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Don Benton
| Don Benton | ||
 | ||
| Washington State Senate District 17 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 1997-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 9, 2017 | ||
| Years in position | 16 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $42,106/year | |
| Per diem | $90/day | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | 1996 | |
| Next election | November 8, 2016 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Washington State House of Representatives | ||
| 1995-1997 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Concordia University | |
| Associate's | College of the Canyons | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | April 8, 1957 | |
| Profession | Founder/CEO, The Benton Group | |
| Religion | Christian | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
Benton served in the Washington State House of Representatives from 1995 to 1997. He ran for the United States House of Representatives District 3 in 1998, but was not elected.
Biography
Benton earned his AA from College of the Canyons. He then graduated cum laude from Concordia University with a B.S. degree in management and communication. Benton has worked as Founder and CEO of The Benton Group since 1988. He was the Co-Founder/President of Santa Clarita Temporaries Incorporated from 1979 to 1983 and was district manager and agent for Farmers Insurance Group from 1981 to 1988. Benton's political experience began with his work as a Republican Precinct Committeeman. In 2000 he served as chair of the Washington State Republican Party.[1]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Benton served on the following committees:
| Washington Committee Assignments, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Financial Institutions & Insurance | ||||
| • Governmental Operations, Vice-chair | ||||
| • Rules | ||||
| • Transportation | ||||
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Benton served on the following committees:
| Washington Committee Assignments, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Financial Institutions, Housing & Insurance | ||||
| • Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections | ||||
Issues
Campaign themes
2012
Benton's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[2]
Jobs and the economy
- Excerpt:"I support providing more training and education for displaced workers."
Improving our schools
- Excerpt:"I support reforms that put more emphasis on classroom instruction and less on administrative bureaucracy."
Holding the line on taxes and spending
- Excerpt:"I will continue to fight against harmful tax increases."
A clean environment
- Excerpt:"I support responsible environmental policies that improve our quality of life and that of future generations. The health and safety of our families and communities will always be a major priority for me."
Reducing crime in our community
- Excerpt:"A couple of years ago, I passed an important bill called the Chelsea Harrison Act, to put away violent offenders who threaten our communities. Violent offenders should receive tough penalties, and our communties should have the resources necessary to protect our families."
Presidential preference
2012
Don Benton endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [3]
Elections
2012
- See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2012
Benton won re-election in the 2012 election for Washington State Senate District 17. Benton was unopposed in the August 7 blanket primary and defeated Tim Probst (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[4][5]
| Washington State Senate, District 17, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Don Benton Incumbent |
50.1% | 27,538 | |
| Democratic | Tim Probst | 49.9% | 27,460 | |
| Total Votes | 54,998 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Benton was re-elected for the Seventeenth District of the Washington State Senate receiving 29,426 votes.
Benton raised $303,688 for his campaign.[6]
| Washington State Senate, District 17 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Don Benton (R)
|
29,426 | |||
| David Carrier (D) | 28,111 | |||
Campaign donors
2012
Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.
2008
In 2008, Benton collected $303,688 in donations.
Listed below are the top four contributors to his campaign. [7]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Washington State Republican Party | $10,426 |
| 17th Legislative District Republican Central CMTE | $5,892 |
| Senate Republican Campaign CMTE of Washington | $2,200 |
| Justice PAC | $1,600 |
Scorecards
Freedom Foundation
- See also: Freedom Foundation's Big Spender List
The Freedom Foundation releases its Big Spender List annually. The Institute ranks all Washington legislators based on their total proposed tax and fee increases. To find each legislator’s total, the Institute adds up the 10-year tax increases or decreases, as estimated by Washington’s Office of Financial Management, of all bills sponsored or co-sponsored by that legislator. [8]
2012
Benton proposed a 10-year increase in state taxes and fees of $51.2 million, the 25th highest amount of proposed new taxes and fees of the 46 Washington state senators on the Freedom Foundation’s 2012 Big Spender List.[9]
Personal
Benton and his wife Mary have four children.
Recent news
 |
Know more information about this profile? Submit a bio |
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google News search for the term "Don + Benton + Washington + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
Don Benton News Feed
- Washington state Sen. Don Benton hired as Clark County environmental ... - OregonLive.com
- Inslee lays down his marker on CRC project - Sound Politics
- Our Voice: Thumbs up to Oregon lawmakers for taking action against skin cancer - Mid Columbia Tri City Herald
- Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul Push For Hemp Legalization In Senate Fight - Huffington Post
- Severe weather threat diminishing for northeast Oklahoma - Tulsa World
- Benton doesn't appear to meet minimum requirements for county job - The Columbian
- fruit farmers fight to rebound from last year - Detroit Free Press
- Elizabeth Hovde: Clark County uproar leaves me a skeptic - OregonLive.com
- Climate-change solutions must happen - The Olympian
- Columbia River Crossing could collapse in Olympia - OregonLive.com
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External links
- Don Benton on the Washington State Senate website
- Benton's Senate Republican Caucus website
- Legislative profile of Benton on Project Vote Smart
- Biographical profile of Benton on Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2008, 2006, 2004, 2000, 1996, 1994
- Campaign website
- Washington Votes profile of Benton
References
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Sen. Benton
- ↑ "senatordonbenton," Official Campaign Website
- ↑ Mitt Romney for President, "Mitt Romney Announces Support of Washington State Elected Officials and Leaders," February 13, 2012
- ↑ C-SPAN, "AP Election Results - Washington State Senate," accessed August 7, 2012
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Candidates," retrieved July 16, 2012
- ↑ Follow the Money's report on Benton's 2008 campaign contributions
- ↑ 2008 contributors to Don Benton
- ↑ Freedom Foundation's 2012 Big Spender List
- ↑ Freedom Foundation's 2012 list of Washington state senators by proposed new taxes and fees
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by ' |
Washington State Senate District 17 1996-present |
Succeeded by N/A |
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