I’m Marilyn, and it’s an honor to serve the urban, rural and suburban communities that make up Washington State’s 10th Congressional District.
I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Tacoma, Washington in a military family. I’m a proud graduate of Tacoma Public Schools, the University of Washington, and I earned an MBA from Clark Atlanta University.
I’m the first African-American and Korean-American woman elected to Congress. I like to say that I’m honored to be the first, but don’t want to be the last.
I was first elected to serve in Congress in 2020. From day one, I’ve focused on making our nation more safe, just, and secure for all people.
I helped pass the bipartisan infrastructure law that brought billions in federal investments in clean water, road safety projects, and public transportation to our state and have secured over $45 million in federal funding for projects in the South Sound- expanding access to clean water, homes for Tribal elders, restoring salmon habitat and increasing pedestrian safety.
In Congress, I serve on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I’m the Chief Deputy Whip in the House Democratic Caucus, Secretary of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), the New Democrat Coalition, and the Pro-Choice Caucus. I also co-chair the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus, am a member of the Democratic Women’s Caucus and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus.
I’m a member of the Democratic National Committee. I also chair the political arm of Asian American and Pacific Islander Members of Congress, known as ASPIRE PAC.
Before being elected to Congress in 2020, I served two terms as Mayor of Tacoma and as President and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.