Incumbent state Rep. Amy Walen and Redmond City Councilmember Jessica Forsythe are locked in what's shaping up as one of the closest and most expensive legislative races in Washington this year, battling to represent the state's 48th Legislative District in November. The Kirkland Democrat and her challenger from within her own party were separated by just 17 votes in the primary, and the general election has drawn hundreds of thousands of dollars in independent expenditures supporting both campaigns.
The 48th District covers parts of Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond, along with all of Clyde Hill, Medina, Yarrow Point and Hunts Point, making it one of the wealthiest districts in the state, according to KUOW. Walen and Forsythe recently answered candidacy questions in a debate moderated by KUOW's David Kroman, available on the station's Soundside program. The two diverge sharply on tax policy, a split that traces back to Walen's vote against Washington's income tax on high earners — commonly called the millionaires tax — in March 2026.
A Tax Fight Defines the Rematch
Forsythe has made the millionaires tax a centerpiece of her campaign, arguing it includes school lunches for children, a reduction in the sales tax, and elimination of sales tax on hygiene products, per KUOW's report. She said she would wait for the state supreme court's ruling before outlining what else could be done, while also saying she would not rule out a statewide payroll tax, though she would not move to enact one immediately. Forsythe has argued that cities need better ways to fund budgets than simply raising sales taxes, and that the next budget session will require careful consideration as cities try to fund public works, police and fire services.
Walen has defended her vote, saying any new tax proposal should be assessed for its effects across industries and the broader economy before adding a revenue source, and that the income tax plan did not first examine property taxes or business and occupation taxes. Still, she told KUOW that she supports more progressive and fewer regressive tax solutions and believes wealth should be taxed rather than work. Walen has also warned that raising property taxes could harm residents and jeopardize their ability to age in place.
Business Money Versus Union Muscle
The financial battle behind the candidates mirrors the ideological one. Walen has received independent-expenditure support from local and national business interests, including Amazon, Google, Boeing, the Washington Association of Realtors and Marathon Petroleum, according to KUOW. She has argued her district has thousands of technology jobs at risk, with companies reportedly considering leaving, and has pushed back on the idea that money buys influence, telling KUOW, “No one can buy my vote for a thousand dollars.”
Forsythe, meanwhile, benefits from major union contributions and says her support comes from workers rather than companies. She has described herself as a renter, a worker and a union member, and insisted that neither a union nor any endorser buys her vote. She has said she prioritizes representing people over businesses. The Washington State Labor Council, which represents more than 650 local unions and is the state's largest labor organization, backed Forsythe over Walen as part of a broader pattern of labor groups supporting Democratic challengers over incumbents, according to The Olympian. Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates of Washington also endorsed Forsythe rather than Walen, the outlet reported.
Independent Spending Adds Up — With Some Discrepancies
Exactly how much outside money has poured into the race depends on which count you look at, and the figures from different trackers don't line up precisely. The Washington Observer reported roughly $410,000 in independent spending backing Walen, including a $68,000 infusion from the National Association of Realtors, $87,000 from a group called Washington Needs to Compete, and $69,000 from Citizens for Progress, according to Washington Observer. The same report put independent spending for Forsythe at about $260,000, nearly all of it from a group called New Direction, with the Eastside Progress PAC spending more than $26,000 backing her and opposing Walen.
A separate tally from the Northwest Progressive Institute, taken shortly before the August primary, found $121,949.96 spent on Walen's behalf and $19,880.27 spent against her, while $141,823.42 had been spent backing Forsythe — from New Direction and Fuse Votes — and $31,863.36 had been spent against her by Citizens for Progress, per Northwest Progressive Institute. That outlet also reported that the Jobs PAC behind Citizens for Progress lists the Washington State Dental Association, the Washington Realtors Association and Washington Hospital Services as its top three contributors, and that Walen opposed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in the most recent legislative session.
A Primary Finish Still in Dispute
How close the primary actually was depends on which account you trust. During the August vote count, the Washington State Standard reported Walen leading Forsythe 50.9% to 46.5%, a 715-vote margin that had grown from a 618-vote gap days earlier. But a later account from The Urbanist said Forsythe narrowly edged Walen in the primary by 17 votes — the figure KUOW's report also cites. The two outlets' numbers conflict, and the dossier does not resolve which reflects the certified final count.
Both candidates have drawn endorsements from prominent figures in state politics. Forsythe has the backing of former Gov. Jay Inslee, former state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer and state Sen. Vandana Slatter, the Northwest Progressive Institute reported. Walen, for her part, is endorsed by King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, former Gov. Chris Gregoire and U.S. Rep. Adam Smith. The Urbanist noted that Forsythe's base of support in the primary was concentrated in Redmond and Bellevue's Bel-Red corridor, while Walen's strongest precincts skewed toward the wealthier enclaves of Yarrow Point, Clyde Hill, Medina and areas along the lakes — a geographic split that echoes the broader wave of progressive challengers taking on more centrist Democrats in this year's primaries, as The Urbanist reported. With Election Day approaching, the Eastside's 48th District remains a bellwether for how far Washington Democrats are willing to push their own incumbents on tax policy.
