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The Washington State Republican Party is the
state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
affiliate of the national
United States Republican Party The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP ("Grand Old Party"), is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. The GOP was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists who opposed the Kansas–Nebraska Act ...
, headquartered in
Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to: Placenames Australia * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales Canada ...
.


History


Campaigns and elections

Washington voters tend to support Democratic Party candidates, with ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' referring to the state as "Democratopolis." The last Republican governor in Washington was
John Spellman John Dennis Spellman (December 29, 1926 – January 16, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 18th governor of Washington from 1981 to 1985 and as the first King County Executive from 1969 to 1981. Spellman was elected governor in ...
, who held office from 1981 to 1985. Republicans came closest to recapturing the state's chief executive office in 2004 when Democrat
Christine Gregoire Christine Gregoire (; née O'Grady; born March 24, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 22nd governor of Washington from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she defeated Republican candidate Dino Rossi in 2004, and ag ...
secured election by just 133 votes out of 2.8 million cast. The last time Washington gave its electoral votes to a Republican candidate for U.S. president was in
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
, when a majority in the state voted for Ronald Reagan.


Early years

The early history of the state saw firm electoral dominance by the Republican Party. In 1889, Republicans prevailed in the first election for governor and scored majorities in both chambers of the inaugural state legislature. William Owen Bush, Washington's first African-American legislator, is credited with introducing the legislation that led to the establishment of
Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...
. Elected as a Republican from Thurston County, Bush was known as a tireless promoter of Washington
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
. Republican policies in the early period of statehood were advanced by the party-connected
Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was f ...
and, later, by the Seattle Republican. Founded by ex-slave Horace Cayton, the Seattle Republican would grow to become the second-largest newspaper in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
before it folded in 1917. "The success of the Republican Party is one of its highest ambitions," Cayton said of his publication. In 1922 Republican Reba Hurn of
Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...
became the first woman elected to 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 ...
, serving from 1923 to 1930. Hurn advocated for conservative fiscal policies and was a supporter of
prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...
, but otherwise espoused a generally liberal social agenda, helping to pass the state's first child labor laws. Charles Stokes became the first African-American elected to the state legislature from King County in 1950. He led the Republican Party delegation to the 1952 Republican National Convention where he spoke in support of Dwight Eisenhower's presidential nomination and later introduced the legislation that created Washington's Lottery.


Resurgence

After a period of declining fortunes, in 1964 Republican Dan Evans was elected governor at the age of 39, becoming the youngest person to hold the state's chief executive office. The architect of Evans' victory, C. Montgomery Johnson., became the party's first full-time chairman. Johnson, a former forest ranger, publicist for
Weyerhauser Weyerhaeuser () is an American timberland company which owns nearly of timberlands in the U.S., and manages an additional of timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. The company also manufactures wood products. It operates as a real e ...
, early
pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pr ...
advocate and champion of limited government, led a purge of
John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, or libertarian ide ...
members from the Washington Republican party, declaring afterward that "we had to make the term 'conservative' respectable again. The only way to do it was to get the far right off the backs of conservatives. The Republican Party is not the far-right." In 1971 Johnson quit the party chairmanship to form a political consulting firm. With the warning that future tolerance of the John Birch Society would be "the instrument of Republican defeat - statewide, regionally, and locally," party leaders elected Johnson's political ally, Earl Davenport, to replace him as party head. The election, the same year, of Republican Michael Ross from Seattle's 37th legislative district foreshadowed eventual changes in Washington state law. The former treasurer of the Seattle chapter of the
Congress of Racial Equality The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States that played a pivotal role for African Americans in the civil rights movement. Founded in 1942, its stated mission is "to bring about ...
, Ross grabbed headlines when he introduced a bill to legalize marijuana. (While the measure failed, Washington would eventually become the first state to legalize the manufacture and sale of marijuana in 2012.) During a period of racial tensions at
Rainier Beach High School Rainier Beach High School is a public secondary school (grades 9-12) in the Seattle Public Schools system. It is located in the Rainier Beach area, in the southeastern part of the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. The school historicall ...
, Ross commandeered a state vehicle and drove a contingent of armed Black Panthers to the school to protect African-American students. In 1973 Ross attempted an unsuccessful bid for
Seattle City Council The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-l ...
. One of his campaign volunteers in that contest was the Republican party's 2004 and 2008 gubernatorial nominee
Dino Rossi Dino John Rossi (born October 15, 1959) is an American businessman and politician who served as a Washington State Senate, Washington State Senator thrice, from 1997 to 2003, in 2012, and again from 2016 to 2017. A Republican Party (United States ...
.


