Michael Baumgartner in Washington Senate Debate

On Energy & Oil: One-cent gas tax to pay for veterans' services

Baumgartner touted one of his proposals: a 1-cent, temporary tax on gasoline to help pay for veterans services. Cantwell rejected Baumgartner's gas tax idea. "I don't support taxing transportation for something other than transportation," she said. Source: The Seattle Times on 2012 WA Senate debate Oct 12, 2012

On Energy & Oil: Climate change is happening but unclear if manmade

On climate change, Baumgartner said "it is clear" that it is happening but it was unclear whether it was caused by mankind. Still, he said steps must be taken to deal with rising carbon emissions.

Cantwell said rising temperatures could affect energy prices in Washington state. "I want us to diversify off fossil fuels," she said. "We need a process to protect consumers of the future." She said she's confident a green energy economy can help create jobs.

Source: The Seattle Times on 2012 WA Senate debate Oct 12, 2012

On War & Peace: Leave Afghanistan now & use funds domestically

Baumgartner, who has worked as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan, said he wants to "end the war in Afghanistan now" and use the savings to help with domestic finances. "We have a foreign policy disaster now in the Middle East," he said. "Sen. Cantwell has been consistently in support of poorly planned wars."

Cantwell countered that she supports Pres. Obama's plans to withdraw troops in 2014, and she said Pres. Bush deserved blame for not fully funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Source: The Seattle Times on 2012 WA Senate debate Oct 12, 2012

On Drugs: Advised counternarcotics team in Afghanistan

Baumgartner spent seven months advising a counternarcotics team in Afghanistan. Baumgartner spent his days urging farmers to plant wheat instead of opium poppies. He also wooed his future wife, Eleanor, a British journalist and consultant who was working with him. In 2009, the two moved back to Washington together. Source: Seattle Times on 2012 WA Senate debate Sep 15, 2012

On Foreign Policy: Served as lead strategic-policy coordinator in Baghdad

In 2007, as conditions in Iraq were going downhill, Michael Baumgartner made what seemed to him like a logical decision: He moved there. "Some Americans were stepping up to serve, and I felt compelled," said Baumgartner, now a U.S. Senate candidate. "I wasn't married, I didn't have children."

It wasn't his first time abroad. The 36-year-old Republican, who represents Spokane in the state Senate, has lived or worked in 70 countries. But it was his first time in a war zone. The year Baumgartner spent as the State Department's lead strategic-policy coordinator in Baghdad, followed by seven months advising a counternarcotics team in Afghanistan, forged his belief that foreign policy should be higher on voters' priority list..

After earning a master's degree in public administration at Harvard in 2002, he spent the next five years advising the prince of Dubai on economic development, consulting with Saudi business groups and helping an American mining company respond to the Venezuelan government.

Source: Seattle Times on 2012 WA Senate debate Sep 15, 2012

On War & Peace: We're wasting resources on democracy-building in Afghanistan

Baumgartner's experience in war zones has also molded his understanding of foreign policy. Unlike many Republicans, he believes the US is wasting its resources on democracy-building in Afghanistan. A more targeted military approach would have worked better and saved trillions of dollars, he said. "Government doesn't come in a box," he said. "It comes through legitimate local growth."

Foreign policy isn't typically the building block of a statewide campaign. Baumgartner acknowledged that most voters care more about domestic issues, especially the economy. That hasn't deterred him. "In my view, people don't care enough about the war," he said. "My interest in foreign policy is above the average voter's interest. That doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about it."

[In his campaign], he draws on the lessons of the war zone. "When we were in Iraq & Afghanistan, you didn't sit around thinking about all the things you couldn't do," Baumgartner said. "You thought about the things you could get done."

Source: Seattle Times on 2012 WA Senate debate Sep 15, 2012

On Abortion: Life begins at conception; no exceptions except pragmatism

[Todd Akin (R, MO) differentiated "legitimate rape" and] thinks abortion should be illegal even in cases of rape. Baumgartner also says there should be no exceptions.

Our question for Baumgartner, who told us today that Akin's statement was "inexcusable and stupid and ignorant"--was this: How was his position different than Akin's?

"I have empathy for the victims of rape. Rape is a tragedy. It's a terrible thing. Certainly, we need to give victims all the help we can. There is no place in politics for uttering something so ignorant about pregnancy and rape."

As for Baumgartner's own position: ""I am still a Catholic. I still believe life begins at conception. That is consistent with my Catholic beliefs. And I believe we must protect life."

He concluded: "The culture wars are not why I'm in the state senate or running against my opponent. I'm pragmatic. I objected to the expansion of abortion services, but I voted for two budgets that funded [family planning] services."

Source: Seattle Met on 2012 WA Senate debate Aug 20, 2012

On Civil Rights: Opposes gay marriage

In a December news release, Baumgartner pointed out that Cantwell is not married and "has frequently voted to undermine the role of parents in child-rearing." He also opposes gay marriage. Source: Yakima Herald on 2012 WA Senate debates Apr 12, 2012

On Families & Children: No unfettered teen access to emergency contraceptive Plan B

In a December news release, he chided Cantwell for supporting access to the emergency contraceptive Plan B for girls younger than 16. Baumgartner pointed out that Cantwell is not married and "has frequently voted to undermine the role of parents in child-rearing." Source: Yakima Herald on 2012 WA Senate debates Apr 12, 2012

On Immigration: Opposes DREAM Act; reform guest worker criteria

Baumgartner said he opposes legislation providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants in the United States, including the DREAM Act, which would give children of illegal immigrants brought into the country by their parents opportunities to receive university scholarships and a path to citizenship. He said he supports reforming guest worker programs to make them friendlier to growers seeking foreign labor for agriculture. Source: Yakima Herald on 2012 WA Senate debates Apr 12, 2012

The above quotations are from Washington Senate Debates: Patty Murray (D) vs. George Nethercutt (R), October 20, 2004. Click here for other excerpts from Washington Senate Debates: Patty Murray (D) vs. George Nethercutt (R), October 20, 2004. Click here for other excerpts by Michael Baumgartner. Click here for a profile of Michael Baumgartner.
*Michael Baumgartner on other issues:*
Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families Foreign Policy Free Trade	Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Jobs Principles Social Security Tax Reform Technology War/Peace Welfare
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Page last updated: Feb 26, 2019