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Rep. Marilyn Strickland elected as whip for Congressional Black Caucus

caption: Marilyn Strickland is a former Tacoma Mayor and a former CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. She was elected to Congress in November 2020, representing Washington's 10th Congressional District.
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Marilyn Strickland is a former Tacoma Mayor and a former CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. She was elected to Congress in November 2020, representing Washington's 10th Congressional District.
Strickland campaign

Washington Democrat Marilyn Strickland has been elected to serve as whip for the Congressional Black Caucus.

Strickland says the job involves making sure the caucus votes as a group on a variety of issues.

"And that includes everything from voting rights, health-care disparities, economic opportunity, housing, all the things that are so important to Americans at large, but really have a huge significance in the African-American community," Strickland said.

Rep. Strickland says the key to keeping the caucus together will be listening to members' concerns and bringing that back to the leadership.

"I remind folks that the Congressional Black Caucus is not a monolith," she said. "We represent a lot of different communities from around the country with different needs. And so we want to make sure we're in tune with each of our members, but as a caucus show unity and strong consistent messaging."

Strickland is the first Black representative, ever, from Washington state. She first won the 10th District seat in 2020 and was re-elected this November. She is also the first member from the Pacific Northwest to serve on the executive committee of the Congressional Black Caucus.

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