Mari Leavitt

Mari Leavitt
Leavitt speaking in 2025
Member of the Washington House of Representatives
from the 28th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 14, 2019
Serving with Dan Bronoske
Preceded byDick Muri
Personal details
BornMari Lynn Hyzer
1968 (age 57–58)
North Carolina, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Education
Signature

Mari Lynn Kruger Leavitt[1] (née Hyzer; born 1968)[2] is an American politician from Washington. She serves in the Washington House of Representatives for 28th legislative district in Pierce County.

Education

Leavitt earned an associate degree from Tacoma Community College. She later earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Western Washington University before getting her PhD in Community College Leadership at Oregon State University.[3]

Career

Prior to being elected to the Washington House, Leavitt served as the chair of the Pierce County Ethics Commission.[4] She was first elected to the Washington House in 2018, when she defeated Dick Muri, the incumbent Republican representative.[5]

In 2025, Leavitt participated in the 50 States One Israel conference, a tour of Israel paid for by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[6] In June of 2026, she joined Representatives Travis Couture and Chris Corry in calling for Luc Jasmin, a member of the Washington State Human Rights Commission, to resign after making remarks that were seen as trivializing antisemitism.[7] Jasmin resigned from the commission on July 1, 2026.[8] In August 2026, The Seattle Times reported that Leavitt had sent a letter to the University of Washington to express concerns over a planned lecture by Hasan Piker, a political commentator known for his criticism of the Israeli government.[9]

Notable legislation

Leavitt voted in favor of HB 1589,[10] which is described as supporting Washington's clean energy economy and transitioning to a clean, affordable, and reliable energy future by prohibiting the expansion of natural gas services and other regulations on natural gas companies.[11]

Leavitt voted in favor of HB 1054,[12] which is described as establishing requirements for tactics and equipment used by peace officers by adding restrictions on vehicular pursuits, as well as prohibiting law enforcement from using chokeholds, the deployment of tear gas, or unleashed police dogs in the arrest or apprehension of suspects.[13]

In 2026, Leavitt sponsored HB 2589, which would have imposed restrictions on encampment protests at universities in Washington.[14] Also in 2026, she voted in favor of SB 6346, which imposed a 9.9% tax on Washington residents who make more than $1 million in income a year, and authored a successful amendment to the bill that exempted public libraries from sales tax on some services.[15]

Election results

Washington State Legislative District 28 - State Representative Pos. 1, 2018[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mari Leavitt 27,735 52.8
Republican Dick Muri (incumbent) 24,789 47.2
Washington State Legislative District 28 - State Representative Pos. 1, 2020[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mari Leavitt (incumbent) 39,973 57.2
Republican Kevin Ballard 29,785 42.6
Washington State Legislative District 28 - State Representative Pos. 1, 2022[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mari Leavitt (incumbent) 27,095 58.2
Republican Gabe Sachwitz 19,370 41.6
Washington State Legislative District 28 - State Representative Pos. 1, 2024[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mari Leavitt (incumbent) 34,629 58.4
Republican Gabe Sachwitz 24,549 41.4

References

  1. ↑ Kruger, Mari Lynn (June 1995). "A Longitudinal Study of Native AmericanPersistence in Community Colleges" (PDF). Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Legislative Manual 2021-2022" (PDF). Washington State Legislature. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Mari Leavitt Named 2019 TCC Distinguished Alumnus". The Suburban Times. May 18, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  4. ↑ Robinson, Sean (October 5, 2018). "Will the blue wave hit Lakewood in November? One state House race provides a clear test". The News Tribune. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  5. ↑ "November 6, 2018 General Election Results - Legislative District 28 - State Representative Pos. 1". results.vote.wa.gov. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  6. ↑ Pauli, Hunter (July 31, 2026). "Israel Invited These Four Washington State Legislators on a Propaganda Tour Amid the Gaza Genocide". The Stranger. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  7. ↑ Russak-Hoffman, Jessica (June 12, 2026). "Washington state lawmakers urge governor to remove human-rights panelist over Jew-hatred remarks". Jerusalem News Syndicate. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  8. ↑ Goldstein-Street, Jake (July 6, 2026). "WA human rights commissioner resigns amid antisemitism claims". Washington State Standard. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  9. ↑ O'Sullivan, Joseph (August 19, 2026). "WA lawmakers urged UW to cancel 'An Evening with Hasan Piker'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  10. ↑ "HB 1589 - 2023-24 Supporting Washington's clean energy economy and transitioning to a clean, affordable, and reliable energy future". leg.wa.gov.
  11. ↑ "Environment & Energy Committee" (PDF). leg.wa.gov.
  12. ↑ "HB 1054 - 2021-22 Establishing requirements for tactics and equipment used by peace officers". leg.wa.gov.
  13. ↑ "Public Safety Committee" (PDF). leg.wa.gov.
  14. ↑ Russak-Hoffman, Jessica (January 29, 2026). "New Washington state bill addresses anti-Israel encampments". Jerusalem News Syndicate. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  15. ↑ Villeneuve, Andrew (March 10, 2026). "VICTORY! Washington State House approves million-dollar earners tax after more than a day of continuous floor debate". The Cascadia Advocate. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  16. ↑ "November 6, 2018 General Election Results". Secretary of State of Washington. November 27, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  17. ↑ "November 3, 2020 General Election Results". Secretary of State of Washington. November 24, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  18. ↑ "November 8, 2022 General Election Results". Secretary of State of Washington. November 29, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  19. ↑ "November 5, 2024 General Election Results". Secretary of State of Washington. November 26, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
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