Pasco councilwoman running unopposed to replace longtime WA legislator. He stepped aside

After almost three decades in the Legislature, state Sen. Jim Honeyford will not seek reelection, he said in a news release Monday.

The Sunnyside Republican has held the District 15 Senate seat since 1999. Before that, he served four years in the state House.

“It has been one of the greatest joys and honors of my life to serve the people of the 15th District in the Legislature,” Honeyford said in the release. “I will truly miss the colleagues, staff and policy advocates I have worked with over the years.”

Honeyford officially withdrew his candidacy filing Monday, according to the Yakima County Elections Office website. Candidates can withdraw their name from the ballot if the withdrawal form is received by the elections office the Monday after the last day of the filing period.

He endorsed Republican Nikki Torres, a Pasco City Council member, for the position. She is the only other person who filed for the seat during the candidate filing period.

With redistricting, the new District 15 captures some of the Lower Yakima Valley, including Sunnyside and Grandview, before extending east into Grant, Adams, Franklin and Benton counties.

“I am excited that Nikki Torres has gotten into this race,” he said. “I believe her fresh perspective will be a real asset in the Legislature.”

In a separate news release Monday, Torres said she was honored to receive his endorsement.

“I am committed to campaigning hard throughout the 15th District to earn the trust of the voters here,” she said. “From Yakima to the Tri-Cities, we have amazing people and I look forward to being their advocate and their champion.”

Torres was elected to the Pasco City Council in 2021 and began her term in January. According to her biography on the city of Pasco website, she is the strategic partnerships manager for Western Governors University and a member of the Association of Washington Business Grassroots Alliance.

In his announcement, Honeyford reviewed the highlights of his time in the Legislature, from his work on rural issues related to water and agriculture to investments in education, mental health and housing.

Most recently, he helped craft the 2021-23 bipartisan spending plan, which included $413 million for broadband expansion and $34 million for Habitat for Humanity, for which he was awarded the Habitat Golden Hammer Award.

Honeyford lives in Sunnyside with his wife, Jerri. They have four adult children.

“It is now time for me to move on, spend time with my family, and leave the joys and challenges of legislative work to a new generation, with new ideas and solutions, and a new leader to serve as the voice of our communities,” he said in the release.