Kim Schrier Bio
Kimberly Merle Schrier (born August 23, 1968) is an American former physician and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Washington’s 8th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents a district that includes the suburbs east of Seattle and extends across the Cascade Range to rural central Washington, including the cities of Wenatchee and Ellensburg. Before entering Congress, Schrier practiced pediatrics at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Issaquah, Washington, and built her early career around patient care in the Pacific Northwest.
Schrier is known for bringing a clinician’s perspective to national debates on healthcare, prescription drug pricing, and the Affordable Care Act. She lives in Sammamish, Washington, with her husband and son. Her combination of medical experience and policy focus has shaped her work in the House of Representatives.
Early Life and Background
Schrier was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she attended Palisades Charter High School. Her grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Europe who arrived in the United States before World War II, giving her a family background shaped by immigration and twentieth-century history. Growing up in Los Angeles, she developed an early curiosity about science that would later define her academic path.
She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. After college, her interests shifted toward medicine, and she attended the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, where she earned her Doctor of Medicine degree. She then completed a residency at the Stanford University School of Medicine, finishing the clinical training that prepared her for a career in pediatrics.
Path to US Politics
Schrier began her medical career in Ashland, Oregon, where she worked as a pediatrician for one year before joining Virginia Mason Medical Center in Issaquah, Washington, in 2001. While practicing in Issaquah, she became increasingly engaged in civic life, particularly on healthcare policy questions affecting working families in her community. Her shift toward political involvement deepened as national debates over the Affordable Care Act intensified.
In 2017, Schrier grew dissatisfied with Congressman Dave Reichert’s handling of efforts to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Coupled with her frustration following the 2016 elections, this experience pushed her to enter the political arena. She announced her candidacy for Washington’s 8th congressional district in August 2017, a year before the Democratic primary, making the protection and expansion of Medicare and the Affordable Care Act the centerpiece of her campaign.
Kim Schrier Career
Early Career (2017-2018)
Schrier entered the 2018 race at a moment when no Democrat had ever been elected to represent Washington’s 8th congressional district, and Republican Dave Reichert had long been seen as a relatively safe incumbent. When Reichert announced his retirement in September 2017, the seat became an unexpected Democratic opportunity in a year already leaning toward the party. Schrier adapted quickly, repositioning her campaign from a challenge to an open-seat race.
She advanced from the top-two primary, narrowly defeating attorney Jason Rittereiser, and moved on to face Republican Dino Rossi in the general election. The 8th district race drew roughly $25 million in spending, making it the most expensive congressional contest in Washington state history and one of the costliest nationally in 2018. Despite a controversial Rossi campaign ad that nicknamed her “Dr. Tax” and was perceived as antisemitic by The Washington Post, Schrier won the general election with 52 percent of the vote, fueled by a nearly 30,000-vote margin in the district’s portion of King County.
Washington’s 8th District Breakthrough (2019-Present)
Schrier was sworn into office on January 3, 2019, becoming the first Democrat to represent the 8th district. During the 116th Congress, she served on the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on Agriculture, applying her medical background to legislation on health, education, and rural issues. Early in her tenure, she established a reputation for centering constituent services and bipartisan local work alongside her party’s broader agenda.
During Donald Trump’s administration, Schrier voted in line with the president’s stated position about 6.6 percent of the time. As of June 2023, she had voted in line with President Joe Biden’s stated position 100 percent of the time. In 2025, Schrier was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans in voting for the Laken Riley Act, a moment that highlighted her willingness to break with her party on specific criminal justice legislation.
Reelection Campaigns (2020-2024)
Schrier has continued to win reelection in a competitive district. In 2020, she advanced from the top-two primary in first place and faced Republican Jesse Jensen, an Army veteran and Amazon senior project manager, winning the general election with 51.7 percent of the vote. Two years later, in 2022, she defeated Republican lawyer Matt Larkin with 53.3 percent of the vote, even as Washington’s 8th District was the state’s most competitive and figured among the key races determining House partisan control.
During the 2022 campaign, Schrier criticized Larkin’s proposals for abortion bans without exceptions for rape or incest, reinforcing her focus on healthcare access. In her most recent election, she and Republican banker Carmen Goers advanced from the top-two primary, and Schrier won the general election with 54.0 percent of the vote. Her steady margins reflect durable support across a district that spans Seattle’s eastern suburbs and central Washington’s rural communities.
Notable Events and Milestones
Schrier’s 2018 victory broke a long Republican hold on Washington’s 8th congressional district and made her one of the first pediatricians to serve in Congress. Her 2022 reelection, in a race described as key to House partisan control, stands out as a defining moment of her career, as does her 2025 vote for the Laken Riley Act, which placed her among a small group of House Democrats willing to break ranks on that legislation.
Kim Schrier Family
Family Background and Personal Heritage
Schrier was raised in Los Angeles, California, in a family with deep roots in twentieth-century immigration. Her grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Europe who arrived in the United States before World War II, a heritage that has shaped her understanding of American opportunity and resilience. This background has informed her advocacy for inclusive healthcare and immigrant communities in Washington’s 8th district.
Personal Life
Schrier and her husband, David Gowing, have a son and live in Sammamish, Washington. She has been open about living with Type 1 diabetes, an experience that has informed her commitment to expanding access to affordable insulin and chronic disease care. Her family life in the Seattle suburbs keeps her closely connected to the communities she represents in the eastern portion of the district.