Keith Leonard Wagoner (born 1961) is an American politician currently serving in the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Washington State Capitol, Legis ...

representing

Washington's 39th legislative district Washington's 39th legislative district is one of forty-nine districts in Washington state for representation in the state legislature. The rural district contains most of Snohomish and Skagit counties (but not their major cities) and the northea ...

, He previously served as mayor of

Sedro Woolley, Washington Sedro-Woolley ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area and had a population of 12,421 at the 2020 census. The city is home to the admin ...

. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life, education, and military career

Wagoner grew up on a farm in Alger, Skagit County, Washington and graduated from

Burlington-Edison High School Burlington-Edison High School (commonly abbreviated to B-EHS) is a public high school in Burlington, Washington. It serves students in grades 9–12 in the Burlington-Edison School District, including the communities of Burlington, Bow, Edison, ...

in 1979. Following high school graduation, he attended

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

until he received an appointment to the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is the sec ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

. Following his graduation from the USNA in 1984 with a

Bachelor of Science degree A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in physical oceanography, Wagoner was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

. After completing Marine Officer Training at

Quantico, Virginia Quantico (; formerly Potomac) is a town in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 578 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., bound ...

, he took an inter-service transfer for Naval Aviation flight training at

NAS Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United Sta ...

in Florida. He earned his pilot's wings in 1986. In addition to his bachelor's degree, Wagoner also has a

Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in Global Leadership from the University of San Diego. While a Naval Aviator, Wagoner flew the

CH-53E Super Stallion The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy lift helicopter operated by the United States military. As the Sikorsky S-80, it was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, adding a seventh blade to the main rotor ...

helicopter and the

CH-46 Sea Knight The Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight is an American medium-lift tandem-rotor transport helicopter powered by twin turboshaft engines. It was designed by Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol following Vertol's acquisition by Boeing. Develo ...

helicopter. His Navy career spanned 23 years with duty stations in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

Seoul, Korea Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

and

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, among others. He retired from the Navy as a

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

in 2007.

Political career

In 2007, Wagoner and his wife returned to

Skagit County Skagit County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,523. The county seat and largest city is Mount Vernon. The county was formed in 1883 from Whatcom County and is named for the Upper and ...

to live in Sedro Woolley. Not long after their relocation, Wagoner ran for and won a seat on the Sedro Woolley City Council. After five years on the council, he won the town mayoral seat and was in that position for two years before being selected unanimously by a vote of electors to the 39th Legislative District's vacant senate seat on January 3, 2018. The district contains parts of

Snohomish County Snohomish County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 72nd-most popul ...

, and

King County King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 12th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle ...

. Wagoner ran for the same seat in November 2018 and was elected by a 2/3 majority. He won re-election in 2020. Currently, Wagoner serves on the Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. He is the Republican Whip as well as lead on the Behavioral Health Subcommittee. Wagoner is on record as a supporter of former President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. Shortly after the 2020 United States presidential election, Wagoner stated he felt "The process has not played out". He did not claim the election was "stolen" but explained that there are Republicans who do not trust the voting system in the state of Washington or in the country. On November 30, 2021, Wagoner announced that he would run for

Washington Secretary of State The secretary of state of Washington is an independently elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Washington. Fifteen individuals have held the office of Secretary of State since statehood. Th ...

, challenging appointed incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Steve Hobbs in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. Wagoner lost in the primary to independent Julie Anderson.

Personal life

Wagoner's wife is Wen Wagoner; together they have three adult children, one of whom is a graduate of the US Naval Academy. Wagoner lives with his wife in Sedro Woolley.

Awards

* 2020 Senate Legislator of the Year. Presented by The Washington State

Fraternal Order of Police The National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is a fraternal organization consisting of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It reports a membership of over 355,000 members organized in 2,100 local chapters (lodges), state lodge ...

. * 2021 City Champion Awards. Presented by Association of Washington Cities (AWC).

References

External links

Keith Wagoner at ballotpedia.org

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagoner, Keith 1961 births Living people Republican Party Washington (state) state senators 21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature