Kimberly Merle Schrier is an American former physician and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Washington's 8th congressional district since 2019, the first Democrat ever elected to represent the district. Born August 23, 1968, in Los Angeles, Schrier graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UC Berkeley with a degree in astrophysics before earning her M.D. from UC Davis and completing a residency at Stanford. She worked as a pediatrician at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Issaquah from 2001, where frustration with Dave Reichert's handling of ACA repeal efforts and the 2016 election results drove her decision to run for Congress in 2017. She has Type 1 diabetes, a personal stake that has shaped her healthcare advocacy.
WA-08 covers the Seattle suburbs east of the Cascades and extends across to rural central Washington including Wenatchee and Ellensburg. In 2018, the campaign attracted $25 million in spending, the most expensive in Washington state history, including a Rossi attack ad nicknaming Schrier "Dr. Tax" that The Washington Post characterized as antisemitic. Schrier won 52.4% despite Rossi carrying three of four counties, running up a 30,000-vote margin in the King County portion of the district. She has won four consecutive general elections, incrementally growing her margin from 4.8 points in 2018 to 8.2 points in 2024.
Schrier sits on Energy and Commerce and co-chairs the Congressional Doctors Caucus, bringing direct medical expertise to health policy debates. She voted 100% with Biden's stated position in the 117th Congress and just 6.6% with Trump's positions during his first term. She was one of 46 Democrats to vote for the Laken Riley Act in 2025. Her top donors are concentrated in the University of Washington, Microsoft, AIPAC, and Amazon, reflecting her Eastside Seattle suburban district's tech and academic economic base.
Her grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Europe who arrived before World War II. She chairs the New Democrat Coalition's Farm Bill Task Force and co-chairs the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition's Climate and Agriculture Task Force, a pairing that reflects the unusual split character of WA-08 across both suburban tech-corridor and rural agricultural communities.
Moderate Democrat
Committee Assignments
Caucus Memberships
Achievements
- First Democrat ever elected to WA-08, flipping a district in 2018 that had never sent a Democrat to Congress, and won four consecutive general elections growing her margin from 4.8 points in 2018 to 8.2 points in 2024 in one of the state's most competitive districts.
- The only practicing physician in this Congress with board certification in pediatrics, bringing direct clinical expertise to her Energy and Commerce Committee work on health policy and co-chairing the Congressional Doctors Caucus.
- Chairs the New Democrat Coalition Farm Bill Task Force and co-chairs the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition Climate and Agriculture Task Force, a combination reflecting the split suburban-rural character of WA-08 that requires serving both tech corridor voters and central Washington farming communities.
- Overcame a $25 million campaign in 2018, the most expensive in Washington state history, including nationally reported antisemitic attack ads, to win by 15,000 votes and establish herself as a durable incumbent in a genuinely competitive district.
- Has maintained a near-perfect alignment with Democratic leadership positions across multiple Congresses, including 100% alignment with Biden's stated positions in the 117th, while representing one of the most competitive swing districts in the Pacific Northwest.
Controversies
- Voted for the Laken Riley Act in 2025 as one of 46 House Democrats, joining all Republicans to pass a bill allowing detention of undocumented immigrants on criminal charges before conviction. The vote drew sharp criticism from immigration advocates and progressive Democrats in her own caucus.
- University of Washington at $144,106 is her top donor by a large margin, all from individuals. As a member of Energy and Commerce with jurisdiction over health policy and biomedical research funding, the concentration of UW-affiliated giving raises questions about whether her committee work benefits the university's federal research funding interests.
- Amazon and Microsoft together contribute over $134,000, reflecting the enormous political influence of the two largest employers in her Eastside suburban district. Both companies have active interests in federal technology, antitrust, and labor policy that fall within her Energy and Commerce jurisdiction.
- Was born and raised in Los Angeles and practiced medicine in Issaquah before running for Congress, giving critics an opening to characterize her as an outsider to the rural eastern portion of WA-08 that she now represents, including the farming communities around Wenatchee and Ellensburg.
- Narrowly advanced from the 2018 primary by just 1,129 votes over fellow Democrat Jason Rittereiser, raising the question of whether the party fielded its strongest possible candidate for what became a historic pickup in a district that drew the maximum possible outside spending.
Top Donors
| # | Donor | Total | Individuals | PACs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Washington | $144,106 | $144,106 | $0 |
| 2 | Microsoft Corp | $92,248 | $89,748 | $2,500 |
| 3 | American Israel Public Affairs Cmte | $67,950 | $57,950 | $10,000 |
| 4 | Amazon.com | $42,331 | $42,331 | $0 |
| 5 | Bendich, Stobaugh & Strong | $29,632 | $29,632 | $0 |
University of Washington, Microsoft, and Amazon together account for nearly $279,000, reflecting the Eastside Seattle tech and academic corridor that anchors WA-08's Democratic base. Bendich, Stobaugh and Strong is a Seattle civil rights and employment law firm. AIPAC at $67,950 continues a pattern seen across multiple Washington state Democratic members in this series.
Recent Elections
2018 Blanket Primary (11 candidates)
Advanced 2nd of 11| Candidate | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| [R]Dino Rossi | 73,288 | 43.1% |
| [D]Kim Schrier✓ Winner | 31,837 | 18.7% |
| [D]Jason Rittereiser | 30,708 | 18.1% |
| [D]Shannon Hader | 21,317 | 12.5% |
| [R]Others (7 candidates) | 13,297 | 7.6% |
Schrier narrowly edged fellow Democrat Jason Rittereiser by 1,129 votes to advance in second place behind Republican Dino Rossi. Three Democrats split nearly half the primary vote. No Democrat had ever won WA-08 before.
2018 General Election
Won D +4.80%| Candidate | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| [D]Kim Schrier✓ Winner | 164,089 | 52.4% |
| [R]Dino Rossi | 148,968 | 47.6% |
The campaign attracted $25 million in spending, the most expensive in Washington state history. A Rossi campaign ad nicknaming Schrier "Dr. Tax" was perceived as antisemitic by The Washington Post. Schrier won despite Rossi carrying 3 of 4 counties, thanks to a nearly 30,000-vote margin in the King County portion of the district.
2020 General Election
Won D +3.60%| Candidate | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| [D]Kim Schrier (incumbent)✓ Winner | 213,123 | 51.7% |
| [R]Jesse Jensen | 198,423 | 48.1% |
Jensen was an Army veteran and Amazon senior project manager. Schrier won by under 15,000 votes.
2022 General Election
Won D +6.90%| Candidate | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| [D]Kim Schrier (incumbent)✓ Winner | 179,003 | 53.3% |
| [R]Matt Larkin | 155,976 | 46.4% |
WA-08 was the state's most competitive district and among the key races in determining House partisan control. Schrier criticized Larkin's abortion ban proposals that lacked exceptions for rape or incest.
2024 General Election
Won D +8.20%| Candidate | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| [D]Kim Schrier (incumbent)✓ Winner | 224,607 | 54.0% |
| [R]Carmen Goers | 190,675 | 45.8% |
Goers was a banker. Schrier grew her winning margin to 8.2 points, the widest of her four general elections, suggesting incremental consolidation of a district she first won by under 5 points.
Washington uses a top-two blanket primary system. Schrier has held WA-08 since January 2019, making her the first and only Democrat to represent the district.