Becker makes it official: she’s running for State Senate

(EATONVILLE) – Last week, Randi Becker officially filed for State Senate in the Second Legislative District as a Republican.

The Becker campaign has gotten off to a very strong start. Becker reports she has raised over $11,000 and checks continue to come in daily. She has personally visited more than 4,000 homes and plans to visit 15,000 homes before November.

“I enjoy going door-to-door, talking with neighbors about the issues that are important to the district,” Becker said. “It’s a beautiful outside – if its not raining or hailing. There’s no other way to really get to know people.”

Becker said voters consistently list the economy, transportation and schools as their top concerns.

“A lot of people ask me if I’m the incumbent. When I tell them I’m not, they’re ready to vote for me – just because they are so eager for a change.”

Some voters also wants to know what she thinks about guns.
“I hunt and I’m a member of the NRA, so there’s no problem there,” she reports.

Residents are showing interest in Becker’s campaign. Her campaign kickoff, held on May 22nd, attracted over 50 people. Among them were those Becker met while doorbelling. Becker has traveled all over the district from Orting to Spanaway, Eatonville to Yelm.

Becker recently retired after working as a medical administrator in Puyallup. She and her husband, Bob, live in the Eatonville area.

Becker is planning on participating in Yelm’s Prairie Days Parade on June 26th.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Randi Becker announces race for State Senate

(EATONVILE) -- Randi Becker announced today that she is running for the Second District State Senate seat now held by Marilyn Rasmussen. Becker said she wants to protect taxpayers and bring new energy and vitality to the Legislature.

“People who work for a living need a voice in our state government,” Becker said, noting that state spending has increased thirty-three percent in the past four years.

“When you look at the traffic bottlenecks, bad infrastructure, and schools that are struggling in Pierce County, you can see that we need new leadership,” she said.

“For seven years I commuted between Eatonville and the South Hill through some of the worst traffic in Washington. It shows a neglect on the part of our elected officials that is unforgivable. We have broken a promise to our children and grandchildren to prepare the way for them.”

Becker, a Republican, is a retired medical administrator who has lived in Southeast Pierce County for the past 35 years. She is active in local community affairs and issues important to the medical community.

Becker has been weighing a race for the past couple of months and visited the State Senate during the recent special session.

“It was great to meet with Senators and get such strong encouragement from so many of them,” Becker said.

The Second district is generally a Republican area, with two Republican state House members. Dino Rossi and Rob McKenna both won the area with over fifty-six percent of the vote. The rapidly changing area includes tens of thousands of new homes in Southeast Pierce County, including Eatonville, Graham, Roy, Orting, and parts of Spanaway. Thurston County’s Yelm area is also in the district.

“I am running because people from the medical community, from the business community and from the party approached me and asked if I’d being willing to serve. I have a passion about how our tax dollars are being spent and I’m determined to run hard and win.”
Becker said she thought the race would require raising $100,000 in local contributions and meeting 20,000 voters at their homes.

“I’m all set to begin walking door-to-door to meet with people and hear their concerns firsthand,” Becker said. The key to leadership, she said, was being a good listener and encouraging people to find common solutions.

Becker said she is a member of the National Rifle Association and conservative on social issues, “just like most of the district,” but listed wasteful government spending, transportation and education as her top priorities.

“This district has changed a great deal in the past five years. It’s not a farm district anymore. It’s suburban and it’s growing fast. We need new leadership that is up to the challenge.”

Randi and her husband of 35 years, Bob, live on a twenty-acre farm near Eatonville. They have two grown daughters.