Doug Cloud (born 1957) is a lawyer and

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...

, best known for running for U.S. House of Representatives from

Washington's 6th congressional district Washington's 6th congressional district encompasses the Olympic Peninsula, most of the Kitsap Peninsula, and most of the city of Tacoma. Its counties include the entirety of Clallam, Kitsap, Jefferson, and Grays Harbor counties, and part of ...

five times since 2004.

Early life and education

Cloud graduated from Fife High School and received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

before going on to earn a J.D. from the

University of Washington School of Law The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington. The 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' law school rankings place Wash ...

Career

Legal work

Cloud began his legal career working as a prosecutor for Pierce County and

Kitsap County Kitsap County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 275,611. Its county seat is Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton. The county was formed out of King County and Jefferson County on ...

before opening a

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...

based law firm in 1992.

Political campaigns

Cloud, a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, has faced longtime congressman Norm Dicks in the general election from Washington's 6th congressional district in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. His best showing was in 2010 when he received 42 percent of the vote. During that campaign he raised just short of $120,000 (40 percent of which was self-financed), being easily bested by Dicks who received $1.4 million in campaign donations. Cloud's worst performance was in 2006 when he earned less than 30-percent of the vote. In 2012, following Dicks' retirement, he again sought election from the sixth district but was eliminated in the primary. After his defeat in 2010, Cloud sued the U.S. government over the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

's rejection of a

Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...

request his campaign had filed regarding a federal investigation into Dicks. Cloud had asked for the investigative files of an FBI inquiry into Dicks' involvement with PMA Group, a lobbying firm accused of influence buying. The FBI had rejected the request on the grounds that fulfilling it would constitute an invasion of Dicks' privacy. The cornerstone of many of Cloud's past campaigns has been his opposition to the use of earmarks. He has made a special point of drawing attention to federal funding of the Puget Sound Partnership, a Washington state environmental agency formerly led by Dicks' son. "He icksused his power to set up multimillion-dollar funding to provide his kids with jobs duplicative of existing agencies," Cloud has criticized. Dicks has defended himself by asking "why should we send people o Congressif they don't do something to help their district?" Cloud has also called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and increased enforcement of federal immigration law. He has signed the "taxpayer-protection pledge" circulated by

Americans for Tax Reform Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) is a politically conservative U.S. advocacy group whose stated goal is "a system in which taxes are simpler, flatter, more visible, and lower than they are today." According to ATR, "The government's power to contro ...

. In addition to his frequent campaigns for a seat in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

, Cloud sought appointment to the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

in 2013 to fill a vacancy created by the election of Jan Angel to the

Washington 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 Olympi ...

. He came in last place in a selection vote by local Republican leadership to succeed to the seat; Jesse Young was chosen by resolution of Kitsap County board of commissioners and Pierce County council from a list of recommendations provided by Republicans.

Personal life

Cloud is married with three children and lives in

Gig Harbor, Washington Gig Harbor is the name of both a bay on Puget Sound and a city on its shore in Pierce County, Washington,. The population was 12,029 at the 2020 census. Gig Harbor is one of several cities and towns that claim to be "the gateway to the Olymp ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cloud, Doug Living people People from Gig Harbor, Washington University of Washington School of Law alumni Washington (state) Republicans University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni 1957 births