Michael Baumgartner
U.S. House · WA-5 · Republicans · since 2025
alsoCandidate for U.S. House · WA-5
Biography
Overview
Michael Baumgartner is a Republican U.S. Representative from Washington's 5th congressional district, serving since 2025. Before joining Congress, he served in the Washington State Senate (2011-2019), as Spokane County Treasurer (2019-2025), and has diplomatic experience as an economics officer during the Iraq War and civilian contractor in Afghanistan. Born in 1975, Baumgartner holds degrees in economics from Washington State University and public administration from Harvard University.
Career
In the Washington State Senate, Baumgartner secured $900 million in funding for Eastern Washington infrastructure, led efforts to build a new medical school in Spokana by repealing a 100-year-old University of Washington monopoly on physician training, and achieved a 20% tuition reduction at public universities in 2015—described as the largest successful tuition reduction in U.S. history. He supported charter schools and defended a WSU student's reinstatement. In Congress, he founded the bipartisan Congressional College Sports Caucus in 2025 and introduced the "Restore College Sports Act" to restructure collegiate athletics governance.
Prior political experience
Baumgartner was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2010, defeating incumbent Democrat Chris Marr with 54% of the vote in a race described as one of the most hotly contested and expensive state legislative races in Washington history. He was reelected to the State Senate in 2014. In 2012, he unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, receiving approximately 40% of the vote to her over 60%. He was unopposed for reelection as Spokane County Treasurer in 2022. In 2024, Baumgartner won the Republican primary for Congress with 28.4% of the vote and won the general election with over 60%, outperforming his predecessor Cathy McMorris Rodgers' 2022 result and posting the best Republican performance statewide.
Biographical material adapted from the Wikipedia article (retrieved April 29, 2026), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ideology
Liberal–Conservative (DW-NOMINATE dim 1)
Secondary axis (DW-NOMINATE dim 2)(?)
Campaigns targeting Michael Baumgartner
No active campaigns target Michael Baumgartner right now.
Start a campaign targeting Michael BaumgartnerOfficeholding history
| Term | Seat | Term dates | Termination | Predecessor | Successor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | U.S. House WA-5 | 2025–present | In progress | — | — |
Committee assignments
- Higher Education and Workforce DevelopmentHouse· 2025–present
- South and Central AsiaHouse· 2025–present
- The Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and AntitrustHouse· 2025–present
- Middle East and North AfricaHouse· 2025–present
- Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the InternetHouse· 2025–present
- Health, Employment, Labor, and PensionsHouse· 2025–present
- House· 2025–present
- House· 2025–present
- House· 2025–present
Current term legislation
Bills sponsored this term10
- H.R. 8196
Workforce Data Quality Initiative Act of 2026
Apr 6, 2026IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 8170
MATCH Act
Apr 2, 2026REPORTED - H.R. 8037
Protect American AI Act of 2026
Mar 24, 2026IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 7058
Foreign Adversary AI Risk Assessment and Diplomacy Act
Jan 14, 2026REPORTED - H.R. 5812
Correcting Opportunity and Accountability in Collegiate Hiring Act (COACH Act)
Oct 24, 2025IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 5693
PROTECT Act
Oct 6, 2025IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 5510
United States–Mexican War Memorial Act of 2025
Sep 19, 2025IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 5388
American Artificial Intelligence Leadership and Uniformity Act
Sep 16, 2025IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 4584
To make technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions which were formerly classified to chapters 14 and 19 of title 25, United States Code, and to correct related technical errors.
Jul 22, 2025REPORTED - H.R. 4215
International Traffic in Arms Regulations Licensing Reform Act
Jun 27, 2025IN_COMMITTEE
Bills cosponsored this term10
- H.R. 8167
To amend the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to establish a Diplomatic Reserve Corps.
Mar 30, 2026IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 8161
To encourage the practice of expeditionary diplomacy at the Department of State.
Mar 30, 2026IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 8086
To establish a National and Nuclear Risk Reduction Center within the Department of State, and for other purposes.
Mar 25, 2026IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 8022
DETECT Nitazenes Act of 2026
Mar 19, 2026IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 7970
STOP Nitazenes Act
Mar 18, 2026IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 7008
Stop Insider Trading Act
Jan 12, 2026INTRODUCED - H.R. 7015
Protecting TPLF From Abuse Act
Jan 12, 2026IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 6213
Heat Workforce Standards Act of 2025
Nov 20, 2025IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 6220
MIRACLE Act of 2025
Nov 20, 2025IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 5789
Donald J. Trump Congressional Gold Medal Act
Oct 17, 2025IN_COMMITTEE
Elections
| Year | Seat | Result | Vote share | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | Pending | — | — |