Teresa Mosqueda, Candidate for King County Council, District 8

[Editor's note: This Candidate Statement was published without edits from The Highline Journal]

I am Teresa Mosqueda, your King County Councilmember representing District 8, and I am running for reelection because the work is not done.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, the daughter of educators and social justice activists who raised me in a union household and taught me early that collective action is how we create change. I am a third-generation Mexican American, a proud Chicana, and the first Latina ever elected to King County Council—a county made up of half people of color and a quarter immigrants. Before elected office I spent nearly eight years at the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, advancing workers’ rights and healthcare access. I came to elected office to pass policy that puts workers, families, and communities first and I have delivered.

On King County Council I serve as Chair of both the Board of Health and the Health, Housing, and Human Services Committee. In my first term I passed the Welcoming County Policy refusing cooperation with ICE, reinstated our public health commitment to serve all immigrant residents regardless of status, and secured legal defense funding for immigrants facing federal threats. I passed a rent price-fixing prohibition preventing AI platforms from artificially inflating rental costs and driving artificial scarcity. I updated Community Workforce Agreements to ensure all construction on county-owned property is built with strong worker protections, and passed the Responsible Bidder Policy to prioritize local companies with strong commitments to workers, environmental standards, and small women- and minority-owned businesses. To fight displacement, I advanced over 40 amendments to the Comprehensive Plan to make it easier and more affordable to build housing, childcare, and small business space that aligns with the fabric of our neighborhoods. That is how we do density done right.

District 8 stretches from Vashon Island through the Duwamish Valley, from Capitol Hill to South Park, from White Center to Pike Place Market, from Tukwila to West Seattle—one of the most geographically and culturally diverse districts in King County. The communities I represent face real, urgent challenges, and a federal government actively threatening immigrant residents, reproductive rights, housing stability, and public health funding demands that local elected officials stand up and protect our residents and our local economy. I am your workhorse for the job.

In my next term I will expand access to affordable childcare and workforce housing using the county’s bonding capacity and line of credit as federal dollars dry up. I will fight to protect our healthcare safety net—my biggest budget priority this fall is infusing funding into our public health clinics and Harborview Medical Center as the federal government defunds hospitals and strips away healthcare coverage. And I will keep investing in the upstream public safety solutions that actually reduce harm: community violence interrupters, behavioral health services, and youth programming.

I have built the coalitions, written the budgets, and passed the legislation. King County must be the last line of defense as we face these federal rollbacks on our health and stability.

I am proud to serve District 8, and I humbly ask for your vote.I am Teresa Mosqueda, your King County Councilmember representing District 8 and I am running for reelection because the work is not done.

All the best,

Team Teresa

Home - Teresa Mosqueda

for King County Council Dist. 8

Teresa Mosqueda

Teresa Mosqueda is running against Nick Duda.

The Highline Journal extended the same invitation to both candidates. Publication is provided at no charge and does not constitute an endorsement.