Gabe Galbraith

Gabe Galbraith is a Republican and president of the Kennewick School Board who is running for Washington State Senate District 8 in the November 3, 2026 general election against incumbent Nikki Torres, also a Republican.[1][2] He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran whose campaign messages, in a Ballotpedia survey, centered on local control of schools, public safety and lowering the cost of living.[1][3]

Galbraith said in a Ballotpedia survey that he was born in 1983 in Richland and raised in Kennewick, and that he graduated from Kamiakin High School in 2001.[3] He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2003 and served until 2007.[1][3] According to Ballotpedia, he earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Strayer University in 2007, a master's degree in human resource management from Ashford University in 2014, and a master's degree in education from Grand Canyon University in 2018.[1] Galbraith said his work history includes retail management, Amazon, healthcare administration and Hanford-related roles, as well as helping to run a small family business.[3]

Galbraith was first elected to the Kennewick School Board in 2021 and re-elected in 2025, and he serves as its president.[1][3] In the August 4, 2026 primary for State Senate District 8, he received 44.8 percent of the vote to Torres's 53.2 percent, and both advanced to the general election.[1] In the survey, Galbraith listed education, public safety, taxes, and jobs and the economy as his areas of policy interest, and said he supports holding criminals accountable, backing law enforcement and expanding treatment and recovery options.[3]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.