Representative Mari Leavitt

Mari Lynn Kruger Leavitt was born in 1968 and is an American politician representing Washington's 28th Legislative District in Pierce County. A Democrat, she was first elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 2018, defeating incumbent Republican Dick Muri with 52.8% of the vote.

Leavitt is a mother, small business owner, and former PTSA leader. As a child of a military family, she has been a strong advocate for Washington's military families and service members. Prior to her election to the state legislature, she served as chair of the Pierce County Ethics Commission.

Education and Professional Experience

Leavitt has over 23 years of experience working in higher education as a college administrator, where she focused on making college and workforce development training more affordable and expanding community and technical education opportunities. She previously worked in human services administration and served as a Trustee of the Accountable Communities of Health, where she addressed behavioral health, aging and long-term care, early learning, violence prevention, developmental disabilities, affordable housing, and homelessness.

Political Experience

Leavitt joined the Washington State Legislature in January 2019. Her first legislative achievement was securing a pay increase for Washington National Guard members called in for wildland fire response—the first increase for this work in 30 years. She has also worked on establishing cost of living increases for retired public workers and pushed for increased safety measures at state hospitals.

Currently, she serves as Vice Chair of the Housing Committee and Co-Chair of the House Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs. Throughout her tenure, she has championed legislation on clean energy, police reform, affordable housing, homelessness prevention, and infrastructure improvements across Pierce County, including projects at community colleges and the University of Washington at Tacoma.