Sam Reed
 |
The information about this individual is current as of when they left office. See anything that needs updating? Send a correction to our editors |
| Sam Reed | ||
 | ||
| Washington Secretary of State | ||
| Retired officeholder | ||
| In office | ||
| 2001 - 2013 | ||
| Party | Republican | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $116,950 | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| First elected | November 7, 2000 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| High school | Lewis and Clark High School | |
| Bachelor's | Washington State University (1963) | |
| Master's | Washington State University (1968) | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | January 10, 1941 | |
| Place of birth | Wenatchee, WA | |
| Religion | Presbyterian | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
Biography
Education
- Bachelor's degree, Washington State University (1963) in social studies
- Master's degree, Washington State University (1968) in political science
Political career
Prior to being elected to the position of Secretary of State of Washington in 2000, Sam Reed held a number of prominent political positions. He was appointed by then-Governor Dan Evans as the executive director of the Governor’s Urban Affairs Council, a role he occupied for two years beginning in 1967. From 1969 to 1975, Sam Reed served as Assistant Secretary of State under Lud Kramer and Bruce Chapman. Governor Dan Evans called upon him again to serve the people of Washington, this time as the director of the State Constitutional Reform Commission, from 1975-77. He was elected five times between 1978 and 2001 to the position of auditor for Thurston County before ultimately being selected by the people as Washington’s Secretary of State.
In addition to these public service roles, he co-founded the Common Cause of Washington, filled the roles of secretary and president of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), and served as president of Ballot Northwest. From 1968 to 1970, Sam Reed was the state co-chair of Action for Washington. He helped found and served as chair of the Mainstream Republicans of Washington organization in 1994. In 1996, he was named president of the Washington State Association of County Auditors. He was delegated in 2002 as president of the Republican Association of Secretaries of State.
Nonpartisan blanket primary
As Washington Secretary of State, Reed advocated for and oversaw the introduction of the nonpartisan blanket primary voting system for statewide and district elections. In a nonpartisan blanket primary, all candidates for elected office run in the same primary election contests regardless of political party affiliation. As with a runoff election, the top two vote recipients advance to the general election. Other states such as California, Alaska, and Louisiana have used this voting system at some point in their history.
Controversy
Initiative 1029
In 2008, SEIU submitted signatures on an initiative petition, Initiative 1029, to Sam Reed, the Washington Secretary of State. At some point, it was discovered that SEIU had mislabeled the petition forms. Intending to circulate the initiative as an Initiative to the People, they had instead printed on the petition that it was an Initiative to the Legislature. Reed indicated that he would accept the petitions as an initiative to the people (rather than the legislature) despite what it said on the petition.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorialized against this, saying:
"Could Secretary of State Sam Reed still change his mind about accepting egregiously mislabeled initiative petitions? We'd like to think the steady, veteran public leader could summon the political fortitude to reverse his decision to ignore a powerful labor union's flagrant carelessness on an issue that's supposedly so important it must be brought to voters in November."[2]
Recall campaign
A recall campaign was launched again Reed in 2004, but the attempt at recall was judicially invalidated in February 2005.[3]
Issues
Presidential preference
2012
Sam Reed endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [4]
Other roles
- Board Member, Television of Washington (2001-present)
- Board of Trustees, Washington State Historical Society (2001-present)
- Member, YMCA Youth and Government Board (2001-present)
- Former President, Olympia Kiwanis Club
- Board Member, Patrons of South Sound Cultural Arts
- Member, Washington State Archives Advisory Committee
- Board of Directors, Cornish College of Arts
- Member, Master in Public Administration Advisory Board at Evergreen State College
- State Executive Board Chair, American Cancer Society
- Member, Americorps Advisory Council for Thurston/Mason Counties
Elections
2012
Reed opted not to seek re-election as Washington Secretary of State in 2012. Kim Wyman (R) won election on November 6, 2012.
