Washington State Republican Party
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Washington State Republican Party
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chairperson | Susan Hutchison |
| Senate leader | Mark Schoesler |
| House leader | Dan Kristiansen |
| Headquarters | Bellevue, Washington |
| Ideology |
Conservatism Fiscal conservatism Social conservatism |
| National affiliation | Republican Party |
| Colors | Red |
| Seats in the Upper House |
25 / 49
|
| Seats in the Lower House |
48 / 98
|
| Website | |
| www.wsrp.org | |
The Washington State Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national United States Republican Party, headquartered in Bellevue.
Washington voters tend to support Democratic Party candidates, with the New York Times referring to the state as "Democratopolis." The last Republican governor in Washington was John Spellman, who held office from 1981 to 1985. Republicans came closest to recapturing the state's chief executive office in 2004 when Democrat Christine Gregoire 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, when a majority in the state voted for Ronald Reagan.
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. Elected as a Republican from Thurston County, Bush was known as a tireless promoter of Washington agriculture.
Republican policies in the early period of statehood were advanced by the party-connected Seattle Post-Intelligencer 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 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 became the first woman elected to the Washington State Senate, serving from 1923 to 1930. Hurn advocated for conservative fiscal policies and was a supporter of prohibition, but otherwise espoused a generally liberal social agenda, helping to pass the state's first child labor laws.
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Wikipedia