OLYMPIA — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday appointed Democratic state Sen. Steve Hobbs as the state’s 16th secretary of state, marking the first time a Democrat will hold the office since the mid-1960s.
He will replace Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman, who will leave office Nov. 19 to take a key election security job in the Biden administration. Hobbs, who is of Japanese descent, will be the first person of color to head the office, one of nine statewide elected positions.
Inslee announced the appointment via a video that was taped in Glasgow, Scotland where he is participating in this year’s U.N. climate summit, the Conference of Parties. Hobbs’ appointment is effective Nov. 22.
“Steve has demonstrated through his career as a senator the ability to act independently, to not to be swayed by any party,” Inslee said.
Wyman echoed those statements, saying in a written statement that Hobbs “has a demonstrated record of seeking bipartisan solutions to complex problems, which is essential to the position of secretary of state.”
“It is imperative the secretary of state — the state’s chief elections official — serve as a neutral arbiter in order to inspire confidence across the political spectrum in our election processes and results,” Wyman wrote.
Hobbs, 51, is considered a centrist in his caucus, which holds a 28-21 majority in the Senate. He had previously sought a statewide office, briefly running for lieutenant governor last year before withdrawing from the race, citing his COVID-19 response work with the National Guard.
“This is a tremendous honor and responsibility,” Hobbs said in a written statement. “There is nothing more sacred than the right to vote. I’ve fought for that right overseas and will do everything in my power to protect that right here in Washington.”
“Our state leads the nation in voting access and security and under my watch I will ensure that we only move to solidify our national standing in this arena.”
In addition to being the state’s chief elections officer, the secretary of state also serves as chief corporations officer and supervisor of the state archives and state library.
Hobbs grew up in Snohomish County and has represented the 44th legislative district in the Senate since 2007. He currently serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Washington State National Guard, and previously served in Iraq and Kosovo. He’s served for more than 32 years in the U.S. Army, enlisting at age 17 as a private and working his way up to lieutenant colonel.
Inslee said that Hobbs’ service in the National Guard, saying it will be “an asset in dealing with the best cybersecurity effort in the United States.
Inslee’s office said he spoke to a number of candidates, including current county auditors. Wyman and her predecessor, Sam Reed, both were Thurston County auditors before being elected to statewide office.
Hobbs serves as chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and also serves on the Financial Institutions, Economic Development and Trade Committee and the Environment, Energy and Technology Committee.
He holds a masters of public administration and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, and recently completed Defense Information School through the U.S. Department of Defense. He also has additional training for officers from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
Wyman, 59, has led elections in Washington state for years, and she was reelected to a third term last November — the lone statewide-elected Republican on the West Coast. She will serve as the election security lead for the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the agency responsible for safeguarding U.S. elections
Unlike vacancies in other partisan offices, like the Legislature or county offices, the governor is not limited to appointing someone from a specific political party, which means that Republicans will lose their hold on the office for the first time in more than 50 years.
Hobbs will serve until the general election in November 2022, which will determine who will serve the remainder of Wyman’s four-year term.
An appointment process to replace Hobbs in the Senate will begin in Snohomish County.
