Travis Couture - Ballotpedia

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Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Drew MacEwen

Travis Couture (Republican Party) is a member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing District 35-Position 2. He assumed office on January 9, 2023. His current term ends on January 11, 2027.

Couture (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Washington House of Representatives to represent District 35-Position 2. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Travis Couture was born in Sidney, Montana, and lives in Allyn, Washington. Couture served in the U.S. Navy from 2007 to 2011. He earned a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership from Brandman University in 2019 and an M.B.A. from Brandman University in 2020. His career experience includes working as a defense contractor at Naval Submarine Base Kitsap.^[1]^[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.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Couture was assigned to the following committees:

Elections

2024

See also: Washington House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2

Incumbent Travis Couture defeated James DeHart in the general election for Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Travis Couture (R)	58.6	51,999
		James DeHart (D)	41.3	36,664
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	97

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 88,760
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2

Incumbent Travis Couture and James DeHart defeated Eric Onisko in the primary for Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Travis Couture (R)	46.7	22,722
✔		James DeHart (D)	43.0	20,952
		Eric Onisko (R)	10.2	4,951
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	75

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 48,700
= 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.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Couture in this election.

Pledges

Couture signed the following pledges.

U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: Washington House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2

Travis Couture defeated Sandy Kaiser in the general election for Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Travis Couture (R)	53.1	39,445
		Sandy Kaiser (D)	46.8	34,762
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	57

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 74,264
= 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.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2

Sandy Kaiser and Travis Couture defeated Patti Case and Tiffany Sevruk in the primary for Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sandy Kaiser (D)	45.3	22,224
✔		Travis Couture (R)	26.9	13,226
		Patti Case (R)	16.9	8,299
		Tiffany Sevruk (R)	10.8	5,325
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	29

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 49,103
= 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.
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Endorsements

To view Couture's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

2014

See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for 25 districts in the Washington State Senate 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 Tim Sheldon (D) and Irene Bowling (D) defeated Travis Couture (R) in the primary. Bowling was defeated by Sheldon in the general election.^[3]^[4]^[5]

**Washington State Senate, District 35 General Election, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Tim Sheldon Incumbent	54.4%	24,317
	Democratic	Irene Bowling	45.6%	20,375
Total Votes				44,692

**Washington State Senate, District 35 Top Two Primary, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Irene Bowling	35.2%	10,524
	Democratic	Tim Sheldon Incumbent	33.4%	9,971
	Republican	Travis Couture	31.4%	9,371
Total Votes				29,866

Endorsements

In 2014, Couture's endorsements include the following:^[6]

Citizens' Alliance for Property Rights

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Travis Couture did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Travis Couture completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Couture's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Travis Couture is a U.S. Navy submarine veteran, a program manager for the world's largest defense contractor at Naval Base Kitsap, and a father of four school-aged kids, with a Master's of Business Administration and a Bachelor's in Organizational Leadership.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Constitutional Rights - Following the Constitution is my top priority. I will always defend your rights and freedoms, and protect your liberties.
Public Safety - We need to get tough on rising crime and reverse laws that make our communities vulnerable. I respect our police and first responders, and will help them keep us safe.
Quality Education - Every child should feel safe at school, with all the resources to learn. I will oppose unfunded mandates that crush school budgets, and support policies that focus on strengthening core skills comprehension, safety, and school choice.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am running for office because I am concerned with the direction of Washington State. State government is too big, intrusive, expensive, and focused on the wrong priorities. I am particularly concerned with the erosion of public safety, K-12 education, and our Constitutional Rights. This is a critical time in our State and Nation’s history, and as someone with four kids, I want to play a key role in creating a better future for them and the families of the 35th district.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and integrity, passion for what they are doing and not themselves, and also a spine to do what's right.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The absolute core responsibility is to follow and protect the Constitution.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a restaurant cook in high school, and I had that job for a few years. It taught me fast-paced hard work, team work, and I remember the good people I worked with that worked hard to make very little.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The relationship is that they are separate and equal branches of government. The legislature makes the laws and appropriates funds, the Governor executes those laws, or vetoes them when appropriate. In Washington State, the Governor and the legislature have forgotten their proper roles, and this has resulted in over two years of emergency power rule complete with onerous mandates from the Governor. No person or branch of government was meant to consolidate so much power.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

There are many challenges, however the erosion of Constitutional rights, K-12 education, and public safety rise to the top. Transportation and freight mobility, affordable housing, and a government that rakes in billions of surpluses while continuing to raise taxes are also threats to the future of Washington State.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

