Baumgartner to run for Spokane County treasurer

Sen. Mike Baumgartner will not run for re-election this fall and instead will run for Spokane County treasurer.

Baumgartner, 42, announced Wednesday he will seek the county office now occupied by Republican Rob Chase, who is not running for re-election.

“I made a two-term pledge, and I’m keeping it,” Chase said Wednesday evening. He is considering several political options and could have an announcement as early as next week.

Baumgartner, a two-term Republican senator who has a degree in economics, said he would emphasize fiscal transparency and fiscal conservative values if elected.

He also will endorse Rep. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, for his seat, and keep the same staff, including Chase’s chief deputy Mike Volz, the other Republican in the House from the 6th Legislative District.

One factor in his decision is the prospect of spending more time with his wife and four small children than a part-time legislator is able to do. This year, his wife, Eleanor, had a miscarriage in the 20th week of pregnancy, forcing him to be away from Olympia for more than a week.