Gig Harbor teacher Karin Ashabraner has announced she will run for state representative in the 26th Legislative District, for the position currently held by Rep. Jan Angel of Port Orchard.

“We simply need stronger leadership in Olympia. Our persistent high unemployment rates on the Peninsula are unacceptable,” Ashabraner said in a news release sent out Wednesday announcing her candidacy. “Too many of our friends and family are facing tough economic situations that demand bold action. I’m ready to step up and get results.”

“We need to do a better job of helping small businesses get through this tough time.”

Ashabraner, who is making her first bid for elected office, is a longtime Gig Harbor resident who formerly worked for the city before she returned to school to pursue her teaching degree. She currently teaches eighth-grade U.S. history at Goodman Middle School in the Peninsula School District. She is also a retired member of the Army Reserves.

“With so much talk about education from K-12 to our colleges and universities, it’s surprising that there are no teachers in the legislature,” she said in her news release. “I’d be excited to bring real classroom experience to these policy discussions in Olympia.”