A retired ICU nurse and union board member is running for Washington State Representative in the newly drawn District 17.
Terri Niles worked as an intensive care nurse for 26 years, including 14 years at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU).
“Nurses make a difference in people’s lives every single day, and that’s one of the reasons I’m running for office, because I want to continue that work and make a difference in people’s lives every day in Olympia as well,” Niles told the Labor Press.
Niles served on the board of the Oregon Nurses Association unit representing more than 3,000 OHSU nurses before retiring in 2021. She isn’t working in nursing currently but said she would take a per diem nursing position — working as needed, like a substitute teacher — after the election.
“Union members fight for the dignity of all workers. So I may be fighting for nurses, but I’m also fighting for the dignity of all workers,” Niles said.
In the legislature, Niles said she would work to address the workforce shortage in nursing and other healthcare jobs.
Niles started her nursing career in Hawaii but left because of the high cost of living and impossibility of homeownership. Decades later, she’s seen the same high cost of living hit Washington, preventing young people from building homes and families.
Niles said her priorities in the legislature would be fair wages, safe working conditions, and “kitchen table” issues like childcare and affordable housing.
Nurses are particularly burdened by the childcare crisis, with long shifts and evening and weekend schedules that aren’t served by typical daycares, Niles said.
Sitting across from management at the bargaining table gave Niles skills that she said will make her effective in the legislature.
“You learn a skill in how to fight for the things that are really important in representing nurses, but then you also learn some skills around finding consensus,” Niles said.
Washington sends the top two candidates from the primary on to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. Niles received 47.7% of votes in the August primary, followed by two Republicans: David Stuebe with 27.5% and Hannah Joy with 24.7%.
Niles first ran in 2022. That year she earned the most votes of any candidate in the primary but fell short in the general election, with Republican Kevin Waters earning 53.2% of votes.
The boundaries of District 17 changed since that election. In 2023, a federal court found that districts drawn after the 2020 census violated the Voting Rights Act. The newly-drawn boundaries give Democrats a slight lead in District 17.
“Should someone that’s not a pro-working family candidate get elected, the power of the incumbency is really hard to overcome,” Niles said. “We are a Democrat-leaning district now, and it might not be much, but this is an opportunity for workers here to say ‘okay, now is our time.’”
