State Representation
Washington State is a Democratic Party trifecta, with a 58-40 majority in the House and a 29-20 majority in the Senate. (1/2023)
Eastern Washington, where the proposed project is sited, is a predominantly Republican area, with the exception of Pullman, which leans Democratic.
State Senator
Mark Schoesler, Republican, District 9
Senator Schoesler is a 5th generation wheat farmer. He was elected to the Senate in 2005 after serving in the House since 1993. He is on the Ways and Means Committee.
Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Member of Board of Directors, 1981-present.
State Representatives
Mary Dye, Republican, District 9, Position 1
Year elected: 2015
Rep. Dye operates a 3,000-acre wheat farm with her husband. She is in her fourth term and opposes inflating oil and gas prices in the name of solutions to climate change. Rep. Dye graduated from the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Foundation's Legislative Energy Horizon Institute in 2018.
Committees
House Environment and Energy Committee
Appropriations Committee
Joe Schmick, Republican, District 9
Year elected: 2007
Rep. Schmick is a former farmer and small business owner. He has previously served on the Washington Barley Commission, the National Barley Improvement Committee, the Whitman County Wetlands and the Whitman County Natural Resource Advisory Committee.
Committees: Appropriations Committee
Federal Representation
Senators
Patty Murray, Democrat
Year elected: 1992
Senator Murray has a long history of firsts in American politics. She is generally supportive of renewable energy.
Maria Cantwell, Democrat
Year Elected: 2000
Senator Cantwell was the first in her family to graduate college. She is slightly more conservative than Senator Murray, but supports renewable energy and is knowledgeable about viticulture, a popular industry in Eastern Washington.
Representative
Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Republican
Year elected: 2004
Rep. McMorris Rodger is a protector of Columbia and Snake River dams and co-authored the bipartisan Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act. She has been one of the leaders of the Securing Cleaner American Energy agenda, which promotes all forms of energy except wind and solar. District 1 Commissioner Art Swannack campaigned for Rep McMorris Rodgers.