Any time powers can be separated, and political power can be reduced or given back to the local level, it is for the benefit of all citizens. Unicameral legislatures consolidate power to push forward legislation faster, however faster legislation is not always for the benefit of the people.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

The Washington State legislature was intended to be and set up as a citizen legislature. It can be beneficial to have legislative experience to a point to understand procedure, history, and parliamentarianism, however, talent, leadership, and good ideas can come from anywhere, and career politicians definitely do not have a monopoly on them.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

It is definitely beneficial to build relationships with other legislators, but also with staff, and people you may disagree with across the aisle. It is also imperative that you build relationships with constituents in your district, their businesses, charities, and organizations. Not one person is smarter or more effective because they shut others out of the process. True leadership begins by setting a vision, building coalitions, and destroying barriers to success.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Any process that is least partisan, independent, and focuses on drawing lines that are equal in population, recognize the character of communities, and are electorally competitive. The Washington State Redistricting Commission, albeit far from perfect, is a superior model compared to other States.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I would be honored to be a part of any committee, however, committees on transportation, education, energy, or law and justice would be committees I would especially be excited about.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

We are made of a mixture of our learned experiences, and there are many legislators I have learned something from that I will add to my toolbelt.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I never say never, but at this time I am not interested in a career in politics. I want to go serve my district to the best of my ability with the energy and passion that they deserve, and then hopefully pass the reigns on to someone else and go back to my real job and my family.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I have heard many, and sometimes these stories can weigh upon you. I will never forget having to watch grown men explain to me in tears how unfair it was that they lost their life long medical careers because they made a personal decision about getting a vaccination, which was mandated with the threat of unemployment. Government should protect people, not needlessly harm them.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

The legislature should definitely oversee and grant the use of emergency powers. In Washington State, as I write this, the Governor has held emergency powers for over 762 days with no intention of giving them up. Those broad powers were exercised in devastating ways for over two years.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

There is a time for compromising, and also a point in which you have to make a firm stand for what is right. These decisions should always be made through the lens of what is best for your constituents and your district, as well as what the law and the Constitution deem possible.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2014

Couture's campaign website highlighted the following issues:^[7]

Individual Liberty

Excerpt: "As your State Senator, my main priority will be to protect our unalienable rights, granted to us by our creator, and ensured to us by our Constitution."

Economy

Excerpt: "Eliminate tax-payer funded lobbyists."
Excerpt: "End wasteful earmarks and pork barrel spending by sending capital budgets to an independent ethics review board."

Industry

Excerpt: "Protect private property rights."

Healthcare

Excerpt: "Repeal the WA State Health Exchange and Medicaid Expansion (Obamacare)."

Higher Education

Excerpt: "Reduce in-state tuition costs for science, medical, technology, business, and engineering majors by offering a tax rebate for 4 years of in-state employment."

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.

Travis Couture campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2	Won general	$121,875	$65,755
2022	Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2	Won general	$163,826	$150,506
Grand total			$285,701	$216,261
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Washington

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.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Washington State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 7.

Associated General Contractors of Washington: Senate and House

Legislators are scored based on their votes on legislation supported by the organization.

Association of Washington Business

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.

Building Industry Association of Washington

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to home building industry issues.

National Federation of Independent Business

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility

Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.

Washington Conservation Voters

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.

Washington State Labor Council

Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Washington State Legislature was in session from January 9 to April 23.

The American Conservative Union

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility

Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.

Washington State Labor Council

Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.

See also

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2

Officeholder

Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 3, 2022
↑ Washington State House Republicans, "About Rep. Travis Couture," accessed January 28, 2023
↑ 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
↑ Facebook, "Travis Couture for State Senate," accessed July 11, 2014
↑ Travis Couture, "The Conversation," accessed July 11, 2014

Political offices
Preceded by Drew MacEwen (R)	Washington House of Representatives District 35-Position 2 2023-Present	Succeeded by -

Current members of the Washington House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Laurie Jinkins

Majority Leader:Joe Fitzgibbon

Minority Leader:Drew Stokesbary

Representatives

District 1-Position 1

Davina Duerr (D)

District 1-Position 2

Shelley Kloba (D)

District 2-Position 1

Andrew Barkis (R)

District 2-Position 2

Matt Marshall (R)

District 3-Position 1

Natasha Hill (D)

District 3-Position 2

Timm Ormsby (D)

District 4-Position 1

Suzanne Schmidt (R)

District 4-Position 2

Rob Chase (R)

District 5-Position 1

Zach Hall (D)

District 5-Position 2

Lisa Callan (D)

