Representative Baumgartner, Michael

Congressman Michael Baumgartner is currently serving his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives where he represents the people of Washington State’s 5th Congressional District. Spanning an expansive area from Canada in the north to Oregon in the south and Idaho to the east, the district includes ten counties, making it the second-largest district in the state.

Raised among the Palouse wheat fields in Colton and Pullman, Washington, Michael is a proud graduate of Washington State University where he earned a degree in economics. He later earned a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) with a focus on International Development from Harvard University.

Before coming to Congress, Michael served as a Washington State Senator, diplomat, and as the Treasurer of Spokane County. During his eight years in the State Senate, Michael was instrumental in advancing key initiatives, including the “Drain the Swamp” legislation, which successfully eliminated five state agencies to reduce government waste and inefficiency. Over the years, he has received numerous awards, such as the “Champion of Freedom Award” from the Washington Policy Center and the “Legislator of the Year” award from the Inland Empire Society of American Foresters.

From 2007 to 2008, Michael served as a U.S. State Department officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and later worked as a counternarcotics advisor on a U.S. government-funded program in Afghanistan, where he met his wife, Eleanor.

Living in Spokane with Eleanor and their five children, Michael and his family are actively involved in his community through youth sports, scouts, and Sunday School. The family enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking and camping on the Kettle Crest Trail and Curlew Lake, biking the John Wayne Trail, and visiting Steptoe Butte.