Mercer Island mother and businesswomen, Maureen Judge, today announced her bid to run for the 41st District Senate seat against Republican Steve Litzow.
Judge intends to run on four key issues: fully funding education, championing women’s health and reproductive rights, seeking transportation solutions that ease congestion, and safeguarding the environment.
“As a mother, I deeply value education funding as a force to protect our state’s future competitiveness and economic health,” said Judge. “During his 2010 campaign, Steve Litzow promised he would fight for education funding. But this legislative session he demonstrated that he’d rather toe the Republican Party line than fight for our kids, our state and our future.”
Judge moved to Mercer Island six years ago so her daughter could attend a high-quality school in a reputable school district. Years of devastating cuts to education have negatively impacted all of the school districts in the 41st that’s why Judge has actively worked to support today’s vote for the Mercer Island School Bond Measure.
“The budget Senator Litzow supported this session would have gutted another $43 million from K-12 education and his votes killed the Reproductive Parity Act, “Judge said. “This is why I am running for this seat. Women and kids deserve better than elected officials who put party above people.”
Born and raised in Seattle, Judge attended Boston University and graduated in 1986. Judge went on to work at RealNetworks and Expedia.com in Bellevue where she managed a team that helped grow the company’s hotel and cruise businesses through innovative merchandising strategies. In 2009, she served as the Executive Director of the Washington Toxics Coalition and helped shepherd passage of the landmark “The Safe Baby Bottle Act” – legislation that banned harmful toxins out of baby bottles, children’s products, and sports bottles.
In addition to her volunteer work as Board President of the Mercer Island Youth and Family Services Foundation, Judge was a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Starlight Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit serving seriously ill children and their families. She has also served on the King County Conservation Voters board and four years on NARAL Pro-Choice Washington’s PAC board where she defended women’s health and reproductive choices.
Judge lives in the north end of Mercer Island with her daughter.
