CAMPAIGN NEWS

By Sebastian Squire Baumgartner sees himself as the candidate best positioned to represent the fifth district due to his past experiences...

One of my absolute favorite campaign activities is doorbelling. When I defeated an extremely well-funded incumbent Democrat in my first...

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

US House candidate Michael Baumgartner received over $400,000 in campaign contributions from January to March, compared to $17,500 raised by Jonathan Bingle over the same timeframe.  The 5th congressional district candidates have also spent their campaign money in diverging ways. Baumgartner spent $40,000 from Jan. to March. Bingle spent $12,000. Bingle had $5,000 in cash on hand on March 31, while Baumgartner had $360,000.  Read more at KHQ's website...

Yesterday, I held a press conference in Spokane’s Riverfront Park to announce our campaign has raised nearly $404,000 in just over a month of campaigning—a RECORD for new congressional candidates in Washington’s 5th District! The massive amount comes from more than 350 individual donors. By way of comparison, it is more than both incumbent Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) and Dan Newhouse (WA-04) raised in the previous quarter. I am honored and humbled by the amount of su

It was great to speak to the Whitman County GOP at their Lincoln Day DInner in Colfax this weekend. I grew up on the Palouse in Colton and Pullman.  A key issue on everyone’s minds is our local dams and their essential role they play for transportation of agricultural inputs and products, for clean energy and irrigation. The recent settlement negotiated by the Biden Administration was essentially a roadmap to breaching the dams. We can’t let that happen. I will be a very stro

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of addressing members of Spokane’s Slavic community (p eople from a number of Eastern European countries) . This group of business, faith and community leaders represent a segment of Spokane County’s population that has lived here for decades. While many of these hard working folks have made their homes here since the late 20th century, they’ve largely stayed away from active participation in our democratic process. Some told me they jus

It’s an honor to serve as Spokane Treasurer – and I will miss it if I’m elected to Congress – but a lot of people ask me, “What does the Treasurer do?” A Treasurer is the County’s banker. We collect taxes set by the Legislature and the voters, and pay those funds out to the more than 80 entities that need them – for public safety, school districts, transportation, and many more. In between we invest the money through the $1.9 billion Public Investment Fund so it is safe and e

Our 5th Congressional District race has caught the attention of Democrats back in D.C. and the radicals in Seattle. They see it as a seat they can win – and with it, take back the speaker’s gavel next year.   Lisa Brown is becoming active in the race, marshaling Democrat funders from across the state and putting together an army of volunteers to back their chosen candidate.   I won’t let the Democrats win this seat. I won’t let them open the borders and tear down the dams. To

We had a great time at the St. Patrick’s Day parade on Saturday! The weather was beautiful, the atmosphere was fun and I enjoyed visiting with many great community groups taking part in the parade. The Baumgartner children (and Cleo, the dog!) loved handing out candy along the route, and our family’s 1991 S-10 truck got a rare outing. Our star volunteer was Anna McCoy... thank you Anna for helping spread the word! Anna is the daughter of my former legislative aide Matt McCoy,

There are 12 counties in Washington's 5th Congressional District, and last weekend I had the privilege of addressing the GOP leadership of all 12 at the same time in Colfax. I appreciated the opportunity to speak with our dedicated party leaders about the campaign, policy issues and things that affect them and the lives of their families.   Being down on the Palouse, one issue that came up in our conversations was the challenge of low wheat prices that local farmers are facin

Baumgartner asserted that immigration is the most important problem currently facing the nation.  “There is no more pressing issue than the crisis on our southern border. It impacts our fight against homelessness, drug abuse, crime — and our agriculture and foreign policy. We need to enforce current immigration law and focus on policies that deter rather than encourage illegal immigration,” Baumgartner said.  Read more at KHQ's website...

Here's the press release the campaign put out today at 1 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 26, 2024 Michael Baumgartner Announces Candidacy for 5th District Congressional Seat Spokane, WA – Today, Michael Baumgartner, Spokane County Treasurer, and former Washington State Senator, announced his candidacy for the United States Congress representing Washington's 5th District. “I was born and raised in Eastern Washington and I’ll have the experience to fight for our priorities an

By Emry Dinman Spokane County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner has formally joined the race for Washington’s 5th congressional district, announcing his candidacy at a campaign launch event at the University District Gateway Bridge overlooking the Washington State University Spokane Medical School. “I’m running for Congress because I believe, and what I feel, is that the American dream is dying,” Baumgartner said. “I’m just not going to let that happen. Together, we’re not going

The support we've received from people all over the district has been incredible. This weekend I was in Spokane, Pullman, Walla Walla, Ritzville and Davenport. Here's just some of what the campaign has received: Campaign Co-Chairs Senator Mike Padden, 4th Legislative District Jack “The Throwin Samoan” Thompson - Former WSU QB Eleanor Baumgartner - Former journalist/consultant and concerned mother   Finance Co-Chairs Matt Hanson - Owner of Dye Seed and grandson of R.A. Hanson

To top off the day, Ele and I (and Maria) headed up to Davenport for the Lincoln County Lincoln Day. We met the Rivieras who were enthusiastic about draining the swamp. On a day that started in Walla Walla, and included Republican groups in three cities, I felt good to be campaigning again and to see the optimism of so many people in Eastern Washington.

It's looking like a busy weekend. I drove to Walla Walla so early Saturday morning I shake hands and greet delegates to the county convention. Later today I'm heading up to Ritzville, for their convention and to Davenport for Lincoln Day.

By Emry Dinman There has been a flurry of activity in Eastern Washington following the surprise announcement last month that longtime Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers will not seek re-election this year, creating a rare opening for a Republican political hopeful in Washington to seek higher office. Baumgartner said a candidate for this congressional seat needed to accomplish three things: defeat Democrats, “drain the swamp” and “make Eastern Washington great.” He argued h