Lisa Brown
A candidate for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 5 in the 2018 Washington General Election, Nov. 6
Party: Democratic
Age: 67
City: Spokane, Washington
Education: Graduated from Robinson High School in Illinois in 1974. Graduated from the University of Illinois in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Graduated from the University of Colorado in 1986 with a doctorate in economics.
Work experience: Chancellor of Washington State University Spokane from 2013-17. Associate professor of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University from 2001-2012. Assistant and associate professor of economics at Eastern Washington University from 1981-2001. As a young adult, worked in fast food restaurants and bookstores, as well as a summer working at the Marathon oil refinery where her dad worked. Formerly served on the boards of YWCA, Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners, Greater Spokane Incorporated, the University District Public Development Authority and Innovate Washington.
Political experience: State Department of Commerce from 2019 to early 2023. Ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2018, losing to U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Elected as a state representative for the 3rd Legislative District, serving from 1993-96. Elected a state senator of the 3rd District, serving from 1997-2012. Served as Senate Majority Leader from 2008-2012.
Family: Married to Brian McClatchey. Has one adult son and one grandson.
Political donations: Reported raising about $464,000 as of Oct. 16, including major donations from the Washington state Democratic Central Committee, the Spokane Tribe of Indians, unions including the Laborers International Union of North America Local 238, and the Denny Heck for Congress campaign. Other notable contributors include former Spokane Mayor John Powers.
Contact information
Race Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R) | 175,422 | 54.76% |
| Lisa Brown (D) | 144,925 | 45.24% |
Related Coverage
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers talks Kavanaugh, refugees and human trafficking during stop at Lutheran Community Services
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers met with the director of Lutheran Community Services, the Spokane-based nonprofit providing support for refugees and victims of sexual assault, on Friday morning, as the Trump administration announced it would reduce the number of legal entrants into the U.S. and the Senate prepares to vote on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court amid allegations of sexual violence in the early 1980s.
Pence, on campaign stop in Spokane, says D.C. needs McMorris Rodgers
Vice President Mike Pence called U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers “one of the most important voices in Washington, D.C.” during a campaign luncheon for the Republican congresswoman Tuesday afternoon at the Spokane Convention Center.
Protesters inflate Baby Trump balloon outside Spokane campaign fundraiser featuring Mike Pence
It was Vice President Mike Pence who visited Spokane on Tuesday. But the focus of protesters outside his campaign fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers was his boss.
Where they stand: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Lisa Brown on taxes, trade deals and the budget
The largest piece of legislation passed by this Congress was last year’s federal tax bill, which made sweeping changes to both individual and corporate filers. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers says those changes have resulted in a more vibrant economy and is pushing for an extension of individual tax cuts that experts say will continue to swell the debt. Lisa Brown accused the GOP of “gimmicks” to keep the full financial effects of their tax cuts hidden from the American public.
Pence says D.C. needs McMorris Rodgers during Spokane campaign stop
Vice President Mike Pence urged Eastern Washington voters to retain U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers in a stump speech Tuesday afternoon to push the administration’s economic policies and confirm conservative judges like embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Video courtesy of KHQ.
Protesters inflate ‘Baby Trump’ balloon outside Spokane campaign fundraiser featuring Mike Pence
Protesters inflated a giant “Baby Trump” balloon outside the Spokane Convention Center, where Vice President Mike Pence spoke during a campaign fundraiser for Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Video courtesy of KHQ.
Vice President Mike Pence to appear for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers in downtown Spokane on Tuesday
The vice president, a former colleague of McMorris Rodgers in the U.S. House of Representatives, will speak at an afternoon fundraiser at the Spokane Convention Center. Tickets to the event were still selling at $125 apiece on Monday afternoon, according to the McMorris Rodgers campaign, which expects more than 1,000 attendees.
Vice President Mike Pence to appear for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers downtown Spokane on Tuesday
A campaign swing to the West will bring Vice President Mike Pence to downtown Spokane on Tuesday to stump for U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. KHQ’s Joe McHale reports.
Lisa Brown: We need solutions that lower health care costs and expand access, not slogans
Lisa Brown, D, is a former WSU Spokane chancellor and former Washington state Senate majority leader.
Shawn Vestal: McMorris Rodgers’ vow against Social Security and Medicare cuts rings hollow
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers protests too much about claims she would vote for Social Security and Medicare cuts. Not only is it utterly credible to believe she might vote for such cuts – which would certainly be, like last year’s failed Trumpcare effort, swaddled in claims that the cuts are not cuts – but she’s already voted to do so. More than once.