John Eric Braun (born January 16, 1967) is an American politician from

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. 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 ...

, Braun serves 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 Olymp ...

, representing the 20th district. Braun serves as the President of Braun Northwest and as an officer in the US Navy Reserve.

Early life and education

Braun was born on January 16, 1967, in Columbus, Ohio. He grew up in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and 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 Seattl ...

on a U.S. Naval scholarship. He graduated in 1989 with a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in electrical engineering. He then spent seven years on active duty with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, and he continues to serve as a Captain in the Navy Reserve. Braun received his

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

degree and

Master of Engineering Management Master of Engineering Management (MEM) (or Master of Science in Engineering Management (MSEM)) is a professional master's degree that bridges the gap between the field of engineering or technology and the field of business management. Engineering ...

from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1999.

Career

Braun ran in a three-way all-Republican primary in 2012 versus the incumbent state senator

Dan Swecker Daniel Peter Swecker (February 28, 1947 – September 1, 2021) was an American farmer, military officer, and politician. Biography He served in the Washington State Senate from the 20th district from 1995 to 2013. He was a Republican Party (Unit ...

and employment specialist and former substitute teacher Rae Lowery. Braun had a strong showing in the primary with 40.33 percent of the vote compared to Swecker's 46.97 percent. In the General Election, Braun greatly improved on his primary showing; defeating Swecker with 55.43 percent of the vote. In the Senate, Braun serves as Chair of the Ways and Means Committees. He held his first floor speech February 15, 2013, and sponsored more than 70 bills as a freshman legislator. In November 2020, Braun was elected Washington Senate Minority Leader by members of the

caucus. Braun has served as the minority leader since the start of the 2021–2022 legislative session.

Awards

* 2014 Guardians of Small Business award. Presented by NFIB.

Personal life

, he lives in

Centralia Centralia may refer to: Places Australia *Central Australia, sometimes called "Centralia" Canada * Centralia, Ontario ** RCAF Station Centralia, a former Royal Canadian Air Force training base ** Centralia (Essery Field) Aerodrome United State ...

with his wife and four children, while managing the family business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, John E. 1967 births Living people 21st-century American politicians American chief operating officers Ross School of Business alumni Republican Party Washington (state) state senators