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Quick Facts
Biography
Kim Wyman (born July 15, 1962) is an American politician who is the 15th and current Secretary of State of Washington, having won in the 2012 and 2016 state elections.
Early life
Wyman attended college at California State University, Long Beach and lived abroad after graduation. Barriers to voting in US elections while living in Germany inspired her to become an elections official. She earned her Master of Public Administration degree from Troy University's European Division. Wyman was one of the first public officials to become a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator from Auburn University.
Career
In 2001, Wyman was appointed as county auditor for Thurston County, succeeding Sam Reed—she would again succeed Reed following her election as Secretary of State of Washington. She was eventually elected to the position and later reelected, as recently as 2010.
In the 2012 Washington state elections, Wyman was elected Secretary of State, defeating her Democratic opponent, Kathleen Drew. Wyman was the only Republican elected to statewide office in the state. She was endorsed in the election by the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, The Wenatchee World, the Tri-City Herald, and The Seattle Times. The Times cited her bipartisan appeal and experience as an elections administrator in its endorsement. She was also endorsed by the Washington Education Association, which normally endorses Democrats.
In the 2016 elections, Wyman was reelected, defeating Tina Podlodowski with 55% of the vote.
Personal life
Wyman lives in Lacey, Washington with her husband John and their two children. She has run in several marathons.
In March 2017, Wyman was diagnosed with an early form of colon cancer.
Electoral history
Washington Secretary of State Primary Election, 2012 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
Republican | Kim Wyman | 528,754 | 39.75% |
Democratic | Kathleen Drew | 289,052 | 21.73% |
Democratic | Greg Nickels | 210,832 | 15.85% |
Democratic | Jim Kastama | 185,425 | 13.94% |
Constitution | Karen Murray | 50,888 | 3.83% |
Independent | David Anderson | 44,276 | 3.33% |
Human Rights | Sam Wright | 20,809 | 1.56% |
Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democratic | Votes | Pct | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Kim Wyman | 1,459,773 | 50.4% | Kathleen Drew | 1,436,735 | 49.6% | ||
2016 | Kim Wyman | 1,713,004 | 54.74% | Tina Podlodkowski | 1,416,299 | 45.26% |