Suzan DelBene
Suzan DelBene, a Democrat who has represented Washington's 1st congressional district since 2012 and chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, faces Republican Mary Silva in her 2026 bid for re-election.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
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- Born
- February 17, 1962
- Birthplace
- Selma, Alabama
- Education
- The Choate School
Reed College (Bachelor of Science in biology)
University of Washington (Master of Business Administration)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Suzan DelBene was born on February 17, 1962, in Selma, Alabama, the fifth child of Barry and Beth Oliver.
While she was young her family moved to Newport Hills in Bellevue, Washington, and later to Mercer Island, and after she finished fourth grade the family moved around the country in search of work.
She graduated from The Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut, earned a Bachelor of Science in biology at Reed College, and completed a Master of Business Administration at the University of Washington.
Career
DelBene spent the first part of her career in the technology sector. She worked at Microsoft from 1989 to 1998 in marketing, business development and product management roles, helped found drugstore.com in 1998 as a vice president, and became CEO of Nimble Technology in 2000, leading it through its acquisition by Actuate in 2003. She returned to Microsoft as corporate vice president of the Mobile Communications Business from 2004 to 2007, and Governor Christine Gregoire named her director of the Washington State Department of Revenue on November 30, 2010.
Her first congressional bid came in 2010, when she narrowly lost to Republican incumbent Dave Reichert in the 8th district.
In 2012 she defeated Republican John Koster in two elections held on the same day, a special election for the remainder of Jay Inslee's term under the old 1st district boundaries and a regular election in the redrawn district, and she was sworn in on November 13.
DelBene sits on the Committee on Ways and Means, chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and is a former chair of the New Democrat Coalition.
2026 race
Suzan DelBene is seeking re-election in Washington's 1st congressional district, which is based in the northern Seattle metropolitan area and includes Kirkland, Redmond and parts of Bellevue, Marysville and Arlington. She was re-elected with 63.0% of the vote in 2024.
In the 2026 top-two primary, DelBene finished first with 53.0% of the vote in a seven-candidate field, and Republican Mary Silva, a candidate for the district in 2024, placed second with 26.2%. The two meet in the general election on November 3, 2026.