Steven Ryuma Hobbs (born February 12, 1970) is an American military officer and politician serving as the 16th

Secretary of State of Washington The secretary of state of Washington is an independently elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Washington. Fifteen individuals have held the office of Secretary of State since statehood. The ...

since 2021. A member 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 ...

, he previously served as a 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 Olympi ...

, representing the 44th district from 2007 to 2021. In 2021, 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 ...

named Hobbs to succeed the departing

Kim Wyman Kimberley Marie Wyman (born July 15, 1962) is an American politician who served as the 15th Secretary of State of Washington from 2013 to 2021. Wyman resigned as Secretary of State on November 19, 2021, to work on election security at the Cyberse ...

; he is the first Democrat in the state to serve in the position since

Victor Aloysius Meyers Victor Aloysius Meyers (September 7, 1897 – May 28, 1991)Don DuncanVic Meyers' Main Legacy Is Laughter -- Quick Wit, Wild Stunts Marked His Long Career''Seattle Times'', May 29, 1991. Accessed online 23 August 2008 was an American jazz bandlead ...

left it in 1965.

Political career

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, Hobbs was elected as

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

representing Washington's 44th Legislative District. He served as the top Democrat on the Transportation Committee, he also served on the Financial Institutions & Insurance Committee as well as the Agriculture, Water & Rural Economic Development Committee. In 2015, Hobbs led the bipartisan Joint Transportation Committee in passing transportation revenue package brought a $16 billion investment to public infrastructure and authorized voter-approved Sound Transit light rail expansion. After finishing fourth in the 2016 Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election, Hobbs announced a campaign for the 2020 election, but withdrew in mid-May 2020. Governor

named Hobbs to succeed the departing

; Hobbs took office on November 22, 2021. He won a full term in the 2022 special election.

Public Service Honors

* 2014 President's Appreciation Award, Dairy Federation * 2014 Certificate of Commendation, Washington Farm Bureau * 2014 Power of Choice Award, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington * 2014 Honorary Member of the Year, PSE * 2013 Legislator of the Year, Washington Low Income Housing Alliance * 2013 Proud Partner Award, Washington State Housing Finance Commission * 2013 Department of Defense Certificate of Appreciation * 2012 Housing Hero, Housing Consortium of Everett and Snohomish County * 2012 Legislative Recognition Award, Public School Employees of Washington * 2012 Bringing Washington Home Advocacy Award, Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance * 2011 Legislator of the Year, The Aerospace Futures Alliance * 2011 Matson Award, Association of Washington Business * 2010 Pioneer Educator * 2010 NAACP Distinguished Armed Services Award * 2010 Farm Bureau, Friend of Farm Bureau Award * 2010 WASA Region Certificate of Achievement * 2009 Housing Hero, Snohomish County Camano Association of Realtors * 2009 Certificate of Appreciation, American Legion 96 Snohomish County * 2008-2010 Legislator of the Year, Washington Association for Career and Technical Education * 2008 Legislator of the Year, Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs * 2007 Super Star Award, Washington State Skills Center * 2007-2009 Business Champion, Joint Snohomish County Chambers of Commerce * 2007-2008 Legislative Leadership Award, Statewide Poverty Action Network * Commanders Award, Disabled American Veterans Dept. of Washington

Military career

Hobbs enlisted in the US Army as private at the age of 17. He served two tours of duty in

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

and

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, respectively. During his time as an infantry officer, Hobbs took on many roles including: * Platoon leader during peacekeeping operations in Kosovo * Brigade Staff Officer for 1st Brigade—Armored Division * Executive Officer for Headquarters Company—1 -36 Infantry * Company Commander—Delta Company—2-34 Infantry * Security Officer—Anti-Terrorism Protection Cell—Multi-National Force Iraq He is currently a lieutenant colonel in the US Army National Guard where he is Commander of Joint Force Headquarters Washington Army National Guard.

Education

Hobbs has received an associate degree from

Everett Community College Everett Community College (EvCC) is a public community college in Everett, Washington. EvCC educates more than 19,000 students every year at locations throughout Snohomish County, Washington, with most students and faculty at the main campus in E ...

. After completing his associate degree, he attended 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 Seattle a ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a Master's of Public Administration from the

Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance The Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance is the school of public policy of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. The school is named after former Washington State Governor and U.S. Senator Daniel J. Evans. The Ev ...

Personal life

Hobbs, whose mother is of Japanese descent, was born in Everett, Washington. Hobbs has been married to Pam Hobbs since 1995. They reside in

Lake Stevens Lake Stevens is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States, that is named for the lake it surrounds. It is located east of Everett and borders the cities of Marysville to the northwest and Snohomish to the south. The city's popula ...

, Washington with their three sons.

References

External links

Profile
on the

Washington State Legislature The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senat ...

Official Website
Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hobbs, Steve 1970 births 21st-century American politicians American military personnel of Japanese descent American politicians of Japanese descent Asian-American people in Washington (state) politics Living people Evans School of Public Policy and Governance alumni Everett Community College alumni National Guard (United States) officers Secretaries of State of Washington (state) University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni Democratic Party Washington (state) state senators