| Office | 9th Insurance Commissioner of Washington |
|---|---|
| Governor | Bob Ferguson |
| Term start | January 15, 2025 |
| Predecessor | Mike Kreidler |
| State senate 1 | Washington |
| District 1 | 48th |
| Term start 1 | January 5, 2017 |
| Term end 1 | January 7, 2025 |
| Predecessor 1 | Cyrus Habib |
| Successor 1 | Vandana Slatter |
| State house 2 | Washington |
| District 2 | 48th |
| Term start 2 | January 12, 2015 |
| Term end 2 | January 5, 2017 |
| Predecessor 2 | Ross Hunter |
| Successor 2 | Vandana Slatter |
| Birth date | 1958 (age 68–69) |
| Birth place | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Minnesota (BA) William Mitchell College of Law (JD) |
| Website | State Senate website |
Patricia Eileen Kuderer[1] (born 1958)[2] is an American politician and attorney who is serving as the 9th Insurance Commissioner of Washington since 2025. She previously served as a member of the Washington State Senate for the 48th district from 2017 to 2025. She was appointed to the State Senate after Cyrus Habib was elected lieutenant governor. In 2024, Kuderer was elected as Insurance Commissioner of Washington, succeeding Mike Kreidler.[3]
Early life and education
Kuderer was born in Minneapolis. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Minnesota and a Juris Doctor from the William Mitchell College of Law (now the Mitchell Hamline School of Law).[4]
Political career
The King County Council appointed Kuderer to the Washington House of Representatives in 2015, following the resignation of Ross Hunter.[5][6] Following the election of Cyrus Habib to be lieutenant governor of Washington in 2016, county and state Democrats chose Kuderer to succeed Habib in the Washington State Senate in January 2017.[7]
In 2019, Kuderer sponsored a bill to require presidential candidates to release five years of tax returns to qualify for the Washington state primary and general election ballots.[8] Kuderer's bill is similar to legislation proposed in at least 25 other states, which have begun a debate on the Constitutional authority for states to make the tax return release a requirement.[9] The bill was signed into law on April 26, 2019.[10]
On January 20, 2020, a complaint was filed by the Washington Asians for Equality and the American Coalition for Equality for Kuderer's use of the phrase "Chinese fire drill" during a committee hearing on January 17. Kuderer had apologized at the January 20 session of the committee, before the complaint was filed.[11]
Kuderer sponsored a bill to prohibit open carry of weapons around the state Capitol and around permitted public demonstrations,[12] that was signed into law on May 12, 2021.[13] In April 2023 Kuderer supported a bill that would ban the import, manufacture and sale of guns defined as assault weapons.[14]
In the 2024 election, Kuderer ran for Insurance Commissioner of Washington.[15] She defeated Republican state Senator Phil Fortunato in the general election with 57% of the vote.[16]
References
- ^ "Legal Profile: Patricia Eileen Kuderer". Washington State Bar Association. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
- ^ "Legislative Manual 2021-2022". Washington State Legislature. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ "Patty Kuderer defeats Phil Fortunato in insurance commissioner race". The Seattle Times. 2024-11-05. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
- ^ sdcadmin. "Biography". Sen. Patty Kuderer - Washington State Senate Democrats. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
- ^ "King County Council appoints Patty Kuderer to vacant 48th District representative seat - Redmond Reporter". September 28, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
- ^ "Attorney Patty Kuderer announces 2016 campaign for 48th District State Representative - Kirkland Reporter". October 20, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
- ^ "Kuderer replaces Cyrus Habib in WA Senate". January 5, 2017.
- ^ James, Tom (March 14, 2019). "Senate passes bill on presidential tax returns". Longview Daily News (Longview, Washington). p. A5.
- ^ "Washington state passes bill mandating political candidates release tax returns in order to appear on ballot". CBS News. 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ "Washington State Legislature". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ Berg, Jake (2020-02-10). "Chinese organizations file complaint against Kuderer, alleging racism". Kirkland Reporter. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ La Corte, Rachel (March 30, 2021). "House approves open carry ban at Capitol, permitted rallies". The News Tribune. p. A3.
- ^ Corte, Rachel La (2021-05-13). "Washington's Inslee signs ban on open carry of weapons at rallies, Capitol". OPB. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ "Assault weapon ban passes Washington Senate, will go back to House for concurrence". April 8, 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ Smith, Rich (4 May 2023). "Sen. Patty Kuderer Announces Run for Insurance Commissioner". The Stranger. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ Hobbs, Steve (December 4, 2024). "Canvass of the Returns of the General Election Held on November 5, 2024". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived 2025-07-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 14, 2025.