Move will leave vacant House seat

OLYMPIA – Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, issued the following statement after Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, was selected today to become senator for Washington’s 7th Legislative District, which spans much of northeast Washington.

“Representative Short is an outstanding legislator and we are lucky to have her joining the Senate. It’s no surprise that she was selected unanimously. She has been serving in the House as Republican caucus chair and is highly respected by her colleagues,” said Sen. Schoesler. “She’ll be a big asset to our majority on energy, environment and regulatory issues and her presence will definitely contribute to our strength in the Senate.”

When Rep. Short is sworn in as Senator, she will bring the total number of women serving in the Majority Coalition Caucus to an all-time high of nine, or 36 percent.

The seat became vacant when former Sen. Brian Dansel, R-Republic, resigned to take a job as a special assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture in the Trump administration.

Short will be sworn in later this week. Her appointment comes on the heels of a failed attempt by the Senate’s minority Democrats to take advantage of the temporary vacancy and take control of the Senate last week, according to Schoesler.

See related: Dansel resigns Senate seat to join Trump administration

Senate leader congratulates newly appointed 7th District senatorSenate leader congratulates newly appointed 7th District senator