REPLACING:

Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R) [i]

WORK HISTORY:

Spokane County (WA) Treasurer’s Office (Treasurer); Washington State Senate (Member, District 6); SciencesPo (Adjunct Lecturer); Helmand Counternarcotics (Embedded Counternarcotics Advisor); U.S. Embassy Baghdad (Economics Officer); The Executive Office of Dubai (Project Manager) [ii] [iii]

EDUCATION:

MPA, Harvard University; BA, Washington State University [iv]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Southern Boarder & Immigration; Inflation; Spending; Energy & Dams; AG & Rural Communities; Education; Social Security & Medicare; Veterans; Military; National Security; 2^nd Amendment; Abortion [v]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

A pro-life Catholic, Baumgartner says he supports the right of state legislatures to make their own abortion laws “as consistent with the U.S. constitution,” and that he hopes “no state would adopt laws that prohibits abortion in cases of rape, incest, or when needed to protect the life of the mother.” He supports the option of IVF for those who need it, advocates for a “culture of life,” and says he is a “strong supporter” of Crisis Pregnancy Centers. [vi]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Baumgartner has pledged to support policies that secure the border and “bring the rule of law and common sense to immigration policy.” He advocates for a “multi-faceted approach” that includes enforcing existing laws, vetting economic migrants before they reach the border, reinstating “Remain in Mexico,” fully implementing E-verify, and ending “the sanctuary city experiment.” [vii]

ECONOMY & JOBS:

Baumgartner says he will “strongly support” policies that reduce inflation and “rein in reckless spending.” He has suggested support for privatizing some federal programs, arguing public-private partnerships “can save taxpayers millions and provide better services.” [viii] He has consistently been opposed to unions, including unsuccessfully fighting to prevent the state Department of Enterprise Services from unionizing and pushing a “right to work” law. [ix]

TAXES:

In April 2024, Baumgartner signed Americans for Tax Reform’s “No New Taxes” pledge. [x] While he initially rejected proposals in 2014 to raise gas taxes, he later supported an increase that included transportation funding reforms – a move that drew criticism from the right. [xi]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

On his campaign website, Baumgartner argues that “Much of the crime, drug abuse and homelessness in Eastern Washington can be traced back to the Mexican cartels that bring drugs over the border and profit from human trafficking and the horrific exploitation of children.” [xii] Endorsed by the Washington Council of Police & Sheriffs, Baumgartner pledges to support law enforcement “and do everything we can to stem the flow of Fentanyl from the border.” [xiii]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

An advocate for an “all of the above” energy production approach, Baumgartner supports domestic hydropower, wind, solar, nuclear, natural gas, and oil. He pledges to protect the Snake River dams through federal policy – arguing “we should be investing in our dams, not threatening to tear them down.” [xiv]

FOREIGN POLICY:

Before his congressional run, Baumgartner worked for the U.S. State Department in Baghdad during the Iraq War and as a counternarcotics adviser to the U.S. government in Afghanistan. Baumgartner supports a “strong and smart American foreign policy.” He pledges to work to ensure that China does not buy up strategic U.S. assets near military bases, arguing the country poses a “unique threat,” greater than the Soviet Union. He argues Chinese trade practices “undermine our manufacturing, costing American jobs, while their spies spread disinformation and influence academics. Chinese companies increasingly are trying to buy farmland and agricultural producers.” [xv] He has also said it is in the U.S. national interest “to support Israel and root out the Hamas terrorist network,” and that he supports additional funding to Ukraine. [xvi]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Baumgartner promises to “fight to make sure that senior citizens receive every penny of the Social Security and Medicare benefits that they have been promised,” saying those benefits are “non-negotiable.” [xvii] When he first ran for office in 2010, to secure the endorsement of the Spokane County GOP, he signed a pledge to support a platform that included privatizing Social Security. [xviii] During the 2024 campaign, he touted his work to increase doctors in the state – including in rural areas – and advocates for healthcare price transparency. He also argued for individual “wellness” and “healthy decisions” to be taken into account in costs, and supports expanding health savings accounts. [xix]

DEMOCRACY:

In a June 2024 debate, Baumgartner agreed that President Biden was legitimately elected but blamed the “sense of unfairness” in the election system on the system itself, highlighting mail-in voting. [xx]

SOCIAL ISSUES:

When asked about book bans in an April 2024 interview, Baumgartner said, “Well, in general, I’m in favor of folks having access to literature … libraries should not be the tip of the spear for cultural battles, for either side. I get uncomfortable when there’s things [like] transgender reading hours, and these sorts of things directed at kids, which to me seem much more like a mechanism to score political points. So, I’d like to get libraries back to being libraries.” [xxi] In 2016, he supported a bill that would eliminate Washingtons’ rule allowing transgender people to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity, but argued that anyone who would interpret repeal as “some kind of judgment or castigation of the transgender community,” would be wrong. [xxii] In 2012, he indicated opposition to gay marriage. [xxiii] When he first ran for office in 2010, to secure the endorsement of the Spokane County GOP, he signed a pledge to support a platform that included ending no-fault divorce. [xxiv]