Кристофер Вэнс: Американ саяхатшысының өмір жолы мен саяси мансабы

American politician
the British actor

Christopher M. Vance (born May 1, 1962) is an American politician who served two terms on the Metropolitan King County Council and is a former member of the Washington State Legislature. Vance is former chair of the Washington State Republican Party. He and his wife Ann raised their son and daughter in Auburn, Washington and now live in Sumner, Washington. Vance ran unsuccessfully for the U. S. Senate, losing to Democratic incumbent Patty Murray in the 2016 election by 18 percentage points. In September 2017 he announced that he had left the Republican Party and had become an independent. Vance was briefly leader of the Forward Party in Washington State until his resignation, he was replaced by Krist Novoselic.

Vance was born in Seattle in 1962, and lived in Bellevue until the eighth grade, when his family moved to east Pierce County. In 1980, Vance graduated from Sumner High School. He attended Western Washington University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science. From 1991 to 1993 Vance served in the Washington House of Representatives for the 31st Legislative District, following an unsuccessful 1988 bid. He was the second ranking Republican on the House Education Committee, and was elected by his colleagues to the position of Assistant Floor Leader. From 1994 to 2001 he represented the 13th district of the King County Council, acting as a leader in the areas of budget, transportation and land use. In 2000, he unsuccessfully ran for Congress. He worked to get Republican officials elected, including Rob McKenna, the first Republican State Attorney General in 13 years.

Vance also played a central role in Dino Rossi's failed bid to become the Governor of Washington. After winning the first two statewide ballot counts, Secretary of State Sam Reed certified Rossi as the winner; however, a statewide hand recount resulted in the election of Democratic Party candidate Christine Gregoire. The Rossi campaign and the Washington State Republican Party filed an election contest in Chelan County Superior Court. The controversy over the election lasted over six months, with Vance often serving as a spokesman for the party and Rossi's campaign.

On September 8, 2015, Vance announced that he was running for the United States Senate. During the campaign he stated that could not support Donald Trump for President. Vance lost by a significant margin in 2016 to incumbent Democrat Patty Murray, who received the most votes ever in a United States Senate election in Washington state.

On March 15, 2022, Vance announced he was running for the Washington State Senate as an independent in the same 31st district he represented in the State House 30 years earlier. He lost the general election, garnering 44% of the vote.

Vance joined The Lincoln Project as a senior advisor in 2020. He endorsed Joe Biden for president in the 2020 election. From February until December 2021, Vance was a signatory for the Stand Up Republic affiliated 'A Call for American Renewal' manifesto. This manifesto sought to oust Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican candidate for president in 2024 and dismantle or replace the Republican Party.

On January 9, 2006, Vance announced he would resign his position and pursue opportunities in the private sector. He currently works as a member of the management team of King County Assessor John Wilson, serves as a Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center, is a former adjunct professor at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs, and is a frequent media commentator on Washington State politics. In 2017, Vance joined the American Civil Liberties Union, and in February, 2024, Vance published a short book on his experiences and analysis of the rise of Trump and the destruction of the Reaganite Republican Party, titled The Fall of The Shining City.