Duane Davidson
Duane A. Davidson (born June 6, 1959) is an American accountant and politician. He is the Washington State Treasurer, having been elected in November 2016, and assuming office in January 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Duane Davidson | |
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23rd Treasurer of Washington | |
Assumed office January 10, 2017 | |
Governor | Jay Inslee |
Preceded by | Jim McIntire |
Personal details | |
Born | Carnation, Washington, U.S. | June 6, 1959
Political party | Republican |
Children | 3 Bailey, Luke and Grace |
Education | Bellevue College Central Washington University (BS) |
Website | Official website |
Early life
Davidson was born and raised in the Snoqualmie Valley near the town of Carnation, Washington, into a family involved in dairy farming, logging and other small businesses. He graduated from Tolt High School, in Carnation. He started his undergraduate education at Bellevue Community College and transferred to Central Washington University in Ellensburg where he earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting.
Career
Davidson is an actively licensed certified public accountant (CPA). He was elected to four terms as Treasurer of Benton County, Washington. He took that office following his initial election in 2003.[1] During Davidson's tenure as Benton County Treasurer, available public documents show that total outstanding year-end debt dropped from $24.4 million as of December 31, 2012 [2] to $12.6 million as of December 31, 2016.[3]
Immediately prior to being elected as Benton County Treasurer, Duane was the Chief Financial Accountant for the county. Earlier in his career, as auditor for the Washington State Auditor’s Office, he served as the Assistant Audit Manager in the Tri-Cities in charge of the Walla Walla regional offices.
State Treasurer
Davidson was elected state treasurer by winning 58% of the statewide vote against another Republican.[4]
Davidson has said his agenda as State Treasurer includes emphasizing financial education for consumers, and particularly students. In a May, 2017 visit to the Yakima, Wash. area, he visited a Junior Achievement program focusing on financial education and emphasized the utility of successful learning models already in use, rather than the development of new curricula by state agencies.[5]
Davidson has raised concerns about Washington state's total outstanding debt, and annual debt service costs.[6] The state’s total outstanding obligations at the close of FY 2019 totaled $21.3 billion. He issues an annual report electronically by the request of the Legislature to each legislative member to provide an overview on the state's debt portfolio.[7]
Personal life
He and his wife Kathy (deceased 2016), raised three children together – daughters Bailey (Young) and Grace, and son Luke – in the Tri-Cities. While a county treasurer, Davidson served three terms as President of the Washington State Association of County Treasurers (WSACT) and earlier served as the organization’s treasurer. Davidson is a long-time Kiwanian. He is the past-president for two separate Kiwanis Clubs in the Tri-Cities and served as treasurer for the Kiwanis Club of Tri-Cities Industry Foundation.[8] Davidson's youngest daughter, Grace, was his campaign manager for his 2016 election to state office. When his wife Kathy died in 2016, he contemplated dropping out of the race. Grace offered to be his campaign manager. She was 17 at the time. Duane has been vocal about the experience of having Grace run his campaign. Grace lead the Davidson campaign to victory and set multiple state records.
Electoral History
Washington State Treasurer, 2016 Election[9] | |||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
Republican | Duane A. Davidson | 1,576,580 | 58.15 |
Republican | Michael Waite | 1,134,843 | 41.85 |
Washington State Treasurer, 2016 Primary Election[10] | |||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
Republican | Duane A. Davidson | 322,374 | 25.09 |
Republican | Michael Waite | 299,766 | 23.33 |
Democratic | Marko Liias | 261,633 | 20.36 |
Democratic | John Paul Comerford | 230,904 | 17.97 |
Democratic | Alec Fisken | 170,117 | 13.24 |
Benton County Treasurer, 2014 Election[11] | |||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
Republican | Duane A. Davidson | 38,215 | 100 |
Benton County Treasurer, 2010 Election[12] | |||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
Republican | Duane A. Davidson | 46,829 | 100 |
References
- "Benton County Treasurer sets sights on the state job". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For Year Ending December 31, 2012 (p. 5)" (PDF). Benton County Auditor. June 27, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For Year Ending December 31, 2016 (p. 4)" (PDF). Benton County Auditor. June 28, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "Duane Davidson wins over Michael Waite in state treasurer race". The Seattle Times. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- "Best lesson on financial literacy found here in Yakima". Yakima Herald Republic. May 24, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
- "Raise your drink to state's financial state, but watch out for the hangover". Tacoma News Tribune. July 8, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "The State Treasurer wants Washington residents and the Legislature to know just how much debt the state has amassed, releasing a study on the state's debt portfolio and other financial obligations". Office of the State Treasurer (see News - "The State Treasurer wants Washington residents and the Legislature to know just how much debt the state has amassed"). January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- "Treasurer's Biography". Treasurer's Office website. June 28, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "November 8, 2016 General Election Results - State Treasurer". results.vote.wa.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- "August 2, 2016 Primary Results - State Treasurer". results.vote.wa.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- "Benton County November 4, 2014 General Election". results.vote.wa.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- "Benton County November 02, 2010 General Election". results.vote.wa.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
External links
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Jim McIntire |
Treasurer of Washington 2017–present |
Incumbent |