Tri-Citian announces run for Republican senator’s legislative seat

Washington state Rep. Matt Boehnke wants to switch chambers, announcing his candidacy for retiring Sen. Sharon Brown’s seat.

Brown said last month that she will not seek re-election when her current term ends.

Boehnke, a Republican, is the first to publicly announce that he will run for her 8th Legislative District seat in the 2022 election.

He is in his third term as a House member.

“Senator Brown has been a great voice for our community. I admire her work promoting mental health and supporting STEM education,” Boehnke said in a news release. “We all thank her for her service.”

Boehnke had been a two-year Kennewick city councilman when he was first elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 2018, filling the seat vacated by Rep. Larry Haler.

A Kamiakin High School graduate, he retired from the U.S. Army in 2011 as a lieutenant colonel after serving 21 years. He owns an IT consulting service and teaches cyber security at Columbia Basin College in Pasco.

Dawn and Matt Boehnke have two grown sons.

Matt Boehnke said during his time in the state House he has passed important legislation promoting local jobs and manufacturing.

“Local manufacturing is the right choice for good jobs and more reliable supply chains,” he said.

Boehnke said he announced his campaign early to unite the community and the Republican Party behind one well-qualified candidate.

“The challenges in Olympia are serious and it’s vital we hold this seat,” he said.

The campaign already has received the endorsement of former state Sen. Shirley Hankins, who said, “Matt Boehnke is a fighter, and we need a fighter in Olympia to stop all the nonsense Seattle Democrats are trying to force on the rest of us.”

Brown, also a former Kennewick City Council member, was appointed to the Senate seat in 2013 to replace Jerome Delvin when he joined the Benton County Commission.

Her term expires on Jan. 6, 2023.

She is the incoming executive director of the Greater Columbia Accountable Community of Health, according to its website.