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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Lisa Brown

A candidate for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 5 in the 2018 Washington Primary Election

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.

Related Coverage

Where they stand: McMorris Rodgers and Brown on gun control, background checks

Both Lisa Brown and Cathy McMorris Rodgers support bans on bump stocks, but some of their positions on other gun issues are significantly different.

Stevens County GOP, amid criticism from Democrats, pulls gun auction from event featuring Cathy McMorris Rodgers

The Stevens County Republican Party halted plans to raffle a semiautomatic rifle at an event where Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers was scheduled to speak next month after outcry from her Democratic opponent.

Democratic poll lauded by Lisa Brown; Cathy McMorris Rodgers team skeptical

A poll commissioned by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has Lisa Brown running neck-and-neck with Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers in the race for Eastern Washington’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. McMorris Rodgers’ campaign team called the results “bogus” and noted they were reported by a Democratic source.

Where they stand: Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Lisa Brown split on the wall, refugees and family migration

As the fate of roughly 700,000 children of undocumented immigrants living in America is debated on Capitol Hill, prompting the closure of the federal government last month, the two candidates for Eastern Washington’s seat in Congress offer up their views on immigration policy.

With passage of budget deal, bills sponsored by McMorris Rodgers become law

On a busy day in Congress Tuesday, three bills sponsored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers won the support of the House. Friday morning, President Trump signed two of those bills into law as part of a long-awaited budget deal.

Lisa Brown surges in fundraising, but Cathy McMorris Rodgers widens money margin in Congress race

Both camps are claiming unprecedented interest and donations in the race to represent Eastern Washington in Congress. The contest between the House of Representatives’ fourth-ranking Republican and the former Democratic leader of the Washington Senate has already drawn interest nationwide.

Independent Eric Agnew drops congressional bid, leaving McMorris Rodgers and Brown in the race

The candidate cited intense interest and big money as his reasons for dropping a long-shot bid to contest the seat Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers has held since 2005.

MLK rally speakers call out Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ hecklers

While it’s intended to be a celebration and remembrance for the late reverend, Spokane’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Rally and March quickly turned political when two candidates vying for a seat in the House of Representatives took the stage

Over 400 show up for Lisa Brown campaign training

The race for Washington’s 5th Congressional District may be months away, but the parties have already begun the foundational work of campaign building. For the campaign of challenger Lisa Brown Saturday, that foundation showed up in droves.

Paul Ryan-backed super PAC supporting Cathy McMorris Rodgers in 2018 contest

The Congressional Leadership Fund has selected Eastern Washington as one of 27 sites for field offices, intended to drum up support for Republicans ahead of the 2018 midterms. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is the highest-profile Republican to date who will receive support from the group, which has promised to spend $100 million in this campaign cycle to maintain the party’s control of both houses of Congress.