Marilyn Strickland is a candidate to represent Washington’s 10th Congressional District. Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Tacoma, Washington, Marilyn comes from a military family. If elected to Congress, she will be the first Korean-American woman elected to Congress in its 230-year history, and the first African-American to represent Washington State at the federal level.
As Mayor of Tacoma, Marilyn helped transform a city and economy crippled by a deep recession into a destination for families, workers, artists, tourists, and entrepreneurs. She launched the Minority Business Development Agency, helped attract over $1 billion in investment for housing and businesses, and invested over $500 million in infrastructure for roads, bridges, transportation, and the Port of Tacoma. Under her leadership, Tacoma raised graduation rates from 55% to 89%, increased the minimum wage, implemented paid sick leave, and passed universal background checks for gun ownership, paving the way for statewide action.
She is a proud graduate of Tacoma Public Schools. She also earned her B.A. from the University of Washington and an MBA from Clark-Atlanta University, a Historically Black College and University.
