Longtime Spokane Valley state Sen. Mike Padden says he won't run for re-election

Apr. 3—OLYMPIA — Longtime Eastern Washington lawmaker Mike Padden announced Wednesday that he won't run for re-election.

After a 13-year run in the state Senate, Padden, R-Spokane Valley, is stepping down from his post representing the 4th legislative district.

The Republican leader on the Senate Law and Justice Committee is leaving the Legislature behind after nearly three decades. He was first elected in 1980 to represent Eastern Washington in the House. He went on to hold his seat there for 15 years. In 1995, he served as the House majority floor leader.

"I very, very much enjoyed representing the people in the 4th district," Padden said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. "It's a conservative, definitely center-right district. The views of my constituents and my views basically aligned most of the time."

Padden will leave office after serving a combined 28 legislative sessions in Olympia, including 15 in the House of Representatives, from 1981 to 1995. Padden was elected to a 4th District House seat in 1980 and was re-elected seven times. He was House majority floor leader during the 1995 legislative session.

Padden resigned from his 4th District House seat in March 1995 when he was appointed as a Spokane County District Court judge. He served three additional terms as a district court judge through countywide elections. Padden retired as a judge in January 2007. In 2008, he was appointed to serve on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A graduate of Gonzaga University, Padden earned his law degree in 1974.

Representing the same district, Rep. Leonard Christian, R-Spokane Valley, said Padden's retirement isn't a surprise, but "he'll be greatly missed."

During their time in the Legislature, they worked together to acquire funding for the Riverfront Park Veterans Memorial and helped secure $5.8 million in last year's capital budget for Avista Stadium renovations.

The two lawmakers also worked to advance each other's bills through the opposite chambers and regularly discussed legislation during the session, Christian said.

Following the announcement, Spokane Valley businessman Mike Kelly declared his candidacy for the soon-to-be vacant state Senate seat. He carries endorsements from Padden and Spokane County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner.

"His life experiences have prepared him well to work effectively with Senators of both parties," Padden said in a statement. "He will be an outstanding advocate for the culture of life, the taxpayer and the 2nd Amendment."

Kelly, a well-known conservative, said he wants to focus on defending parental rights, protecting families and is "committed to addressing the pressing issues facing our communities, from the soaring cost of living to the rise in crime."

Over the course of his tenure in Olympia, Padden has been a longstanding advocate for tougher impaired driving laws and public safety. Earlier this year, Padden's bill to extend the "lookback period" for prior DUI convictions from 10 to 15 years was signed into law.

"But there's so much more we can do," he said.

Padden said he hopes lawmakers will consider mandating oral swab saliva tests be used by law enforcement in the state to apprehend impaired drivers. Oral swab tests involve law enforcement collecting a saliva sample from the driver, which is then analyzed for substances including alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and opiates.

"We're in a crisis situation compared to other states," Padden said, adding that Washington saw more than 800 traffic deaths on its roads in 2023.

Within the past two years, Padden sponsored eight pieces of legislation signed by the governor, including a bill to promote more employee-owned businesses. He also worked to reduce condominium ownership regulations to help tenants save money.

One of the bills Padden sponsored that became law established a tax exemption for motorized wheelchairs and mobility equipment — some of which can cost upward of $50,000, he said.

Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Medical Lake, said Padden has been a rock-solid colleague over the years and will greatly missed.

"It breaks my heart that we're losing so much institutional memory so quickly," Holy said. "I think I see this not as issue-driven, but more that things come in waves. That value that he brings — that takes so long to build — is lost."

Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said he was sad to hear the news, but he understood why his longtime colleague decided to retire. Padden's energy and efficiency in the Legislature always stuck out to Schoesler, he said.

"If you were a staff attorney to Mike Padden, you better plan on working hard," Schoesler said. "He worked really hard on his committees, whether he was a chair or a ranking member. For a guy significantly older than me, he still seemed to be like the energizer bunny. Just going and going and going.

"Mike Padden was the criminal's worst nightmare, and he was the crime victim's best friend."

Padden said he and his wife, Laura, look forward to traveling and spending family time with their sons and grandchildren in retirement. The self-proclaimed "baseball nut" is also excited to attend more baseball games.

Fun fact: Padden's late grandfather Richard "Brains" Padden played second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the turn of the 20th century. His major league career spanned from 1896 to 1905. Along with the Pirates, Sen. Padden said he's an avid fan of the Seattle Mariners, as well as the Spokane Indians.

"It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve our 4th District in the state Senate these past dozen years," Padden said.

"I appreciate the opportunity to work with all of my legislative colleagues on a variety of issues over these years to make Washington better. I will miss my relationships with each and every one of them."

Ellen Dennis' work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.