by Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard
December 6, 2024
Mike Chapman became Washington’s newest state senator Friday, a day after resigning from the state House of Representatives.
Chapman, a Port Angeles Democrat, was elected last month to succeed Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, who did not seek re-election. Chapman was sworn in Friday to fill the vacancy created when Van De Wege resigned in October.
“It’s humbling. I’ve been an invited guest on the Senate floor and now, to stand here as a senator, it is kind of surreal,” Chapman said a few minutes after Supreme Court Justice Steven Gonzalez administered the oath of office inside the Senate chamber.
With Chapman now a senator, Democrat Adam Bernbaum got an early start on his legislative career. Bernbaum, elected last month to succeed Chapman, took the oath Friday afternoon. Hannan Wise-Maas, his wife and a public notary, did the swearing-in at the House dais. Washington state Rep. Adam Bernbaum, D-Port Angeles, is congratulated by House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, after taking the oath of office on Friday. (Legislative Support Services)
“It’s a great honor. I think the gravity of the moment is just settling in,” said Bernbaum, a Port Angeles resident who was Van De Wege’s legislative assistant before stepping down to run for office.
Moments later, House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, and House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon, D-West Seattle, came onto the House floor to congratulate the newest member of their caucus.
Chapman and Bernbaum represent the 24th Legislative District encompassing Clallam, Jefferson and Grays Harbor counties on the Olympic Peninsula.
Chapman joins the Senate following four terms in the House. He will be vice chair of the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee after serving as chair of the House Rural Development, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee.
He will also be a member of the Senate Health & Long-Term Care and Transportation committees. And he is deputy chair of capital budget assuring his involvement in the writing and negotiating of the Senate’s next capital budget.
Chapman lives in Port Angeles with his wife, Bobbi. They have two grown sons.
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