Claire Wilson

Senator Claire Wilson is a Democratic politician representing Washington State's 30th Legislative District in the State Senate, a position she has held since 2018.

Claire Wilson was born in 1956 and is a Washington State native who grew up in Seattle. She graduated from Roosevelt High School and Washington State University, earning a Master's Degree from the University of Northern Colorado. She has lived in South King County since 1999 and is a proud lesbian woman and mother of two adult children.

Throughout her career, Wilson has been deeply committed to education, early childhood development, and family services. She has volunteered for and served on numerous organizations including the PTA, Citizens for Federal Way Schools, the Advisory Board of the Washington Family Engagement Trust, the Mentor and Me Program, and the South County Tool Library.

Education and Career Background

Before entering the state legislature, Wilson accumulated over 25 years of professional experience in education and family services. She served as an administrator in early education and family involvement at the Puget Sound Educational Services District, taught pregnant and parenting teens at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma, and worked as a program director for the Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Food and Nutrition Education Program in rural Montana. She also served eight years as an elected school board director for Federal Way Public Schools.

Political Experience and Notable Achievements

In the Washington State Senate, Wilson holds several leadership positions, including Chair of the Human Services Committee, Vice Chair of the Early Learning and K-12 Committee, Co-Chair of the LGBTQ+ Caucus, and Assistant Majority Whip. She also serves on the Ways and Means Committee and Rules Committee.

Wilson has championed significant legislation focused on education, childcare, and criminal justice reform. She sponsored Senate Bill 5395, which requires all Washington public schools to provide comprehensive sexual education. She also championed the landmark Fair Start for Kids Act in 2021, which invested $1.1 billion to make childcare and early learning more affordable for Washington families. Additionally, during the 2020 legislative session, she sponsored legislation ending solitary confinement as punishment for youth and providing post-secondary education opportunities in the Department of Corrections to lower recidivism. Wilson is one of seven LGBTQ lawmakers in the Washington State Legislature.