U.S. Rep. Heck files paperwork to run for state Lieutenant Governor

OLYMPIA, Wash. — U.S. Rep. Denny Heck has filed paperwork with the state to run for Lieutenant Governor.

The move enables Heck to raise campaign funds to succeed Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib, who announced last month that he will not seek re-election.

Heck could not be reached for comment Friday night.

Heck, a Democrat, has represented the 10th Congressional District that includes parts of Thurston, Pierce, and Mason counties since 2013. He announced in December that he will not seek re-election this year, saying the discourse in Washington, D.C., left him feeling discouraged.

Lora Haggard, who is listed as the ministerial treasurer of the Heck for Lieutenant Governor campaign committee, referred questions to Heck. She works for Seattle-based Blue Wave Political Partners, LLC.

Other candidates who have filed the registration form to run for lieutenant governor include Democratic state Sens. Marko Liias of Snohomish County and Steve Hobbs of Lake Stevens; and Ann Davison Sattler, a former Seattle City Council candidate who is running as a Republican.

The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate. Heck served five terms in the state House, and was Gov. Booth Gardner’s chief of staff from 1990 to 1993.

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