2008
| 2008 Race for Secretary of State - Primary Election[5] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party |  Sam Reed
|
59.4% | |
| Democratic Party | Jason Osgood | 32.5% | |
| Constitution Party | Marilyn Montgomery | 6.5% | |
| Party of Commons | Mark Greene | 1.7% | |
| Total Votes | 1,373,921 | ||
| 2008 Race for Secretary of State - General Election [6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | Sam Reed
|
53.8% | |
| Democratic Party | Jason Osgood | 41.7% | |
| Write-In | 4.5% | ||
| Total Votes | 2,819,673 | ||
2004
| 2004 Race for Secretary of State - General Election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | Sam Reed
|
51.5% | |
| Democratic Party | Laura Ruderman | 45.5% | |
| Libertarian Party | Jacqueline Passey | 3.1% | |
| Total Votes | 2,660,817 | ||
Campaign contributions
Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Sam Reed's donors each year.[7] Click [show] for more information.
| Sam Reed's Campaign Contributions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Washington Secretary of State | 2004 Washington Secretary of State | 2000 Washington Secretary of State | |||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised | $259,424 | $517,244 | $309,032 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $28,016 | $664,447 | $145,850 (Democrat) $28,439 (Reform) | ||||||||||||||||
| Top 5 contributors | Washington Federation of State Employees | $3,200 | Washington State Republican Party | $50,000 | Washington State Republican Party | $17,500 | |||||||||||||
| George Rowley | $2,800 | Washington Education Association, Mainstream Republicans of Washington, Boeing Co, Washington Affordable Housing Council | $2,700 each | Donald Reed | $4,125 | ||||||||||||||
| Pemco Mutual Insurance | $2,500 | Washington Association of Realtors, Harold Lemay Enterprises, Itex Corp | $2,700 each | Pat McDonald and Christopher Bailey | $3,500 each | ||||||||||||||
| Premera Blue Cross | $2,400 | Christopher Bayley | $2,250 | Mainstream Republicans of Washington | $2,828 | ||||||||||||||
| James Judson | $2,100 | Cap Food Services Co, Weyerhauser Co and Thomas Alberg | $2,200 each | William Ethers | $2,750 | ||||||||||||||
| Individuals | $203,269 | $372,850 | $238,656 | ||||||||||||||||
| Institutions | $38,340 | $88,246 | $44,655 | ||||||||||||||||
| In-state donations | $244,909 | $506,156 | $303,418 | ||||||||||||||||
| Out-of-state donations | $3,889 | $9,819 | $4,720 | ||||||||||||||||
Personal
Sam Reed and his wife, Margie, reside in Olympia, Washington. They have two children together, David and Kristen, in addition to two grandchildren. Reed is a practicing Presbyterian.
Awards
In 2009, Governing magazine named Reed as one of eight "Public Officials of the Year" for his nonpartisan approach, citing his handling of the 2004 gubernatorial election recount and his support of the blanket primary system.[8] Other honorees included Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen, and Minnesota Representative Phyllis Kahn. Each year since 1994, Governing has selected a handful of state and local officials to honor for standout job performance. The Public Officials of the Year program "recognizes leaders from state, city and county government who exemplify the ideals of public service."[9]
Reed has also received the following:
- Gonzaga Law Medal
- Robert F. Utter Award
Contact Information
Capitol Address:
Washington Secretary of State
Post Office Box 40220
Olympia, WA 98504-0220
Phone: (360) 902-4151
Fax: (360) 586-5629
E-mail: sreed@secstate.wa.gov
External links
- Official Washington Secretary of State website
- Sam Reed's Re-election Campaign website
- Project Vote Smart - Sam Reed biography
References
- ↑ Spokesman.com, "Sam Reed to retire after 2012," June 28, 2011
- ↑ Initiative process: reason to rethink?
- ↑ Seattle Times,"Judge dismisses bid to recall Reed over election certification," February 15, 2005
- ↑ Mitt Romney for President, "Mitt Romney Announces Support of Washington State Elected Officials and Leaders," February 13, 2012
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State - 2008 Primary Election Results
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State - 2008 General Election Results
- ↑ Follow the Money.org
- ↑ John Buntin, Governing, "Counting of Fairness," 2009
- ↑ Governing, "GOVERNING Announces 2012 Public Officials of the Year," October 19, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ralph Munro |
Washington Secretary of State 2001–2013 |
Succeeded by Kim Wyman |
| |||||||||||||||||||
