Following Sen. Ramos’ death, Democrats prepare to fill 5th District seat
Democratic Sen. Bill Ramos, who represented Washington’s 5th Legislative District, passed away on April 19, 2025. He had just been elected in November 2024. His passing has triggered a process to appoint a temporary replacement before a special election is held in November 2025.
“From the date of the vacancy, I have 30 days to send a call-to-meeting notice to all of the precinct committee officers (PCOs) within the district, and a maximum of 15 more days to have the meeting,” King County Democrats Chair Beth Bazley said in an interview with the Sammamish Independent.
At the meeting, PCOs from the 5th Legislative District will select three nominees to fill Ramos’ seat. The King County Democrats’ executive board must confirm those nominations before forwarding them to the County Council. The Council will then publicly interview the nominees and vote on the appointment.
“Anyone can be nominated. The Democrats will have a forum for anybody interested in this role and it’ll give them the opportunity to introduce themselves. Because this is a partisan position, it is highly likely that the 5th Legislative District Democrats would require that the person that they selected identify as a Democrat,” Bazley said.
On May 7, state Reps. Lisa Callan and Victoria Hunt issued a joint statement announcing that Hunt will run for the vacant Senate seat. If Hunt is nominated and appointed, a similar process will take place to fill her seat in the House.
Because Ramos’ death occurred before Washington’s official filing week, which took place May 5–9, the person appointed to his seat must still file for candidacy and run in the November 2025 general election. While state Senate terms typically last four years, this will be a special off-cycle election to fill the remainder of Ramos’ term.
“If he had passed after filing week, the nominated person would hold the seat until the next election cycle,” Bazley said.
When asked about potential nominees, Bazley said she “couldn’t even hazard a guess,” noting that much depends on who steps forward and how they view the demands of the role.
“One of the things to think about is—does this person want to become appointed and have to start a campaign immediately? Or does this person want to become appointed and simply hold the seat so that other people can file and run?” she said.
Only voters in the 5th Legislative District will participate in the November 2025 special election. The district includes parts of Issaquah, Sammamish, Snoqualmie, North Bend, Maple Valley, Black Diamond, Enumclaw, Fall City, and surrounding unincorporated areas of King County.
Ramos is survived by his wife and two children. A funeral service will be held for him at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 18, in Issaquah.
