Jessica Danielle Bateman (born 1981) is an American politician who is currently serving as a member of the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Washington State Capitol, Legis ...

for the 22nd district. She previously served as the Representative for District 22 in the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

. Elected in 2020, she assumed office on January 11, 2021, succeeding Beth Doglio. During her tenure, she has authored legislation to increase housing construction in Washington.

Early life and education

Raised by a single mother, Bateman earned an associate degree from

Green River College Green River College is a public community college in Auburn, Washington, United States. It has a student body of over 13,000 and has satellite campuses in nearby cities of Kent and Enumclaw, Washington. The college primarily awards associates de ...

and moved to

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington. It had a population of 55,605 at the 2020 census, making it the state of Washington's 23rd-most populous city. Olympia is the county seat of Thurston County, and the central city ...

to attend

Evergreen State College The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Olympia, Washington. Founded in 1967, it offers a non-traditional undergraduate curriculum in which students have the option to design their own study towards a degree or follow a ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies and

Master of Public Policy The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is a graduate-level professional degree. It provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focus on the systematic analysis of issues related to pu ...

Career

From 2012 to 2015, she worked as a legislative assistant in the

. In 2015, she was elected to the

City Council and later served as Mayor Pro Tem of Olympia. After Beth Doglio announced that she would not seek re-election to the State House and instead run for

Washington's 10th congressional district Washington's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in western Washington (U. S. state), Washington. The district is centered on the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and includes portions of Thurston County, Washingto ...

, Bateman announced her candidacy to succeed her. Bateman placed second in the nonpartisan blanket primary and defeated her Republican opponent, Dusty Pierpoint, in the November election. She assumed office on January 11, 2021. During her tenure in the Washington House, she has authored legislation to increase housing construction in Washington. In 2024, Bateman criticized Seattle's housing plan for not facilitating enough housing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bateman, Jessica Living people Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature Green River College alumni Evergreen State College alumni 1981 births