Modern era

The Republican Revolution of 1994 helped party candidates score an unprecedented seven of the state's nine seats in the
U.S. 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 ...
. In
Washington's 5th congressional district Washington's 5th congressional district encompasses the Eastern Washington counties of Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Whitman, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, and Asotin, along with parts of Adams and Franklin. It is c ...
Republican
George Nethercutt George Rector Nethercutt Jr. (born October 7, 1944) is an American lawyer, author, and politician. Nethercutt is the founder and chairman of The George Nethercutt Foundation. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representative ...
unseated
Tom Foley Thomas Stephen Foley (March 6, 1929 – October 18, 2013) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, Foley represen ...
, the incumbent Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Foley's defeat marked the first time a sitting Speaker had been defeated in a reelection in 132 years. Another Republican elevated to national office as a result of the 1994 elections was Jack Metcalf. Described by The Seattle Times as "the vestige of a certain place the Northwest used to be," Metcalf typified the unconventional characteristics for which Washington Republicans had previously been known. One of the few Republicans in the late 1990s endorsed by organized labor, Metcalf blended fiscal conservatism with environmental advocacy, working with the anti-whaling group
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a non-profit, marine conservation activism organization based in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. Sea Shepherd employs direct action tactics to achieve its g ...
and sponsoring an abortive effort to require labeling of genetically modified foods. The Washington state Republican party has, in recent years, struggled with internal divisions between its historic core of
social liberals Social liberalism (german: Sozialliberalismus, es, socioliberalismo, nl, Sociaalliberalisme), also known as new liberalism in the United Kingdom, modern liberalism, or simply liberalism in the contemporary United States, left-liberalism ...
and a strengthening contingent of religious conservatives. The party's 1996 gubernatorial candidate,
paleoconservative Paleoconservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism in the United States stressing American nationalism, Christian ethics, regionalism, and traditionalist conservatism. Paleoconservatism's concerns overlap with those of the ...
Ellen Craswell Ellen Craswell (May 25, 1932 – April 5, 2008) was an American politician who was a candidate in the 1996 Washington gubernatorial election. She ran as a Republican, but grew disillusioned with the party and later joined the American Heritage ...
, won the Republican nomination by only a slim margin before being soundly defeated in the general election by Democrat Gary Locke. Craswell would ultimately quit the party to help form the American Heritage Party. Concerns about increasing social conservatism in the party led state legislators Fred Jarrett and Rodney Tom to drop their Republican affiliation in the late 2000s and join the Democratic Party.
Eastern Washington Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanf ...
is considered a stronghold of the party. Republican candidates have also performed well in the eastern half of King County and in Seattle's affluent Madison Park neighborhood in the past. Among the largest recent financial backers of the party's activities are the
National Electrical Contractors Association The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) is a trade association in the United States that represents the electrical contracting industry. NECA supports the businesses that bring power, light, and communication technology to buildi ...
, Kemper Holdings,
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...
, real estate developer Clyde Holland, and investor Richard Alvord (Alvord's parents, meanwhile, are Democratic Party benefactors).


Trump era to present

Since 2016, the state GOP and its voter base have undergone a hard rightward shift in their political views and positions along with the embrace of
Trumpism Trumpism is a term for the political ideologies, social emotions, style of governance, political movement, and set of mechanisms for acquiring and keeping control of power associated with Donald Trump and his political base. '' Trumpists ...
. This includes the party being completely taken over by social conservatives including
gun rights The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, including securi ...
and anti-abortion activists. This has led to many people on the Eastside and elsewhere in the state abandoning the party. After the
2020 Washington gubernatorial election The 2020 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020. The top-two primary was held on August 4. Incumbent Jay Inslee, the Democratic candidate, soundly defeated Loren Culp, the Republican candidate. As Washington does not ha ...
, despite
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 Represent ...
's large margin of victory, Republican candidate Loren Culp refused to concede his loss and gave no concession speech, while making unsubstantiated claims of voting fraud. After Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the
2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **C ...
, state Republicans were divided over Trump's false claims of election fraud, with some rejecting or embracing the claims. In the aftermath, some Republicans and county chapters have spread misinformation and conspiracy theories over the 2020 election. There has been efforts by a few Republican legislators to abolish the mail by voting system that's been used in the state for years, often falsely claiming there was widespread election fraud. It was also reported that a Republican lawmaker proclaimed on social media to "prepare for war" and advocated for others to join following the 2020 election.


