CAMPAIGN NEWS

Eleanor and I had a great time at the Spokane Ponderosa Republican Women’s “Filing Fling” yesterday. Back in 2010 this was the very first “political group” I was ever invited to speak to, after one of their members had read my email updates from the US Embassy in Iraq celebrating the heroism of US troops in 2007/2008. Many of their members have been great supporters ever since. Among the many special ladies there was Frankie DeWitt who was on the “campaign braintrust” of my f

Nobody has done more for the conservative cause in Washington State this year than Brian Heywood. His leadership on passing conservative, common sense initiatives has dealt a huge blow to Jay Inslee and the radical left. I’m honored to have Brian Heywood endorse our campaign for Congress.

Last week was our Deputy Campaign Manager Luke’s graduation from Mt. Spokane High School. Luke is an outstanding student, a debate champion and fantastic staff member of our campaign. It’s great to see young people get involved in politics and I look forward to Luke being an elected official in the future.

By Emry Dinman. Brian Heywood, the hedge fund manager who the Seattle Times in January called maybe “the most consequential figure in Washington politics” this year, has endorsed Spokane County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner in his bid for Congress. Read more at the Spokesman-Review's website...

In case you missed it, I enjoyed being part of Morgan Ortagus’ radio show on Sunday following her interviews with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and two high profile journalists. We discussed the humanitarian and national security crisis created by the open southern border, and the current dynamics in the Middle East. Morgan Ortagus was spokeswoman for the Department of State under Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Her group POLARIS National Security hosted me on my recent trip

Our signature (and most fun!) campaign event, “Baumtoberfest,” is quickly approaching. If you haven’t already reserved your seat, let me give you five reasons why you should sign up to attend, TODAY ! The Who’s Who! Did you know we’ll have Dino Rossi, Mayor Nadine Woodward and Brian Heywood of Let’s Go Washington mingling and making remarks, in addition to amazing Eastern Washington community leaders like Phil Altmeyer, Melissa Williams, and emcee Kjerstin Bell? It’s a star-s

My friend and former colleague, Sen. Mark Schoesler, had told me that the Ritzville Volunteer Fire Department had the best pancake breakfast in all of Washington - and he was right! It was great to join the fun and meet members of the community. Mark, the former Republican Senate Majority Leader, has faithfully championed agriculture in Eastern Washington for more than 30 years. I’m honored to have his endorsement!

We were grateful to Andrew and Danielle Holstine for inviting us to come out to the Heroes Homestead farm on Sunday for an evening of reflection, to hear veterans and active duty military talk about mental health issues and share personal stories.   Suicide and addiction are impacting too many of our nation’s best. We appreciate the remarkable work that Heroes Homestead does to support veterans and active duty military and their families.

Our team was all over Eastern Washington again last week, from Dayton to Deer Park and Creston to Ritzville. A real highlight was the dedication of the new veterans memorial at Balfour Park in Spokane Valley. It was an honor to be there for the ceremony helping recognize the courage and service of our military members. It was tremendous to meet 103-year-old WWII vet Pat Tully, a truly inspiring member of our greatest generation. I appreciate my good friends, Sen. Mike Padden

Our campaign’s “Super Sunday” effort to meet voters this last weekend was in Deer Park, and I really enjoyed knocking on doors with our oldest son, Conrad. It was his first time out "doorbelling." What a great education in civics! We've got another Sunday doorbelling opportunity planned for Sunday June 2 in Spokane Valley from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Email us if you can come help spread the message!

On Saturday, Eleanor and I took the children to Dayton to join the annual Dayton Days Parade. We had a great time handing out candy and counting high fives. We also appreciated the Neighbors United group inviting us to join them handing out ice cream and meeting CD5 voters in Caboose Park after the parade. Once again, we met two of my mom’s former kindergarten students along the parade route. As I’ve said before - on the Palouse, I’m not Michael Baumgartner, I’m “Mrs. B’s” so

A firsthand look at the border Border security is our nation’s top priority. Right now the failure to enforce the law is creating a humanitarian disaster and endangering our national security. Over the weekend, I was in Yuma, AZ, to learn firsthand about the debacle happening right now on our Southern Border. I talked with many law enforcement officials in Eastern Washington before the trip and they point to the Southern Border and the influx of fentanyl as the cause for much

Just an hour before I held a press conference to call on Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown to abandon her $38.5 million annual tax increase proposal, the mayor put out a statement saying she would be backing off of her plan for the time being. This is a great day for taxpayers in Spokane. It ’s time for the city to go back to the drawing board and listen to seniors and bring in a plan that is fair. The mayor’s proposal couldn’t have come at a worse time for seniors already struggling

By Michael Baumgartner Spokane-area residents just finished paying a record amount of property taxes. The total county property tax bill increased nearly $300 million over the past six years to reach a total of $856 million in 2024. If Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown gets her way, city taxpayers will face an even bigger bill next year. Read more at the Spokesman-Review's website...

Today, I officially filed to be a candidate for United States Congress representing Washington's 5th District while surrounded by my wonderful wife and five amazing children. This isn’t just another election in America; this is a wake-up call for our way of life. We need to protect the American Dream for our children. We have a wide open border, lawlessness and homeless on our streets, and federal overspending that’s fueling runaway inflation. It has to stop. I believe I have

By Faith Iverson Michael Baumgartner has filed for his race in the 5th Congressional District seat as a top contender for the Republican Party.  Baumgartner said he filed online in his kitchen surrounded by his five children and wife.  Read more at KHQ's website...

I enjoyed being on national TV with Fox & Friends this morning to talk about why I’m the leading candidate for Congress in Eastern Washington and how we’ll protect the American Dream!

The highlight of my weekend was definitely accepting the invitation of Andrew and Danielle Holstine to participate in the Heroes Silkies Walk , raising awareness of veterans’ mental health in Spokane’s Riverfront Park on Saturday.  Andrew is an outstanding former Marine who has had a number of his former fellow Marines pay the ultimate price for mental health challenges. He and his wife, Danielle, run Heroes Homestead , doing important work to support and strengthen veterans

We had a fantastic time at the state GOP convention in Spokane this past weekend, seeing old friends and meeting new ones. There was a tremendous excitement in the air as the delegates robustly debated their ideas. Free speech was clearly on display.  Many of the delegates are folks new to politics who have been motivated to get off of the sidelines due to the overreach of government during the COVID era. It will be outstanding to have all this excitement come November. Thank

I am so grateful that voters up and down the district have turned out and shown their support for keeping our district in conservative hands. It ’s important to keep this seat in the Republican column, with values that match those of Eastern Washington: family, faith and freedom. Our farmers, foresters, business owners, veterans, families, and individuals have all put their faith in me, and I’m humbled by such an amazing show of grassroots support. Every day, I meet with peo