Dan Newhouse

Dan Newhouse
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Doc Hastings
Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 15th district
In office January 13, 2003 – February 17, 2009
Preceded by	Barbara Lisk
Succeeded by	David Taylor
Personal details
Born	Daniel Milton Newhouse July 10, 1955 Sunnyside, Washington, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Carol Newhouse
Residence	Sunnyside, Washington
Alma mater	Washington State University
Profession	Farmer
Religion	Presbyterian

Daniel Milton "Dan" Newhouse (born July 10, 1955) is an American politician from Washington, where he served as Director of the Washington Department of Agriculture and is a former member of the Washington House of Representatives. He is a member to the United States House of Representatives for Washington's 4th congressional district and was sworn in on January 3, 2015.

Career

Newhouse graduated from Washington State University (WSU) with a degree in agricultural economics in 1977.^[1] He served in the Washington House of Representatives from 2003 through 2009.

In 2009, Christine Gregoire, former Democratic Governor of Washington, appointed Newhouse to head the state's agriculture department.^[2]

In February 2014, Newhouse entered the Republican primary for Washington's 4th congressional district. The incumbent, fellow 10-term Republican Doc Hastings, did not run in the 2014 elections.^[3] He and fellow Republican Clint Didier advanced to the November election after finishing in the top two in the August primary election,^[4] marking the first time that two Republican candidates would square off in a general election since the state adopted the "top two" primary system. However, the 4th is the most Republican district in Washington and one of the most Republican districts on the West Coast, and it was very likely that a Republican would win in any event. The race on November 4 was very close, and was seen as a battle between the factions of the GOP; Newhouse is considered a mainstream Republican while Didier openly identified with the Tea Party movement. On November 4, 2014, Newhouse defeated Didier, by a margin of 51%-49%.^[5][6]

Personal life

Newhouse was raised on a farm in Sunnyside, east of Yakima, by his parents, Ruth and Irv Newhouse, with four sisters and a brother. Both of his parents and all of his siblings graduated from WSU. Newhouse's father served in the Washington State House and Senate for a total of 34 years, retiring in 1998.^[1] Dan Newhouse owns a 600-acre (240 ha) farm in Sunnyside.^[3] Dan Newhouse has two adult children, Devon and Jensena.

References

1. Washington State Magazine. "Dan Newhouse '77 – Farm to director's office". Retrieved November 5, 2014.
2. "Dan Newhouse tapped to head Washington state Agriculture Department". The Produce News – Covering fresh produce around the globe since 1897. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
3. "Former state ag director Newhouse officially joins 4th District race". yakimaherald.com. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
4. "Clint Didier, Dan Newhouse: All-Republican contest for Congress". Strange Bedfellows – Politics News. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
5. Newhouse beats Didier in 4th congressional district, khq.com; accessed November 30, 2014.
6. "Tea Party turned back", blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics; accessed November 30, 2014.

External links

• Congressman Dan Newhouse official U.S. House site
• Congressional campaign website
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• United States Congress. "Dan Newhouse (id: N000189)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• Profile at Project Vote Smart