District 6-Position 1

Mike Volz (R)

District 6-Position 2

Jenny Graham (R)

District 7-Position 1

David Engell (R)

District 7-Position 2

Hunter Abell (R)

District 8-Position 1

Stephanie Barnard (R)

District 8-Position 2

April Connors (R)

District 9-Position 1

Mary Dye (R)

District 9-Position 2

Joe Schmick (R)

District 10-Position 1

Clyde Shavers (D)

District 10-Position 2

Dave Paul (D)

District 11-Position 1

David Hackney (D)

District 11-Position 2

Steve Bergquist (D)

District 12-Position 1

Brian Burnett (R)

District 12-Position 2

Mike Steele (R)

District 13-Position 1

Tom Dent (R)

District 13-Position 2

Alex Ybarra (R)

District 14-Position 1

Gloria Mendoza (R)

District 14-Position 2

Deb Manjarrez (R)

District 15-Position 1

Chris Corry (R)

District 15-Position 2

Jeremie Dufault (R)

District 16-Position 1

Mark Klicker (R)

District 16-Position 2

Skyler Rude (R)

District 17-Position 1

Kevin Waters (R)

District 17-Position 2

David Stuebe (R)

District 18-Position 1

Stephanie McClintock (R)

District 18-Position 2

John Ley (R)

District 19-Position 1

Jim Walsh (R)

District 19-Position 2

Joel McEntire (R)

District 20-Position 1

Peter Abbarno (R)

District 20-Position 2

Ed Orcutt (R)

District 21-Position 1

Strom Peterson (D)

District 21-Position 2

Lillian Ortiz-Self (D)

District 22-Position 1

Beth Doglio (D)

District 22-Position 2

Lisa Parshley (D)

District 23-Position 1

Tarra Simmons (D)

District 23-Position 2

Greg Nance (D)

District 24-Position 1

Adam Bernbaum (D)

District 24-Position 2

Steve Tharinger (D)

District 25-Position 1

Michael Keaton (R)

District 25-Position 2

Cyndy Jacobsen (R)

District 26-Position 1

Adison Richards (D)

District 26-Position 2

Michelle Caldier (R)

District 27-Position 1

Laurie Jinkins (D)

District 27-Position 2

Jake Fey (D)

District 28-Position 1

Mari Leavitt (D)

District 28-Position 2

Dan Bronoske (D)

District 29-Position 1

Melanie Morgan (D)

District 29-Position 2

Sharlett Mena (D)

District 30-Position 1

Jamila Taylor (D)

District 30-Position 2

Kristine Reeves (D)

District 31-Position 1

Drew Stokesbary (R)

District 31-Position 2

Josh Penner (R)

District 32-Position 1

Cindy Ryu (D)

District 32-Position 2

Lauren Davis (D)

District 33-Position 1

Edwin Obras (D)

District 33-Position 2

Mia Gregerson (D)

District 34-Position 1

Brianna Thomas (D)

District 34-Position 2

Joe Fitzgibbon (D)

District 35-Position 1

Dan Griffey (R)

District 35-Position 2

Travis Couture (R)

District 36-Position 1

Julia Reed (D)

District 36-Position 2

Liz Berry (D)

District 37-Position 1

Sharon Santos (D)

District 37-Position 2

Chipalo Street (D)

District 38-Position 1

Julio Cortes (D)

District 38-Position 2

Mary Fosse (D)

District 39-Position 1

Sam Low (R)

District 39-Position 2

Carolyn Eslick (R)

District 40-Position 1

Debra Lekanoff (D)

District 40-Position 2

Alex Ramel (D)

District 41-Position 1

Janice Zahn (D)

District 41-Position 2

My-Linh Thai (D)

District 42-Position 1

Alicia Rule (D)

District 42-Position 2

Joe Timmons (D)

District 43-Position 1

Nicole Macri (D)

District 43-Position 2

Shaun Scott (D)

District 44-Position 1

Brandy Donaghy (D)

District 44-Position 2

April Berg (D)

District 45-Position 1

Roger Goodman (D)

District 45-Position 2

Larry Springer (D)

District 46-Position 1

Gerry Pollet (D)

District 46-Position 2

Darya Farivar (D)

District 47-Position 1

Debra Entenman (D)

District 47-Position 2

Chris Stearns (D)

District 48-Position 1

Osman Salahuddin (D)

District 48-Position 2

Amy Walen (D)

District 49-Position 1

Sharon Wylie (D)

District 49-Position 2

Monica Stonier (D)

Democratic Party (59)

Republican Party (39)

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