House Pos. 1
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Suzanne Schmidt (R) | 54,758 | 68.82% |
| Kristopher Pockell (I) | 24,804 | 31.18% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
The Candidates
Suzanne Schmidt
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 61
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Education: Graduated from Libby Senior High School in Libby, Montana, in 1982. Received an associate degree with an emphasis in business administration from Flathead Valley Community College in Libby in 1991, and received an associate degree in applied science with an emphasis on medical assistant/technology from Spokane Community College in June 2003.
Work experience: Former president and chief executive officer of the Associated Builders and Contractors Inland Pacific Chapter. Worked as the organization’s workers comp program manager prior to that. Worked as an administrator at the Corps of Engineers at Libby Dam.
Political experience: Elected to the State House position one seat representing the 4th Legislative District in 2022.
Family: Married to Dean Schmidt. Has three adult children.
Campaign contributions: Raised more than $111,000 as of Oct. 1, 2024, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Top donors include the political action committees for the Association of Builders and Contractors and the Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors, BNSF Railway, Kuney Construction and Hollis Barnett and his wife, Elizabeth Barnett. Hollis Barnett serves as vice president of Spokane-based Garco Construction.
Kristopher Pockell
- Party:
- Independent
- Age:
- 37
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Education: Graduated from Central Valley High School in 2006. Earned a bachelor's degree in software development in 2018, and a master of business administration degree in 2021, both from Western Governors University.
Work experience: Worked as a machinist at USWP Manufacturing, Mackay manufacturing and Romney Motion before returning to higher education. Spent three years as a software engineer at AssetWorks LLC before joining OpenEye in 2019. Now serves as a software engineering manager for OpenEye. Co-owns and operates Elixir Sauce Company, established in 2021.
Political experience: Ran for a Spokane Valley Fire District commission seat in 2015.
Family: Married to Rebekah Pockell.
Campaign contributions: Has raised more than 1,200 as of Oct. 1, 2024, nearly all of it from himself, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.
Complete Coverage
Rep. Suzanne Schmidt seeks re-election against Spokane Valley software engineer, small business owner
If primary election results are any indication, Rep. Suzanne Schmidt could be headed back to Olympia next session.
Democrats Valencia, Cummings lead crowded field in Spokane Valley legislative races
Voters have narrowed the crowded field of candidates vying for the three state Legislature positions representing Spokane Valley, but two races are still too close to call.