Washington Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz drops out of governor’s race to run for Congress

The Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz is dropping her bid for the governor’s office to run for Congress. Franz, a Democrat who lives in Grays Harbor County, is running to replace retiring Rep. Derek Kilmer, who has served the 6th Congressional District since 2013. Franz has spent the last seven years leading the department responsible for millions of acres of public lands in Washington. Franz, 52, served on the Bainbridge Island City Council, Puget Sound Transportation Futures Task Force and other panels before becoming commissioner. She was also the executive director of Futurewise, an environmental advocacy group.