Craig A. Pridemore (born March 13, 1961) is an American politician. He is a former Democratic member of the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olymp ...

, representing the 49th district from 2005 until his retirement in 2013. He was a candidate for Washington State Auditor in 2012. He was a candidate for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Washington's 3rd congressional district Washington's 3rd congressional district encompasses the southernmost portion of Western Washington. It includes the counties of Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Clark, and Skamania; as well as a small portion of southern Thurston county. Th ...

in the 2010 election to succeed retiring Congressman

Brian Baird Brian Norton Baird (born March 7, 1956) is an American psychologist and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. After leaving the U.S. House of Representatives, he served as the ...

. He dropped out of the race before the Primary Election, which was won by

Jaime Herrera Beutler Jaime Lynn Herrera Beutler ( ; born November 3, 1978) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2023. The district is in southwestern Washington, lying across the Columbia River from Oregon's Portland met ...

. Pridemore ran for the Board of Clark County Commissioners, District 3, in 2014, but he lost to Jeanne E. Stewart.

Background

He is an active duty veteran of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

, serving in the military intelligence field from 1983 to 1987. He was highly decorated for peacetime, earning the

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

, 1st

Oak Leaf Cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

, 3rd Oak Leaf Cluster, and the

Army Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to recei ...

. In 1986, he was named Sergeant of the Year at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.

Elected office

In 2004, Pridemore was elected to the Washington State Senate to represent the 49th legislative district as a Democrat. He served on the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee, Economic & Revenue Forecast Council, and chaired the Select Committee on Pension Policy during his time in the Washington State Senate. Prior to being elected to the Senate, he served as Clark County Commissioner from 1998 to 2004. Prior to being elected Clark County Commissioner, Sen. Pridemore served as finance manager and analyst for the county's departments of Public Works and Community Development. From 1990 to 1992, he was firm administrator for the 19th largest certified public accounting firm in Los Angeles.

Awards and recognition

Pridemore is a recipient of the 2008 Fuse "Sizzle" Award "for courageous and principled leadership based on the progressive values that make our country great." Fuse, a Washington-based online advocacy group, recognized Sen. Pridemore for his central role in the passage of the Working Families Tax Credit, as well as for his dedication to conservation issues. Other honors include: *Recipient of the Clark County Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board's Dennis Campbell Outstanding Service Award; October 2007 *Honored by the Washington School Nutrition Association for strengthening Washington's school breakfast programs in the 2006 legislative session *2006 Washington Conservation Voters Legislator of the Year *Clark County Youth House Community Inspiration Award, May 2006 *2006 Outstanding Legislator, Children's Alliance *Fort Monmouth Sergeant of the Year, US Army, 1986 *Army Commendation Medal *Army Achievement Medal.SDC - bio Senator Craig Pridemore
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References

External links

Washington State Senate: Craig Pridemore (D) 49th District2010 Congressional Campaign WebsiteProject Vote Smart - Senator Craig A. Pridemore (WA)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Craig Pridemore
20062004
campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Pridemore, Craig 1961 births Living people Washington (state) state senators Politicians from Vancouver, Washington