OLYMPIA, Wash. – Governor Jay Inslee has appointed Democratic state Senator Steve Hobbs as the state’s 16th Secretary of State.
This is the first time a Democrat will hold the office since the mid-1960s.
Hobbs will replace Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman, who will leave office November 19th to start a senior election security job in the Biden administration.
Inslee announced the appointment from Glasgow, Scotland, where he is participating in this year’s U.N. climate summit.
Hobbs, who is of Japanese descent, will be the first person of color to head the agency.
His appointment is effective November 22nd.