In less than a month, voters across six counties in Western Washington will choose between two candidates with drastically different approaches to public safety.
Two candidates are running for Washington’s sixth congressional district: incumbent U.S. Rep Emily Randall (D) and challenger Teresa Fox (R). Randall, who was voted into the seat in 2024, will serve her second term if re-elected.
Parts of Tacoma, Milton and Fife fall under the sixth congressional district, which also encompasses the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas.
Randall has voted to fund several public safety projects and advocated for gun regulations, while Fox focuses her sights on police accessibility in rural towns.
The election is Nov. 3, and voters must return their ballots by 8 p.m. at a drop box or mail them, postmarked by Election Day. For the voter’s pamphlet, sample ballots, drop box locations and more, visit www.piercecountywa.gov/Elections.
You can learn more about Randall and Fox at electemilyrandall.com or foxforwa.com.
Public Safety
Randall
During the 2026 fiscal year, Randall helped secure funding to construct a new fire station for the Quinault Indian Nation. In her 2027 proposals, she asked for funds to upgrade the Mason County Sheriff Office’s communications equipment and modernize and expand the Montesano Fire Station, as well as buy two new fire engines for South Kitsap Fire & Rescue.
Outside of police and fire agencies, Randall also helped secure $238,000 in 2016 towards operations support for the Turning Pointe Survivor Advocacy Center in Shelton, which supports domestic-violence survivors.
Randall has been an advocate for gun regulations. She has an endorsement from Giffords, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending gun violence, and a bio on its website says she wants to pass nationwide gun-control policies.
“In Congress, she’ll fight to bring the successful reforms Washington has passed nationwide—from expanding background checks to regulating ghost guns and enacting lifesaving red flag laws,” her bio says.
Fox
For Fox, public safety looks like increasing response times in rural areas.
On her website, she says Mason and Jefferson counties are dangerously unserved, with Washington state ranking last in police staffing nationwide.
She also proposed creating a “federal public safety floor,” which would include federal incentives for agencies to hire and retain police officers.
“A 911 call should be answered just as fast in Port Angeles as it is in Seattle,” Fox wrote.
About the candidates
Emily Randall was born and raised in Port Orchard, according to her website. She was the first in her family to graduate college, then worked at several nonprofits that focused on access to higher education and affordable health care. In 2016, she worked at Planned Parenthood.
In 2018, she ran for Washington’s 26th State Senate seat and won, serving from 2019 to 2024. In 2024, she was elected to the U.S. Congressional District 6 seat.
On her website, she identifies her core issues as fighting climate change, making cost of living more affordable, making more accessible health care, improving education and safeguarding access to abortion.
Teresa Fox was born and raised in Bremerton, according to the voter’s guide. She spent seven years overseeing safety operations for the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Office at the Bremerton Shipyard and also served as an environmental, health, safety and emergency manager aboard a fish-processing vessel that sailed around Alaska with a 232-member crew.
She spent time in leadership roles at Olympic College and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries and previously served in the Kitsap County Fire Marshal’s Office, conducting fire inspections and enforcing safety codes.
On her website, Fox says her core issues are lowering government spending, bringing more money to the Bremerton shipyard, increasing police presence in rural communities, defending Title IX protections, increasing health care access for rural areas and establishing term limits for Congress.
This story is part of a series covering Washington state’s 6th U.S. congressional district race between incumbent Emily Randall (D) and challenger Teresa Fox (R).
The News Tribune
Isabela Lund is the Lead Breaking News Reporter at The News Tribune. She previously covered the greater Puyallup area as the East Pierce County Reporter. Before joining The News Tribune in February 2025, she served as the digital content manager at KDRV NewsWatch 12 in Medford, Oregon, and as a reporter covering Stanwood and Camano Island in Washington for the Stanwood Camano News. She grew up in Kitsap County and graduated from Western Washington University in 2022 with a degree in journalism.
Source: www.thenewstribune.com
