Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands and former 2024 gubernatorial candidate Hilary Franz announced in a news release Friday morning she will forego her run for the governor’s office in lieu of a bid for Congress.

Franz, who lives in Grays Harbor County, launched her campaign for Washington’s 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives with the support of democrat Rep. Derek Kilmer, who has held the seat since 2013, one day after he announced he would not seek reelection in 2024.

Since 2013 Kilmer has represented Washington’s 6th District, which includes Clallam, Kitsap, Mason, Jefferson and Grays Harbor counties, and part of Pierce County, including most of the city of Tacoma.

Since launching her recently-abandoned gubernatorial campaign in May, Franz said she’s heard from voters across Washington with concerns about climate change, rising costs, protecting reproductive rights, veterans’ issues and protecting democracy.

“The challenges we face extend beyond the borders of Washington, and so must our solutions,” Franz said in the news release. “I am running for Congress to bring my vision for bold, transformative action to our nation’s capital and keep fighting for families across our region.”

Franz has served as head of the Department of Natural Resources since 2016, when she became the second woman ever elected to the position. In a new campaign ad, she touted historic investments to fight wildfires, protect public lands and build climate resiliency.

Franz, who will run as a democrat, has received campaign endorsements from Kilmer, outgoing Aberdeen Mayor Pete Schave, state Rep. Mike Chapman, and several other local leaders from across the district.

“As lands and wildfire chief, Hilary Franz has proven herself to be a bold, strategic leader with a track record of bringing people together from across the state and from different backgrounds to find solutions to our shared problems,” Kilmer said in a statement. “She’s been a leader in the fight against climate change and a champion for Washington’s working families, including throughout the 6th Congressional District. In a time when catastrophic climate events are happening with more frequency, our nation needs Hilary’s experience in Congress, and Washington needs her leadership.”

Franz has also served on the Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council, the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Board, the Washington State Climate Action Team, and the Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation Futures Task Force, according to a news release.