discriminatory behavior of any kind.
Disagreements are a natural part of democracy, but I believe they should be addressed with civility and substance. My campaign will focus on ideas, solutions, and service not division. I expect all staff, volunteers, and supporters to treat one another and the public with dignity and respect, regardless of background, identity, or political disagreement. Harassment, abusive behavior, or unethical conduct will not be tolerated.
My team and I are committed to complying with all campaign finance laws, ethical standards, and reporting requirements. Decisions will be made responsibly, with accountability to the voters we seek to serve. Union business will be given preference when available. This campaign will reflect the leadership, character, and values I intend to bring to public office.
Part II – Yes Or No Questions
1. Do you support steps to build a fairer economy through tax reform and progressive taxes as wealth increases?
Yes.
2. Do you support the right of workers to unionize and bargain, including public employees and excluding the military?
Yes.
3. Do you support robust investment in publicly owned housing/subsidized housing for elderly and low-income individuals/families, and zoning changes to support such housing?
Yes.
4. Do you support legislation to address climate change and protect our environment, including the Keep Washington Evergreen Act??
Yes.
5. Do you support women’s unrestricted access to reproductive healthcare?
Yes. I believe strongly that women’s health decisions should be between her and her doctor. I see the role of legislation in this space as one of increasing accessibility and affordability to care.
6. Do you support achieving a universal, affordable, quality single payer healthcare program?
Yes.
7. Do you support laws regulating the purchase, ownership, and carrying of firearms?
Yes.
8. Do you support the separation of church and state?
Yes.
9. Do you support due process for everyone including undocumented immigrants?
Yes.
10. Do you support accountability for ICE activities?
Yes. I support accountability when laws are broken – no matter what position or title the person committing a crime may hold. When something within our government is not working, when it is causing harm, changing course is the moral thing to do.
11. Do you support Keep Washington Working Act?
Yes.
Part III – Free Response
1. What steps do you think need to be taken to improve voter turnout and increase voter trust in our election process?
I am a strong believer that good candidates, increased nonpartisan local media, and Ranked Choice Voting would make a big difference in voter participation. If elected, I would love to advocate for Ranked Choice Voting! Ranked Choice Voting has been shown to increase the discussion of policy matters over personal candidate attacks, while also allowing voters to choose their favorite candidate without worry of throwing a vote away on someone who might not win.
2. What safety, law, or justice reforms are you currently in favor of, and how will you work to implement them?
There are many avenues for reform in our current systems that will benefit both those working within the criminal justice system and the communities they serve. Current examples of reforms I would advocate for include, removing inequitable legal financial obligations, removing barriers to voting when in the justice system, funding the juvenile system appropriately to allow minors to stay within their local networks, and increasing the amount of public defenders. I am also very interested in the area of protecting privacy as it relates to law enforcement.
3. What legislative reforms do you support to achieve greater equity and inclusion for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals in our communities?
I hope to be a strong voice in the continuing efforts to fight for equity, and I think there is still room for important in housing, healthcare, and education. Being a strong ally to our LGBTQ+, BIPOC and Indigenous communities is important to me, so when it comes to bringing forth or supporting legislation that affects those communities, I hope to support those that identify as a members of the affected groups to lead the way. Washington State is lucky to have both the Members of Color Caucus and LGBT Caucus within our State Senate pushing for reforms that I would be happy to support.
4. What are some obstacles inherent in proposed legislative solutions to climate change? How would you approach those obstacles in order to best overcome or minimize any negative effects?
I think legislation that puts the ownership of change on consumers and individuals over corporations is misguided. It is not effective enough to really change the tides of climate change, and it leads to the lack of support from those inclined to dig their heels in about the changes affecting our climate. The plastic bag bills in recent years are a good example of this type of flawed legislation.
5. Do you think public schools are adequately funded? If not, what minimum requirements should be met in an adequately funded public school system? What specific forms of taxation would you support to attain that funding?
As there is still a notable difference between schools in affluent neighborhoods versus those in poorer ones, it is clear that we are not funding schools adequately at the state level. We are not meeting the mandate set forth in our State Constitution, nor have we fully met the exceptions set forth by the McCleary decision. As stated above I support overall tax reform to make our system more fair. Currently, I find the proposed millionaires tax to be worth pursuing to help fund our schools.
By typing my name below, I declare under penalty of perjury the foregoing is true and correct.
Tamara Stramel
02/18/2026
