Sen. Steve Hobbs, longtime chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and the second longest-tenured member of the Senate Democratic Caucus, officially resigned from the Senate on Monday, Nov. 22 and will assume his duties as Washington’s 16th Secretary of State on Tuesday.
“Being elected to the Senate was the greatest honor and thrill of my life,” Hobbs said. “I can say without hesitation that I gave this job everything I have and I hope I left my district and this institution in a better place than when I arrived.”
Hobbs, 51, was first elected to the Senate in 2006. During his tenure he worked to deliver a long list of transportation and capital construction projects to his Snohomish County legislative district, and played a crucial role in negotiating the 2015 Connecting Washington transportation investment package. He has served as Chair of the Transportation Committee since 2018, and has long been a champion for reproductive rights, healthcare, and voting rights.
As a Lieutenant Colonel in the Washington National Guard, Hobbs also worked to ensure the state’s military veterans, active-duty soldiers and their families have greater access to education, healthcare and an overall higher quality of life. In the early days and weeks of Washington’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hobbs was in charge of the Western Washington operation, leading a force of more than 750 Army and Air National Guard soldiers tasked with ensuring food banks remained stocked and open and that beds and ventilators reached their destination.
“I look forward to this next challenge, and I’m both excited and humbled by the opportunity,” Hobbs said. “Like all things in life, no one is successful without a lot of help, and I’ve been blessed to work with and be supported by some absolutely remarkable people during my time in the Senate.”
Hobbs is an Army veteran and served in Iraq and Kosovo. He and his wife Pam live in Lake Stevens and are parents of three boys, Gavin, Truman and Winston.
For Hobbs’ full biography, click here.
