Biography
Gary Parker is the Republican candidate for Washington State Senate District 26 in the November 3, 2026 general election, running against Democratic incumbent Deborah Krishnadasan.[1][2] In a Ballotpedia survey, he described himself as the owner of BBQ2U in Gig Harbor and a retired engineering manager.[3]
Parker said in the survey that he spent nearly 30 years at IBM and Intel managing global engineering operations and product delivery, and that he opened the restaurant BBQ2U after retiring.[3] He said he is president of the Gig Harbor Rotary, serves on the Chamber of Commerce board where he chairs the Government Relations Committee, and founded Olympic Civic Services.[3] He listed the 2024 Gig Harbor Citizen of the Year award for himself and the Chamber's 2025 Business of the Year for BBQ2U.[3]
Parker advanced from the August 4, 2026 nonpartisan primary in second place, with 43.3 percent of the vote.[2] His stated key messages are affordability, support for local business, and responsive government, and he named housing, tax policy, small business regulation, senior services and government accountability as policy interests.[3]
- 1.Washington State Senate elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Gary Parker · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Gary Parker - Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey (2026) · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Washington Senate District 26
Gary Parker is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Washington Senate District 26 as R. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.
