Robert Sutherland (Washington politician)

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Robert J. Sutherland
Member of the Washington House of Representatives
from the 39th district
Assumed office
January 14, 2019
Serving with Carolyn Eslick
Preceded byDan Kristiansen
Personal details
Born1958/1959 (age 62–63)[1]
Burbank, California
Political partyRepublican
Alma materGonzaga University
OccupationPolitician
WebsiteLegislative website

Robert J. Sutherland (born 1958 or 1959) is an American politician serving as a member of the Washington House of Representatives, for the 39th district.

Background[]

Sutherland was born and raised in Burbank, California.[2] After graduating from high school, Sutherland served in the United States Air Force.[3] Sutherland then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from Gonzaga University.[4]

Career[]

Prior to entering politics, Sutherland worked as a biochemist, specializing in the development of cancer therapies.[5]

Sutherland sought election to the Washington's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in 2014 and 2016. He lost both elections to incumbent Congresswoman Suzan DelBene.

After the retirement of Representative Dan Kristiansen, Sutherland sought election to Washington's House of Representatives. In 2018, he defeated Democrat Ivan Lewis.[6]

Reaction to 2020 presidential election[]

Shortly after Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, Sutherland falsely claimed that Democrats "cheated" and that the election was not "fair".[7] Since the 2020 elections, Sutherland has promoted false claims of widespread election fraud and conspiracy theories.[8][2] In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Sutherland told his followers on Facebook to "Prepare for war" after proclaiming that "Joe Biden is not now, nor will ever be my President". He also said it would be "righteous" if Donald Trump utilized the military to forcefully stay in power.[9]

In June 2021, Sutherland visited Phoenix, Arizona to tour the controversial Arizona audit. Afterwards, Sutherland expressed support for the audit and suggested a similar audit take place in Washington state. He also claimed there was potential errors on tens of thousands of ballots cast in the 2020 Washington election. Sutherland was criticized by Secretary of State Kim Wyman for his understanding of state and national elections, saying that there's already safeguards to prevent fraud, that there's no proof of widespread fraud in the state or national elections, and that the Arizona audit has no standards for a forensic audit of elections, and that Cyber Ninjas, the company conducting the work in audit, has no prior experience with audits.[10]

In early August 2021, Sutherland visited South Dakota to attend a symposium organized by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, known for promoting false claims of fraud about the 2020 presidential election.[11] He was one of three Washington legislators to attend the event using reimbursed funds from the state legislature's annual travel allotment for events "connected to their legislative work".[12]

On August 15, Sutherland and four other Washington Republican lawmakers held an unofficial hearing with the aim of having people testify about alleged voting irregularities and possibly calling for a "forensic audit" to take place in Washington State similar to the criticized Arizona audit. Sutherland admitted that since Republicans are a minority in the state legislature, they can't force a audit but stated "The people themselves must rise up after hearing the evidence and the data." However, these efforts have not won any support from top Republicans in the state.[11] Sutherland later emailed attendees to encourage them to participate in an September lawsuit that alleged that auditors in Whatcom, Snohomish, and Clark counties manipulated ballots, among other allegations surrounding the elections. The lawsuit sought to establish a forensic audit for the state's 2020 elections.[13]

Personal life[]

Sutherland and his wife, Donna, have four children. They live in Snohomish County, Washington.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ "Three compete to succeed Kristiansen in House". HeraldNet. August 6, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Cornfield, Jerry (February 21, 2021). "Sutherland is a roiling force with his conservative speak". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Cauvel, Kimberly (October 9, 2018). "First-time candidates compete for District 39 House seat". GoSkagit.com. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  4. ^ "About | Robert J. Sutherland for State Representative, 39th Legislative District". www.sutherland4rep.com. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "About Rep. Robert J. Sutherland". Robert J. Sutherland. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  6. ^ "Rep. Robert J. Sutherland takes oath of office, sworn in as 39th District state representative". Monroe Monitor. January 16, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  7. ^ Cornfield, Jerry (November 12, 2020). "Local GOP leaders insist it's too soon for Trump to concede". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Cornfield, Jerry (August 13, 2021). "With no proof, Snohomish event will consider election fraud". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Westneat, Danny (December 16, 2020). "'Prepare for war': A local GOP official goes all-in with election conspiracy theories". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  10. ^ Camden, Jim (June 26, 2021). "GOP lawmaker tours Cyber Ninjas 'audit,' considers changes in Washington called unnecessary". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ a b Brunner, Jim (August 13, 2021). "Washington Republican legislators push election fraud narrative at hearing on Sunday". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 15, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Brunner, Jim (January 3, 2022). "Three WA Republican legislators used taxpayer money to attend Mike Lindell's election conspiracy conference". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  13. ^ Cornfield, Jerry (September 20, 2021). "Lawsuits claim 2020 ballots in Washington were manipulated". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved September 26, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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