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Matthew Shea (Washington)
Matthew Shea (Republican Party) was a member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing District 4-Position 1. Shea assumed office in 2009. Shea left office on January 11, 2021.
Shea (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Washington House of Representatives to represent District 4-Position 1. Shea won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
On November 26, 2018, Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib (D) announced Shea was removed from his leadership position as caucus chair. The removal followed the start of an FBI investigation into Shea related to a document Shea wrote about war and religion. Click here for more information.
Biography
Shea received his B.A. in history/political science from Gonzaga University, and he continued there and graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law. Shea is an attorney who works for Keith S. Douglas and Associates, Limited Liability Company. He is also the co-founder of the Family Policy Institute of Washington. Shea is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the Gonzaga University Army Reserve Officers Training Corps. Shea served in the 1-161st Infantry in the Washington Army National Guard as a Company Commander.
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Shea was assigned to the following committees:
- Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee
- Environment & Energy Committee, Ranking Minority Member
- House Transportation Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Judiciary |
| • Transportation |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Shea served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Environment, Ranking Minority Member |
| • Judiciary, Assistant Ranking Minority Member |
| • Transportation |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Shea served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Government Accountability and Oversight |
| • Judiciary |
| • Transportation |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Shea served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Judiciary |
| • Transportation |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Shea served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Ecology and Parks |
| • Environmental Health |
| • Judiciary |
| • Transportation |
Campaign themes
2016
Shea's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Pro-Jobs, Pro-Family, Pro-Guns, Pro-Life As I have been talking with people during the campaign two messages are coming through loud and clear. First, they are sick and tired of politicians that do not listen to the people and that say one thing on the campaign trail and do another in City Hall, Olympia, or Washington D.C. Second, people just want government to stop trying to regulate every facet of their daily lives. This campaign is about bringing fresh ideas and a change of priorities to Olympia with an unwavering commitment to get government out of the way of small business so we can get Washington working again. It is also about honoring our veterans and the promises we have made them. Less tax Lowering taxes is the right direction for our state as our families face hard economic times and those on fixed incomes are increasingly impoverished by the immoral tax of inflation. Less government At the State level the key issue this election is getting government out of the way of small business so we can get Washington working again. I will find, and continue working to eliminate, unnecessary regulations (and taxes) so we can improve the business climate in our state. I have support two solutions along these lines the first establishing 90-day Permits (HB 1961) and the second, reducing the amount of agency rule making (which add great uncertainty to the market) through the Regulatory Fairness and Accountability Act (HB 2276). Businesses should be establishing themselves in the 4th District, not Post Falls, Idaho. More freedom Life is the first right enumerated in our country’s Declaration of Independence. It therefore, should be treated as such. I do not believe taxpayers should fund elective medical procedures and I will continue fighting to stop state funding of abortion and attempts to mandate the payment of abortions by insurance companies. Criminal justice Currently in Washington it takes 5 convictions for DUI and 7 convictions for grand theft auto until a criminal sees serious jail time. That is absolutely unacceptable and I will continue working to reduce the numbers of convictions to 3 for each. I will work toward crime prevention, as well, to include introducing laws requiring accident and crime statistics be kept on illegal aliens and funding warrant enforcement at the state and local level.[1] |
” |
| —Matthew Shea[2] | ||
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Noteworthy events
Removal from leadership position and FBI investigation
On November 1, 2018, the FBI said it was opening an investigation into Shea following the release of a four-page document titled The Biblical Basis for War. The document outlined what it labeled rules for war and terms of surrender, including an end to abortions, same-sex marriage, and communism.[3]
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said the document was "a 'how to' manual consistent with the ideology and operating philosophy of the Christian Identity/Aryan Nations movement and the Redoubt movement of the 1990s." Shea said the document was part of a sermon and had been taken out of context. "It was a summary of a series of sermons on biblical war in the Old Testament as part of a larger discussion on the history of warfare," he said.[3]
On November 26, 2018, Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib (D) announced Shea was removed from his leadership position as Republican caucus chair. In a tweet, Habib said Shea's removal was linked to criticism about the document.[4]
On July 29, 2019, the state House announced it hired an outside firm to investigate Shea. According to The Columbian, the firm would be looking into "whether a member has engaged in, planned or promoted political violence and to determine the extent of his involvement with groups or people involved with such activities."[5]
On December 19, 2019, the firm released their investigative report, which included the statement that Shea "participated in an act of domestic terrorism against the United States."[6] Shea was subsequently suspended from the Republican House caucus. At the time of the report's release, Shea was not expelled from the legislature and had not announced plans to resign. One of the other individuals named in the report contested the findings.[7]
Elections
2020
Matthew Shea did not file to run for re-election.[8]
2018
See also: Washington House of Representatives elections, 2018
General election
General election for Washington House of Representatives District 4-Position 1
Incumbent Matthew Shea defeated Ted Cummings in the general election for Washington House of Representatives District 4-Position 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Matthew Shea (R) | 57.7 | 39,572 |
 | Ted Cummings (D) | 42.3 | 28,963 | |
| Total votes: 68,535 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Washington House of Representatives District 4-Position 1
Incumbent Matthew Shea and Ted Cummings advanced from the primary for Washington House of Representatives District 4-Position 1 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matthew Shea (R) | 57.4 | 23,934 |
| ✔ | | Ted Cummings (D) | 42.6 | 17,766 |
| Total votes: 41,700 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Washington House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 20, 2016.
