Drew Christian MacEwen (born June 12, 1973) is an American politician of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. He is a member of 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 ...

, representing the 35th district, which covers the entirety of Mason County and parts of Kitsap and Thurston counties.Jessie Darland
MacEwen and Huffman look to face off in Nov. 3 election for 35th District House Seat
''Kitsap Sun'' (August 4, 2020).

Career

MacEwen has been a

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

investor and developer,Rich Smith
Here's How Many Landlords Are in the Washington Legislature
''The Stranger'' (March 31, 2020). a

houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. How ...

salesman, and a

financial advisor A financial adviser or financial advisor is a professional who provides financial services to clients based on their financial situation. In many countries, financial advisors must complete specific training and be registered with a regulatory ...

.Rachel La Corte
House passes measure to create long-term care program
Associated Press (February 21, 2019). He formerly was in the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

. He has been president of Falcon Financial Inc., managing partner of Mountain Lakes Capital Management, and a partner in two restaurants. In 2012, MacEwen was elected to the state House, defeating Lynda Ring Erickson of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

by a margin of 51.84% (32,975 votes) to 48.16% (30,638 votes). He took office in 2013. In 2014, he defeated Tammey Newton of the Democratic Party by a margin of 59.21% (27,408) to 40.79% (18,885). In 2016, he defeated Craig Patti of the Independent Democratic Party by a margin of 54.21% (35,384) to 45.79% (29,888). In 2018, he defeated Democratic candidate David Daggett by 33,320 votes (51.22%) to 31,738 votes (48.78%). In 2020, he defeated Democratic candidate Darcy Huffman by 47,618 votes (56.42%) to 36,668 votes (43.44%). In 2015, MacEwen sponsored legislation (House Bill 1838) to allow

bear-baiting Bear-baiting is a blood sport in which a chained bear and one or more dogs are forced to fight one another. It may also involve pitting a bear against another animal. History Europe Great Britain Bear-baiting was very popular from the 12th ...

of black bears as a hunting practice under some circumstances. The Humane Society opposed the legislation. In 2015, MacEwen introduced legislation that would create a lower

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

for workers under 18 years of age and would allow employers to count benefits, such as healthcare, toward the minimum wage. During the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kirib ...

between

Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...

and

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

, MacEwen declined to say who he would vote for. In 2018, MacEwen and two other Republican state legislators ( Doug Ericksen and

Brandon Vick Brandon Parker Vick (born 1984) is an American politician of the Republican Party. He is a member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 18th district, first elected to that position in 2012. He first ran for office against ...

) traveled to

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

to observe the undemocratic elections in the country, which were not

free and fair A free and fair election is defined by political scientist Robert Dahl as an election in which "coercion is comparatively uncommon". A free and fair election involves political freedoms and fair processes leading up to the vote, a fair count of e ...

. The election was held under

Hun Sen Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and o ...

authoritarian Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic votin ...

regime, which has repressed the opposition as well as independent media. The visit raised concerns about whether the three lawmakers were being used to give a veneer of credibility to the sham elections, which were not observed by internationally recognized

election monitors Election monitoring involves the observation of an election by one or more independent parties, typically from another country or from a non-governmental organization (NGO). The monitoring parties aim primarily to assess the conduct of an electi ...

.Joseph O'Sullivan
Questions raised over Washington state lawmakers' visit to Cambodia to observe elections
''Seattle Times'' (August 4, 2018). Governor

Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee (; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician, lawyer, and economist who has served as the 23rd governor of Washington since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representat ...

wrote a letter to the legislators to express concern about the visit. After MacEwen and Vick met with the U.S. ambassador to Cambodia, both cut the trip short and returned to Washington. After the

Cypress Island Atlantic salmon pen break On August 19, 2017, a net pen at a fish farm near Cypress Island, Washington state, broke, accidentally releasing into the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the ...

, MacEwen co-sponsored legislation to ban the net-pen farming of Atlantic salmon in Washington, due to the risk that the escapes of the non-native species from salmon farms would cause environmental harm. The legislation had bipartisan support, and Governor Inslee, a Democrat, signed the legislation in 2018. In 2019, MacEwen was one of six Republicans in the state House to vote with Democrats to create long-term care benefit in the state funded by a 0.58%

withholding tax Tax withholding, also known as tax retention, Pay-as-You-Go, Pay-as-You-Earn, Tax deduction at source or a ''Prélèvement à la source'', is income tax paid to the government by the payer of the income rather than by the recipient of the income ...

. During the 2020 session, MacEwen was the Republicans' deputy floor leader. In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, MacEwen was one of four Republican state legislators who sued Inslee in federal court, contending that "the emergency has been contained" and that Inslee lacked the power to issue restrictions to slow the spread of the virus. The court rejected the challenge. MacEwen reportedly considered a bid for Governor of Washington in 2020. In 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 Olympi ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

he defeated Democrat Julianne Gale to replace retiring moderate

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Tim Sheldon Timothy Markham Sheldon (born March 9, 1947) is an American farmer, businessman, and politician serving as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 35th District since 1997. The district includes all of Mason County and parts of ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:MacEwen, Drew 1973 births Living people People from Owatonna, Minnesota University at Albany, SUNY alumni Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians