Longtime community activist Sameer Ranade announced his candidacy on February 9 for the Position 2, 43rd Legislative District seat in the Washington State House of Representatives. Ranade, a former intern at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), seeks a higher platform to advocate for an equity-driven Washington that prioritizes carbon pollution reduction and rebuilds our societal infrastructure.
“Environmental protection and social justice have been the driving force of my career,” said the 35-year-old Ranade, who currently is a Climate and Clean Energy Campaign Associate for the Washington Environmental Council (WEC). “I seek to make good on the legal obligation our state has to future generations by achieving our statutory limits to reduce heat-trapping, ocean acidifying carbon emissions and to fully fund basic education.”
This State House seat is currently held by Rep. Brady Walkinshaw, who recently announced his candidacy for the 7th Congressional District U.S. House of Representatives seat.
Ranade, whose parents emigrated to the United States from India around the Mumbai area, grew up in Kennewick, WA and went to Washington State University to earn a B.A. in Political Science. Ranade earned a Master’s of Public Administration with a focus on Environmental Policy and Management at the University of Washington’s Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance in 2012.
“We can eradicate poverty and create healthy and vibrant communities in every pocket of the state if we make investing in green infrastructure and public education a priority,” Ranade said in a statement.
Ranade’s early endorsers include Tony Lee, the co-chair of the King County Chapter of the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition, and Frank Loy, who served as Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs in the Clinton Administration, and worked with Ranade on a volunteer led group called the Energy and Environment Team for reelecting President Barack Obama.
Located in the heart of Seattle, the 43rd is a vibrant, young, and diverse legislative district that vividly represents our society’s challenges and opportunities, said Ranade, who lives in Capitol Hill.
“The 43rd has a unique mix of small businesses, non-profits, university students and employees, city workers, tech workers, and artists,” Ranade said in a statement. “I recognize the 43rd LD has a proud tradition of legislators who have championed LGBTQ rights, and I am eager to continue that legacy,” said Ranade.
Advancing the cause of justice has compelled Ranade throughout his career, he said. At WEC, Ranade advocates for state-level policies to dramatically grow sustainable energy. In particular, he has been working to build a broad and diverse coalition of support for capping carbon emissions.
“I have helped mobilize, engage, and learn from communities of color and labor rights groups,” Ranade said in a statement. “And I organized folks to advocate for legislation in Olympia in 2015 that would have charged a fee on carbon pollution and invested in essential priorities like public schools, affordable housing, transit, and air quality improvements. I know that we can and must tackle multiple social problems together. Victory isn’t achieved unless we both limit pollution and invest in our people.”
