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Michael Waite
Michael Waite was a Republican candidate for treasurer of Washington in the 2016 elections.[1] He was defeated in the general election by Republican rival Duane Davidson (R).
Biography
Born and raised in Australia, Waite moved to the United States in the 1990s to play professional tennis and is now a U.S. citizen. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Columbus State University and a master of business administration from Emory University. From 2008 to 2012, he worked as head of accounting for Cascade Investment, a private investment firm controlled by Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Waite has worked as a senior vice president at the multinational investment firm of Bentall Kennedy since 2012.
Waite lives in Seattle with his wife, Whitney, a professor of pediatric medicine at the University of Washington. The couple have two daughters, Scarlett and Nora.[2]
Education
B.B.A. Columbus State University
M.B.A. Emory University
Elections
2016
- Main article: Washington Treasurer election, 2016
Waite filed to run as a Republican in the 2016 election for treasurer of Washington. He competed with three Democrats and one Republican in the August 2 top-two primary election.[1] Waite placed second in the August 2 primary election and competed with fellow Republican Duane Davidson, who placed first in the November 8 general election.
General election results
Duane Davidson defeated Michael Waite in the Washington treasurer election.
| Washington Treasurer, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Duane Davidson |
58.15% | 1,576,580 | |
| Republican | Michael Waite | 41.85% | 1,134,843 | |
| Total Votes | 2,711,423 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election results
Duane Davidson and Michael Waite defeated Marko Liias, John Paul Comerford, and Alec Fisken in the Washington primary for treasurer.
| Washington primary for treasurer, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Duane Davidson |
25.09% | 322,374 | |
| Republican | Michael Waite |
23.33% | 299,766 | |
| Democratic | Marko Liias | 20.36% | 261,633 | |
| Democratic | John Paul Comerford | 17.97% | 230,904 | |
| Democratic | Alec Fisken | 13.24% | 170,117 | |
| Total Votes | 1,284,794 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign finance
| Michael Waite Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $85,493.20 | $(75,040.11) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $85,493.2 | $(75,040.11) | ||||||||
Campaign themes
2016
Waite's website outlined the following positions:[3]
| “ |
First, your Treasurer should not borrow one penny more than absolutely necessary. Going to Wall Street with our hand out should always be a last resort, not the first option. Every Washington resident – even his daughter Nora who just joined the family last November – owes about $2,800 for their share of the state’s current debt, and that number rises every year. Together we owe Wall Street $20 billion today, an obligation that costs us almost $2 billion per year. The public (and the politicians) need to be reminded every day that this is the wrong direction for our state. Second, your Treasurer should be your advocate to Olympia politicians. Michael isn’t afraid to use what Teddy Roosevelt called the “bully pulpit” to help the legislature stay true to its budget priorities. And he certainly won’t propose a 5% state income tax to make Washington state government even bigger—something the incumbent and other members of his party have repeatedly suggested. Creating a state income tax would hurt the people of Washington State and eliminate one of the main economic advantages we have over other states – and Michael will fight against it every day if necessary. We need someone in Olympia to represent our long-term interests and challenge politicians who want to borrow from Wall Street to pay for their favorite program or district-specific interests with money our children will still be paying back long after those politicians and special interests are gone. ... Third, your Treasurer should deliver common sense money management. Michael’s campaign is based on this simple value and the basic belief that you deserve a lot more common sense, and a lot less politics-as-usual, from your state’s money manager.[4] |
” |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Washington Secretary of State, "2016 candidates who have filed," accessed May 23, 2016
- ↑ Michael Waite for State Treasurer, "Get To Know Michael," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Michael Waite for State Treasurer, "Where Michael stands on the issues," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
