SPOKANE, Wash.- Spokane County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner announced his candidacy for Washington’s 5th congressional seat on Feb. 26.
The seat has no incumbent due to Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers not seeking another term, which has shaken-up the political landscape in eastern Washington.
Baumgartner opened his campaign run on the university district Gateway Bridge. The location of the event is meant to tout his tenure as a state senator from 2011 to 2019.
According to his campaign, Baumgartner helped secure funding for the WSU Medical School, which will be in the background as his candidacy is announced.
The county treasurer joins a crowded field of Republicans pursuing the open seat. He is not the only former state senator running for the seat, nor the only person who has served in municipal government.
Baumgartner was also a Senior Advisor with the Washington Policy Center, a conservative anti-regulation think tank which influences policy on a state level. He announced that he was stepping down on Feb. 22. He is the second leadership figure to leave the organization in the past month.
Fellow candidates have already begun reacting to Baumgartner’s entrance into the race. As Republicans running for the seat approach primary season, how they differentiate themselves from their peers could illustrate the various ideological positions of the Spokane GOP in 2024.