Incumbent Matthew Shea defeated Scott Stucker in the Washington House of Representatives, District 4-Position 1 general election.[9]
| Washington House of Representatives, District 4-Position 1 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Matthew Shea Incumbent |
64.64% | 43,914 | |
| Democratic | Scott Stucker | 35.36% | 24,021 | |
| Total Votes | 67,935 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Scott Stucker and incumbent Matthew Shea were unopposed in the Washington House of Representatives District 4-Position 1 top two primary.[10][11]
| Washington House of Representatives, District 4-Position 1 Top Two Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Scott Stucker | |
| Republican | Matthew Shea Incumbent | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||
2014
Elections for the Washington House of Representatives took place in 2014. A blanket primary election took place on August 5, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 17, 2014. Incumbent Matthew Shea (R) and Josh Arritola (R) were unopposed in the primary. Shea defeated Arritola in the general election.[12][13][14]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matthew Shea Incumbent |
57.8% | 25,114 | |
| Republican | Josh Arritola | 42.2% | 18,372 | |
| Total Votes | 43,486 | |||
2012
Shea won re-election in the 2012 election for Washington House of Representatives District 4-Position 2. Shea was unopposed in the blanket primary on August 7, 2012, and defeated Amy C. Biviano (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[15][16]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Shea Incumbent |
56.7% | 36,578 | |
| Democratic | Amy Biviano | 43.3% | 27,926 | |
| Total Votes | 64,504 | |||
2010
Matthew Shea was re-elected to the Washington House of Representatives District 4-Position 2. He was unopposed in the August 17, 2010, primary and the November 2, 2010, general election.
| Washington House of Representatives, District 4-Position 2 Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Matthew Shea (R)
|
24,709 | 100% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Republican Matt Shea won re-election to the Washington House of Representatives, District 4-Position 2 receiving 58.47% of the vote (37,032 votes), defeating Democrat Tim Hattenburg who received 41.53% of the vote (26,301 votes).
| Washington House of Representatives, District 4-Position 2 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Matt Shea (R)
|
37,032 | 58.47% | ||
| Tim Hattenburg (D) | 26,301 | 41.53% | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Endorsements
2016
In 2016, Shea's endorsements included the following:[17]
- Association of Washington Spirits & Wine Distributors
- Credit Union Legislative Action Fund
- Gun Owners Action League of Washington
- Gun Owners of America
- Human Life PAC
- Senator Mike Padden
- Senator Brian Dansel
- Senator Michael Baumgartner
- Senator Doug Ericksen
- Fmr. Senator Jeff Baxter
Presidential preference
2012
Matthew Shea (Washington) endorsed Ron Paul in the 2012 presidential election.[18]
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Washington scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the Washington State Legislature was in session from January 13 to March 12.
