State Sen. Bob Hasegawa, D-Seattle, announced Tuesday that he will be running for re-election to represent the 11th Legislative District, which covers most of Renton and Tukwila, parts of Kent and South Seattle including Beacon Hill, Georgetown, and South Park, and some of unincorporated King County.

“I am proud of the work I have accomplished in Olympia being a strong voice for the hard working families of our district,” Hasegawa said in a news release. “Washington State has the most regressive tax system in the country, and far too many people in the 11th and elsewhere are struggling to keep up. Wealthy corporations and individuals pay less and less of their fair share in taxes as income inequality continues to widen. That places more and more of the burden on regular working families to maintain our civil society.

“I have always been a champion for working people and disadvantaged communities, and I will continue to put the people of the 11th first. With your support, we will continue to push the Legislature to make significant strides in addressing the inequities of our state.”

Hasegawa’s Senate committees include Rules, Ways & Means, State Government and Tribal Relations, and Financial Institutions, Economic Development & Trade (vice chair).

As a union/community organizer and leader of Teamsters Local 174 for nine years, Hasegawa said he has long sought to build bridges between communities and social justice organizations, particularly those serving the labor, environmental, faith and Asian Pacific Islander communities. He was a founding member and has served on the local and national executive boards of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance AFL-CIO, the King County Labor Council, Washington State Labor Council, and other boards of community-based organizations. He continues to serve on two boards at the University of Washington (Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies and the Dan Evans School of Public Policy and Governance) and the Japanese American Citizens League.

“It has truly been an honor to have had the opportunity to represent the people of the 11th Legislative District, and I look forward to continuing to do so in the struggle for economic and social justice in Olympia,”Hasegawa said.