John Braun

For the baseball player, see John Braun (baseball).
John Braun
Minority Leader of the Washington Senate
In office
November 30, 2020 – Present
Preceded byMark Schoesler
Member of the Washington Senate
from the 20th district
In office
January 14, 2013 – Present
Preceded byDan Swecker
Personal details
Born
John Eric Braun

(1967-01-16) January 16, 1967
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMarlo Braun
EducationUniversity of Washington (BS)
University of Michigan (MS, MBA)
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website

John Eric Braun[1] (born January 16, 1967) is an American politician from Washington. A Republican, Braun is in the Washington State Senate, representing the 20th legislative district.[2][3]

Early Life, Education, & Military Service

John Braun was born on January 16, 1967, in Columbus, Ohio.[4] He grew up in Ohio and attended the University of Washington on a U.S. Naval ROTC scholarship. He graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He then served seven years on active duty with the United States Navy. (He would ultimately retire as a Captain after 31 years of combined active and Navy Reserve service.)

Following active service with the Navy, Braun earned his Master of Business Administration degree and Master of Science in engineering management from the University of Michigan in 1999.

Business Career

John Braun serves as President of Braun Northwest, a family-owned emergency vehicle manufacturer founded in 1986. The company has 350 employees and serves Fire, EMS, and Law Enforcement agencies across the western United States.[5]

Political

In 2012, John Braun ran in a three-way all-Republican primary versus the incumbent state senator Dan Swecker and employment specialist and former substitute teacher Rae Lowery.[6] Braun had a strong showing in the primary with 40.33 percent of the vote compared to Swecker's 46.97 percent.[7] In the General Election, Braun greatly improved on his primary showing; defeating Swecker with 55.43 percent of the vote.[8]

He held his first floor speech February 15, 2013, and sponsored more than 70 bills as a freshman legislator.[9]

Legislative Leadership & Committees

In 2015, Braun sponsored the College Affordability Program in 2015, enabling the first and largest tuition cuts at state universities and colleges in the nation. [10]

Braun chaired the Senate Ways & Means Committee in 2017, spearheading a landmark 2017-19 state operating budget that included historic education funding and property tax reforms that reduced taxes for 73% of Washingtonians.[11]

In November 2020, Braun was elected Washington Senate Minority Leader by members of the Republican caucus.[12] Braun has served as the minority leader since the start of the 2021–2022 legislative session.[13]

2026 U.S. House run

In August 2025, Braun announced that he would be running for U.S. House in Washington's 3rd congressional district in 2026[14]

Awards

  • 2014 Guardians of Small Business award. Presented by NFIB.[15]

Community

  • Member, Providence Centralia Hospital
  • Member, Centralia College Foundation Board
  • Former Member, Enterprise Washington Board of Directors
  • Former Member, National Association of Manufacturers President's Council
  • Former Member, St. Joseph School Commission
  • Former Member, Centralia Youth Soccer Board

[16]

Personal life

John Braun lives on a small farm in rural Centralia with his wife and four children, while managing the family business.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Ambulance maker had long road back home to Chehalis". The Chronicle (Centralia, WA). 2005-06-27. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2012-12-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Senator John Braun Political Summary - Project Vote Smart". Votesmart.org. 2012-01-01. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  4. ^ "2019-2020 Legislative Manual" (PDF). State of Washington. 2019. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  5. ^ braunnw-admin. "About". Braun Northwest. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  6. ^ "Candidates". Weiapplets.sos.wa.gov. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  7. ^ "Legislative District 20 - State Senator". Vote.wa.gov. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  8. ^ "Legislative District 20 - State Senator". Vote.wa.gov. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  9. ^ "Bill Sponsorship". Archived from the original on 2013-02-27. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  10. ^ "About". John Braun. 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  11. ^ "About". John Braun. 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  12. ^ "WA state Sen. Schoesler steps down as minority leader, Sen. Braun assumes role". MyNorthwest.com. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  13. ^ Fitzgerald, Celene. "Centralia Republican John Braun Elected to Serve as Senate Minority Leader". The Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  14. ^ local; Politics, Regional (2025-08-12). "State Sen. John Braun will challenge U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  15. ^ "69 Lawmakers Win Main Street's Highest Award". nfib.com. May 12, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  16. ^ "About". John Braun. 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  17. ^ "State Senator - Legislative District 20". Vote.wa.gov. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.