- Legislators are scored based on their votes on legislation supported by the organization.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to home building industry issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2019, the Washington State Legislature was in session from January 14 through April 28.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2018, the Washington State Legislature, second session, was in session from January 8 through March 8.
|
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2017, the Washington State Legislature, first session, was in session from January 9 through April 23. There were also special sessions. The first special session was April 24 through May 23. The second special session was May 23 through June 21. The third special session was June 21 through July 20.
|
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2016, the 64th Washington State Legislature, second session, was in session from January 11 through March 10. The legislature held a special session from March 11 to March 29 to pass a supplemental budget.
|
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2015, the 64th Washington State Legislature, first session, was in session from January 12 through April 24. The legislature was in special session from April 29 to May 28, May 29 to June 27 and June 28 to July 10.[19]
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the 63rd Washington State Legislature, second session, was in session from January 13 to March 14.[20]
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the 63rd Washington State Legislature, first session, was in session from January 14 to April 29.
|
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2012, the 62nd Washington State Legislature, second session, was in session from January 9 to March 8.[21]
|
2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
|---|
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In 2011, the 62nd Washington State Legislature, first session, was in session from January 10 through April 24.
|
Missed Votes Report
- See also: Washington House of Representatives and Washington State Senate
In March 2014, Washington Votes, a legislative information website, released its annual Missed Votes Report, which provides detailed missed roll call votes on bills for every state legislator during the 2014 legislative session.[22] The 2014 regular session included a total of 515 votes in the State House and 396 in the State Senate, as well as 1,372 bills introduced total in the legislature and 237 bills passed. Out of all roll call votes, 90 individual legislators did not miss any votes. Three individual legislators missed more than 50 votes.[22] Shea missed 1 votes in a total of 1211 roll calls.
Freedom Foundation
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.[23]
2012
Shea proposed a 10-year increase in state taxes and fees of $736,500, tied for the 88th highest amount of proposed new taxes and fees of the 93 Washington state representatives on the Freedom Foundation’s 2012 Big Spender List.
- See also: Washington Freedom Foundation Legislative Scorecard (2012)
The Freedom Foundation also issued its 2012 Informed Voter Guide for Washington State voters, including a legislative score card documenting how Washington State legislators voted upon bills the Foundation deemed important legislation. The legislation analyzed covered budget, taxation, and pension issues.[24] A 
sign indicates a bill more in line with the Foundation's stated goals, and a 
sign indicates a bill out of step with the Foundation's values. Here's how Shea voted on the specific pieces of legislation:
| 2012 House Scorecard - Matthew Shea | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill #6636 (Balanced budget requirement)
|
Bill #5967 (House Democrats budget)
|
Bill #6582 (Local transportation tax increases)
|
Bill #6378 (Pension reforms)
| ||||||||
| Y | N | N | Y | ||||||||
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Shea has a wife, Viktoriya.
See also
- Washington State Legislature
- Washington House of Representatives
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Washington House of Representatives elections, 2018
- Washington House of Representatives Committees
- Washington Joint Committees
- Washington state legislative districts
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Matt Shea's campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Profile by Vote-USA
- Matthew Shea on Facebook
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008
Footnotes
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Vote Shea, "Issues," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Hill, "FBI investigating Washington state rep. for manifesto urging ‘all males' will be killed," November 1, 2018
- ↑ KHQ, "WA Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib announces Rep. Matt Shea has been removed from state leadership position," November 26, 2018
- ↑ The Columbian, "Washington House hires outside firm to investigate Rep. Matt Shea," July 29, 2019
- ↑ CBS News, "Washington State lawmaker accused of 'domestic terrorism' refuses to resign," December 20, 2019
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "As Washington Rep. Matt Shea refuses to resign following accusation of domestic terrorism, Ammon Bundy challenges House report," December 21, 2019
- ↑ Q13 Fox, "Washington lawmaker called ‘domestic terrorist’ won’t seek reelection," May 16, 2020
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "General Election Results 2016," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2016 Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed May 23, 2016
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "August 2, 2016 Primary Results," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2014 Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "August 5, 2014, Official Primary Results," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Official general election results, 2014," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ C-SPAN, "AP Election Results - Washington State House of Representatives," accessed August 7, 2012
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Candidates," accessed July 16, 2012
- ↑ Vote Shea, "Endorsements," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ Ron Paul 2012, "Ron Paul Endorsed By Washington State Rep. Matt Shea," February 15, 2012
- ↑ Multi State, "2015 State Legislative Session Dates," accessed July 13, 2015
- ↑ StateScape, "Session schedules," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ StateScape, "Session schedules," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Washington Policy Center, "2014 Missed Votes Report for Legislators Released," March 18, 2014
- ↑ Freedom Foundation, "2012 Big Spender List," accessed April 16, 2014
- ↑ My Freedom Foundation, "Home," accessed June 18, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Washington House of Representatives District 4-Position 1 2009–2021 |
Succeeded by Bob McCaslin Jr. (R) |
