Sharon Nelson


Sharon Nelson is the former Democratic Leader of the Washington State Senate, elected to that position by her colleagues in 2013. She was first appointed to the State House of Representatives in 2007 following the elevation of Joe McDermott to the Senate. Nelson was elected to State Senate in 2010. In March 2018, Nelson announced that she would retire at the end of her current term.
Nelson represented the 34th Legislative District, which includes West Seattle, Vashon Island, Maury Island, and most of North Highline and Burien.

Awards

Nelson was the recipient of a 2009 Fuse "Sizzle" Award for her leadership in the Washington State Legislature and efforts to clean up the lending industry water pollution. Nelson was also awarded the Fuse "Sizzle" Mother Jones Award. Mother Jones was a famous turn of the century labor and community organizer; she was denounced on the floor of the US Senate as the "grandmother of all agitators."

Background

Nelson is the former Chief of Staff to then King County Council Chair Dow Constantine. She has long been a leader in the fight to protect Maury Island from the expansion of a gravel mine on the island's shore. Senator Nelson, a former Bank Executive, has lived on Maury Island since 1994 with her husband John. Sharon and John have two grown daughters, Amy and Lyssa Ann, and they live with their dog, Abby.