Factions and affiliated groups

The Washington chapter of the
National Federation of Republican Women The National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW) is the women's wing of the Republican Party in the United States. Overview Founded in 1938 by Joyce Porter Arneill and Marion Martin, it is a grassroots political organization with more than 1, ...
was established in 1945 and currently consists of more than 30 local Republican women's clubs. The Washington College Republican Federation has College Republicans chapters at 10 of the state's colleges and universities. Past members of 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 ...
chapter of the group have included former gubernatorial candidate John Carlson, and former state party chairmen
Kirby Wilbur Kirby Allen Wilbur (born November 11, 1953) is an American talk radio journalist in Seattle, Washington and a conservative political activist. He served as the chair of the Washington State Republican Party. Early life and career Wilbur was born ...
and
Luke Esser Luke Esser (born August 26, 1961) is an American attorney, journalist, and politician who served as the chairman of the Washington State Republican Party from 2007 to 2011. He was elected on January 27, 2007, when he defeated incumbent chairwoman ...
. An independent pressure group founded in 1990,
Mainstream Republicans of Washington Mainstream Republicans of Washington is a political action organization dedicated to promoting moderation in the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Washington state by providing financial and other support to centrist Republica ...
, advances efforts to moderate Republican policies and recruit centrist candidates. The group's members include former state legislators Gary Alexander,
Steve Litzow Stephen Robert Litzow (born 1961) is an American politician who served as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 41st district from 2010 to 2017. A liberal Republican, his district includes the affluent Seattle suburbs of B ...
, and
Hans Zeiger Hans Andreas Zeiger (born February 20, 1985) is an American author and politician serving as a member of the Pierce County Council, representing the 2nd district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a member of ...
. In 2005 an organization of Republican attorneys and former elected officials, the
Constitutional Law PAC The Constitutional Law PAC was a center-right political action committee formed in the state of Washington to help elect candidates to the Washington State Supreme Court and Washington State Court of Appeals. Conservatives expressed concerns t ...
, was formed to advocate in state judicial elections. The current head of that organization is former U.S. Senator
Slade Gorton Thomas Slade Gorton III (January 8, 1928 – August 19, 2020) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Washington from 1981 to 1987 and again from 1989 until 2001. A member of the Republican Party, he hel ...
. A Washington chapter of the
Republican Liberty Caucus The Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) is a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of Individual freedom, individual liberty, limited government and free market economics within the Republican Party (United States), Republi ...
was organized in 2012 to push a libertarian agenda. Former state legislators Matt Shea and Jason Overstreet have been involved with the group. Though officially non-partisan, the Olympia-based think tank
Evergreen Freedom Foundation The Evergreen Freedom Foundation, operating as the Freedom Foundation, is a free market conservative think tank founded in the state of Washington. Freedom Foundation has offices in Washington, Oregon, California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. In 2021, ...
has been connected with Republican candidates and causes. When former state Auditor
Brian Sonntag Brian S. Sonntag (born December 28, 1951) was the ninth Washington State Auditor. He served five terms, from 1993 until his retirement in 2013. He is a Democrat. Personal Sonntag was born in 1951 in Tacoma, Washington. He attended Tacoma Commun ...
, a Democrat, joined the foundation as an adviser in 2013,
Washington State Democratic Party The Washington State Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Washington, headquartered in Seattle. It is also commonly referred to as the ''Washington State Democrats'' and the ''Washington Democratic Party' ...
chair Dwight Pelz declared Sonntag was no longer a Democrat and called on him to "pay your dues to the Republican party." Washington state has a chapter of the
Log Cabin Republicans The Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) is an organization within the Republican Party which advocates for equal rights for LGBT+ Americans. History Log Cabin Republicans was founded in 1977 in California as a rallying point for Republicans opposed t ...
and the former executive-director of the national group, Patrick Sammon, is a native of Seattle.


Party chairmen


Current elected officials

The Washington State Republican Party controls none of the nine constitutional offices and holds a minority two of the state's 10 seats in the
U.S. 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 ...
. Republicans are the minority in 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 ...
and
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 ...
.


Member of Congress


U.S. Senate

* None


U.S. 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 ...


Statewide offices

* None


Legislature

* Senate Minority Leader:
John Braun John Eric Braun (born January 16, 1967) is an American politician from Washington. A Republican, Braun serves in the Washington State Senate, representing the 20th district. Braun serves as the President of Braun Northwest and as an officer in t ...
* House Minority Leader: J. T. Wilcox


Mayors

*
Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...
:
Nadine Woodward Nadine Woodward (born January 27, 1962) is an American politician serving as the mayor of Spokane, Washington. She succeeded David Condon in December 2019. Prior to her election, Woodward worked as a television presenter. Early life and educa ...


Election results


Presidential


Senatorial


Gubernatorial


See also

*
Mainstream Republicans of Washington Mainstream Republicans of Washington is a political action organization dedicated to promoting moderation in the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Washington state by providing financial and other support to centrist Republica ...
*
Washington State Democratic Party The Washington State Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Washington, headquartered in Seattle. It is also commonly referred to as the ''Washington State Democrats'' and the ''Washington Democratic Party' ...


References


External links


Washington State Republican Party
{{Authority control Republican Party (United States) by state Republican Party