U.S. House of Representatives
Elections 2004 In 2004, Reichert ran for Congress. He bowed out of the Republican
primary debate, however, because two other candidates had run ads critical of him. He defeated his Democratic opponent,
KIRO talk show host
Dave Ross, in the
2004 election, 52% to 47%. He succeeded retiring Republican Congresswoman
Jennifer Dunn. At the same time, the
Democratic presidential nominee, Senator
John Kerry won, 51% to 48%, against President
George W. Bush in the . That made Reichert one of just 17 House Republicans elected in a district that also voted for the
Democratic candidate for the presidency.
ARMPAC, a
political action committee of former
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, donated $20,000 to his election campaign.
2006 He faced Democratic candidate
Darcy Burner in November 2006; he was re-elected with 51% of the vote.
2008 In a repeat of the 2006 election matchup, he faced Democratic candidate
Darcy Burner. He won the
general election with 53% of the vote to Burner's 47%.
2010 He was challenged by Democratic candidate
Suzan DelBene.
2012 He was challenged by Democratic candidate Karen Porterfield, and won with almost 60% of the vote.
2014 He was challenged by Democratic candidate Jason Ritchie, and won with 63% of the vote.
2016 He was challenged by Democratic candidate Tony Ventrella, and won with 60% of the vote.
Committee assignments •
Committee on Ways and Means •
Subcommittee on Trade •
Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures (Chair)
Caucus memberships •
House Baltic Caucus •
Congressional Arts Caucus •
Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus •
Climate Solutions Caucus •
U.S.-Japan Caucus Political positions Reichert was a member of the
Republican Main Street Partnership. He was ranked as the 21st most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the
114th congress by
The Lugar Center and the
McCourt School of Public Policy.
Abortion Reichert has opposed abortion during his congressional career. He voted repeatedly for bills to restrict abortions after 20 weeks. During the 2024 gubernatorial campaign, Reichert has attempted to soften his prior views on abortion and has said he will uphold current abortion laws if elected.
Budget, debt, and spending Reichert was not present for the vote on then-
House Budget Committee Chair
Paul Ryan's 2012 budget, which Ryan dubbed "
The Path to Prosperity"; Reichert had intended to vote in favor of it, but was called away to Washington state following the death of his mother. However, he did vote for the
Cut, Cap, and Balance Act and the
Budget Control Act of 2011. Both acts required Congress to pass a
balanced budget amendment prior to raising the
United States debt ceiling. This was supported primarily by Republicans and opposed by Democrats. In the final vote to lift the
debt ceiling, until 2013, he voted with the Republican majority in favor.
Civil rights Reichert was one of 15 Republican House members to vote in favor of repealing "
Don't Ask, Don't Tell", the ban on
openly gay military service personnel. In 2017, Reichert declared his support for
Executive Order 13769, which imposed a temporary ban on citizens of seven
Muslim-majority countries entering the U.S. He stated that "My first and most important job is protecting families in our region and the American people ... We must be absolutely certain we have systems in place capable of thoroughly vetting anyone applying for refugee status on American soil."
Crime Reichert supported reauthorization of the
Violence Against Women Act. He was the main sponsor of the
Preventing Sex Trafficking and Improving Opportunities for Youth in Foster Care Act, a bill which would require states to take action to address the problem of
sex trafficking of children in the foster care system.
Drug reform On March 4, 2014, Reichert introduced the
Preserving Welfare for Needs Not Weed Act (H.R. 4137; 113th Congress), a bill that would prevent the use of
electronic benefit transfer cards in businesses that sell
marijuana.
Health care Reichert favored repealing the
Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Reichert was one of only 20 Republicans to vote against the
American Health Care Act of 2017 (also known as Trumpcare).
LGBT rights Reichert has voiced personal opposition to
same-sex marriage, saying in 2024 that "marriage is between a man and a woman". He stated that he doesn't intend to restrict same-sex marriage if elected governor during the 2024 gubernatorial election.
Taxation Reichert had signed the
Taxpayer Protection Pledge by the
Americans for Tax Reform, a group run by
Grover Norquist. The pledge commits the signer to oppose any legislation that
raises taxes or eliminates tax deductions. On April 10, 2014, Reichert introduced the
Permanent S Corporation Built-in Gains Recognition Period Act of 2014 (H.R. 4453; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reduce from 10 to 5 years the period during which the built-in gains of an
S corporation are subject to tax and to make such reduction permanent. ==Personal life==