Luke Esser (born August 26, 1961) is an American attorney, journalist, and politician who served as the chairman of the

Washington State Republican Party The Washington State Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national United States Republican Party, headquartered in Bellevue. History Campaigns and elections Washington voters tend to support Democratic Party candidates, with ''Th ...

from 2007 to 2011. He was elected on January 27, 2007, when he defeated incumbent chairwoman

Diane Tebelius Diane E. Tebelius (born 1948) is an American attorney and former federal prosecutor, Tebelius was the chair of the Washington State Republican Party from 2006 to 2007. In 2004, she ran in the Republican primary for election to Washington's 8th co ...

, was re-elected in 2009, but lost to Kirby Wilbur in 2011. Esser is a former Republican

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

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 Legislative Building in Olymp ...

, representing the 48th Legislative District. He served as the Majority

floor leader In politics, floor leaders, also known as a caucus leader, are leaders of their respective political party in a body of a legislature. Philippines In the Philippines each body of the bicameral Congress has a majority floor leader and a minor ...

for the Washington State Senate. He was defeated for re-election in 2006 by

Democratic 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 (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

challenger and former Republican lawmaker

Rodney Tom Rodney Tom (born July 25, 1963) is an American businessman and politician who represented Washington's 48th Legislative District in the state Senate. Education Tom earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in 1985 and w ...

. In the 2004 Republican primary for the eighth Congressional district of Washington he finished third, behind

and King County Sheriff

Dave Reichert David George Reichert (; born August 29, 1950) is an American politician, veteran, and former sheriff who served as the U.S. representative for Washington's 8th congressional district from 2005 to 2019. He is a Republican and is the former el ...

. Reichert went on to win the general election and served in that seat until he retired in 2019. For much of the 1990s, Esser was a contributing writer to Fantasy Football Index, the nation's oldest and largest circulating fantasy football publication. Esser lives in East

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside (King County, Washington), Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area and has v ...

and attended St. Louise Parish Catholic Church. He is a graduate of Interlake High School and three times from the University of Washington: Double majored in Editorial Journalism & Accounting, earned a J.D. degree and an M.B.A. degree.

2008 Caucuses

Esser called the Republican presidential caucus of Washington for John McCain, on February 9, 2008, after 87% of the vote had been counted, and 200 votes separated John McCain from Mike Huckabee. Huckabee had been leading early on as the votes were counted, but after McCain took the lead, Esser published a press release declaring McCain the apparent victor. As the remaining votes were counted, McCain maintained his lead and wo

References

External links

Campaign website

Washington State Republican Party website

Washington State Republican Party leadership biographies
* College Op-Ed written by Luke Esser o
Suppressing Vote for Republican Advantage
UW Daily, Nov. 3, 1986 1961 births Living people Republican Party Washington (state) state senators State political party chairs of Washington (state) Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives {{Washington-politician-stub