Sharon Nelson is a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Washington State Senate

Washington State Senate

The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 senators, each representing a district with a population of nearly 120,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympia....

. She was appointed to the legislature in 2007 following the resignation of state Rep. Joe McDermott

Joe McDermott (politician)

J. Joseph McDermott , usually known as Joe McDermott, is an American politician from the state of Washington and a member of King County Council, representing the 8th district...

, who resigned from the House to become a state senator

Washington State Senate

The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 senators, each representing a district with a population of nearly 120,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympia....

. She represented the 34th Legislative District, which includes West Seattle, Vashon Island

Vashon Island

Vashon is a census-designated place in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon-Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10,624 at the 2010 census. At , it is about 60 percent larger...

, Maury Island

Maury Island

Maury Island is a small island in Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is connected to Vashon Island by an isthmus built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Before construction of the isthmus, the island was connected to Vashon only during low tide. The island is rural with...

, and most of North Highline and Burien. In 2008, she was elected to a full term with 100% of the vote. She also is the former Chief of Staff to King County Council

King County Council

The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget...

 Chair Dow Constantine

Dow Constantine

Dow Constantine is an American politician in the state of Washington where he currently serves as King County Executive, an office he has held since November 2009. He was previously in the state legislature and on the King County Council, chairing the latter before his election as Executive...

. 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. She was elected to Senate in 2010.

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."

External links

• Washington State Legislature – Rep. Sharon Nelson official Washington House website