During the Iraq War, he served as the economics officer in the Office of Joint Strategic Planning & Assessment (JSPA) at the United States Embassy in Baghdad, helping the Iraqi government as part of the Baghdad Security Plan, receiving accolades from then General David Petraeus as well as Ambassador Ryan Crocker.[4] In 2008, he spent 7 months working as a civilian contractor in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. That same year, Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen referred to Baumgartner as an "Architect of Hope" in Iraq.[5][6]
After leaving Iraq, Baumgartner worked as a civilian contractor in Helmand Province, Afganistan, where encouraged poppy farmers to grow food instead, in an effort to combat the opioid epidemic. He would meet his wife Eleanor Mayne, a journalist studying counternarcotics in Helmand Province, and the two were married in 2010.[7]
Washington State Senate
State Senator Baumgartner and former General David Petraeus, August 28, 2009
In 2010, Baumgartner returned to Eastern Washington and was planning a trip with his future wife Eleanor “to see if we actually like each other," when he approached by Cathy McMorris Rodgers'Chief of Staff and future Spokane MayorDavid Condon, who recruited him to run against incumbent Democrat State Senator and Majority Whip Chris Marr for the Washington State Senate6th Legislative District seat.[7] On August 17, 2010, in the state primary election, Baumgartner defeated Marr with 53% of the vote.[8] In the November election, he officially defeated Marr with 54% of the vote.[9] The election battle between Marr and Baumgartner is considered the most hotly contested and expensive state legislative races in Washington state history.[7]
During his tenure as Washington State Senator, Baumgartner has sponsored keynote legislation such as an amendment to the Washington State Senate to rise Higher Education to the State's #2 focus, reorganizing and streamlining central service functions, powers, and duties of the State Government, and reforming the rule-making process for State Economic Policy (the latter two receiving 47–0 votes in the State Senate).[10]
In 2012 Baumgartner was named one of the National Federation of Independent Business's Guardians of Business, the highest award they offer, in recognition of his votes that side "100 Percent" with small businesses.[11] The Association of Washington Business has awarded him their 'Cornerstone Award' also, in recognition of his support for employers, economic development, and business-related issues in the Washington State Legislature.[12]
In 2015, Baumgartner was awarded the "Legislator of The Year" award by anti-tax activist Tim Eyman due to his consistent effort to fight tax increases proposed in the state legislature.[13]
In 2011 and 2012, Baumgartner was the ranking minority member of the Economic Development Trade & Innovation Committee, served on the Ways & Means Committee, and the Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee.[15]
In 2013, two Democrats joined with the 23 Republicans to form the Majority Coalition Caucus.[16] With the new coalition, Baumgartner was named Vice-Chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and was also assigned to the Senate Trade and Economic Development Committee, the Higher Education Committee, and the Human Services and Corrections Committee.[17]
In October 2011, Baumgartner decided to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA). Cantwell was running for her third term.[18] Washington uses a "top-two" nonpartisan blanket primary system, in which the top two candidates of any party in the primary election advance to the general election. Cantwell and Baumgartner finished first and second, respectively, and competed in the general election.
Baumgartner has formally endorsed Washington Initiative 502 to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana for adults 21 and over, making him the first and only candidate for statewide office in Washington state to do so, and taking a position that wasn't popular in his party.[19][20]
In the November general election, Cantwell defeated Baumgartner. Cantwell received over 60% of the vote, to Baumgarter's 40%.
Spokane County Treasurer
In 2018, Baumgartner opted not to run for reelection to the State Senate. Instead, he chose to run for Spokane CountyTreasurer. He won the November election and took office in January 2019.[21] He was unopposed for reelection in 2022.
On February 26, 2024, shortly after incumbent Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers announced she would not seek re-election, Baumgartner announced he would run for Washington's 5th congressional district. While no public polling was conducted, Baumgartner was largely seen as the early favorite for the Republican nomination.[23]
On August 6, 2024, Baumgartner won the primary for the open seat, placing first, with Democrat Carmela Conroy placing second. He received 28.4% of the vote to Conroy's 19.5%[24]
On November 5, 2024, Baumgartner officially won the race for the district with over 60% of the vote.[25] Notably, he outperformed predecessor Cathy McMorris Rogers' result in 2022, despite not being an incumbent and Washington State being one of two states to shift leftward from 2020. He was the best performing Republican out of any candidate in the state, both federally and statewide.[26]
During his tenure in the State Senate, Baumgartner fought to improve infrastructure in Eastern Washington, including securing the $900 million funding needed to complete the north–south corridor route first proposed sixty years ago, being the sole local Republican to support the major transportation package,[27] helping lead successful efforts to build a new medical school in Spokane which addressed physician shortages in underserved and rural areas of Eastern Washington, which contributed to boosting healthcare economy jobs growth. The medical school, which was directed to be spearheaded by Washington State University, was originally blocked due to a 100-year old law that had given the University of Washington a monopoly on training doctors in the state.[28][29] Baumgartner lead efforts to repeal the law, ultimately being successful in 2015.
Baumgartner considered public education a top priority during his tenure and led efforts to halt increases and reduce tuition for public universities by 20% in Washington State in 2015, including the University of Washington and Washington State University. It is currently the largest successful tuition reduction in the country's history.[7] He has consistently fought for charter schools, which received signficant opposition from the Washington State teachers’ union Washington Education Association.[30][31]
One of Baumgartner's most notable personal efforts was in 2016, when he took an outspoken stand against the expulsion of an American Samoan student, Robert Barber, from Washington State University. Barber had been only one credit short of a college degree when he was accused of involvement in a brawl. Baumgartner told a meeting of WSU regents: "If you don’t fix this, I goddamn will." Barber was reinstated to the student body, and was later found innocent of all criminal charges.[32][33][34]
In February 2018, Baumgartner was one of a handful of Washington State legislators to vote against a bill that would have exempted legislators from public records rules.[35]
In the final year of his tenure, 2018, the Washington Policy Center think-tank announced that Baumgartner would be presented with their prestigious "Champion of Freedom" award, in recognition "for his outstanding commitment to free-market principles, worker rights and limited government, particularly in advancing labor reform in our state. WPC’s board chose. Baumgartner for this award in recognition of his "unwavering principled stand on numerous key during his many years in the State Senate."[36]
Concluding the 2018 legislative session, Baumgartner introduced a satirical resolution calling for April 1 to be celebrated as "Governor Jay Inslee Integrity Day", mocking the Governor for his about-turn on vetoing public records legislation.[37][38]
Awards
2014 Guardians of Small Business award. Presented by NFIB.[39]
2015 Legislator of the Year award. Presented by Tim Eyman.[40]
Baumgartner and his wife Eleanor have three sons and two daughters. In early 2018, they lost their fifth baby after suffering a late miscarriage.
Baumgartner maintained a close friendship with Washington State University football coach Mike Leach throughout his life.[42] Leach and Baumgartner taught a course together at WSU titled "Leadership Lessons in Insurgent Warfare & Football Strategy," designed to "explore strategy and tactics common in both Guerilla Warfare and college football to provide a backdrop for critical thinking."[43]
