Chris Stearns

Chris Stearns
Speaker pro tempore of the Washington House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office January 13, 2025
Preceded by	Tina Orwall
Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 47th district
Incumbent
Assumed office December 1, 2022 Serving with Debra Entenman
Preceded by	Pat Sullivan
Personal details
Political party	Democratic
Education	Williams College (BA) Cornell University (JD)

Chris Stearns is an American politician who is a Democratic member of the Washington Legislature representing the State's 47th House district for position 2.[1] He is a member of the Navajo nation.[2] Before serving in the legislature, Stearns was the first tribal member to serve on the Auburn City Council.[3]

Early life and career

Sterns graduated from Lawrenceville School.[4] He earned a B.A. with honors in history from Williams College.[4] He graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from Cornell Law School.[4]

President Bill Clinton appointed Stearns as director of Indian affairs for the Department of Energy under Secretary Bill Richardson.[5] Stearns served as chair of the Washington State Gambling Commission and a member of the City of Seattle's Human Rights Commission.[5][6]

Stearns was elected to the Auburn City Council in 2019.[5]

Elections

November 2022 State Representative Position 2 General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Chris Stearns	27,057	63.73
	Democratic	Shukri Olow	13,196	31.08

References

1. Stearns, Chris. Twitter https://twitter.com/stearnsauburn/status/1598365206362849280. Retrieved 2 December 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
2. Hyde, David (15 November 2022). "Native representation to increase in Washington Legislature". KUOW. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
3. Stewart-Wood, Henry (5 April 2022). "Auburn Councilmember Chris Stearns announces run for 47th District House seat". Kent Reporter. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
4. "47th District Rep.-elect Chris Stearns to step down from Auburn City Council". Auburn Reporter. 2022-12-14. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
5. "Chris Stearns". City of Auburn. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
6. Wolf, Jacob (5 October 2016). "Washington State Gambling Commission orders Valve to stop skins gambling". ESPN. Retrieved 2 December 2022.

Washington House of Representatives
Preceded by Tina Orwall	Speaker pro tempore of the Washington House of Representatives 2025–present	Incumbent