Vicki Kraft

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Vicki Kraft
Member of the Washington House of Representatives
from the 17th district
Assumed office
January 9, 2017
Preceded byLynda Wilson
Personal details
Born
Vicki Lynne Caldwell

1969 (age 52–53)
Political partyRepublican
Alma materMichigan State University (BA)
Websiteofficial

Vicki Lynne Caldwell Kraft[1] (born 1969)[2] is an American politician currently serving in the Washington State House of Representatives for the 17th legislative district, serving since 2017. She was reelected in 2018, defeating Democrat Tanisha Harris by a margin of victory of less than 2%.[3][4] In a 2020 rematch, Kraft beat Harris by approximately 2.2%.

Biography[]

Kraft was raised in Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in advertising. Prior to entering politics, Kraft worked as an account executive in small companies and in major companies like Dell, Pillsbury and Frigidaire. In 2007, Kraft moved to Washington and currently lives in Vancouver with her husband.[5]

Political career[]

Kraft has promoted false claims of election fraud about the 2020 elections.[6][7] In the summer of 2021, Kraft was one of three Washington legislators who 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. She and the two legislators who attended the event used reimbursed funds from the state legislature's annual travel allotment for events "connected to their legislative work".[7]

In August 2021, Kraft and four other state Republican lawmakers held an unofficial hearing with the aim of possibly calling for a "forensic audit" to take place in Washington State similar to the 2021 Maricopa County presidential ballot audit. The group that organized the event invited a speaker who falsely claimed there was voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.[8] The same month, Kraft wrote to Secretary of State Kim Wyman calling for a "forensic audit" of Washington's 2020 elections, saying that there was "many questions and issues to be addressed regarding our November 2020 elections."[6]

In November 2021, Kraft and 2 other Washington state Republican lawmakers signed a letter calling the 2020 election "corrupted" and demanded that an audit similar to the 2021 Maricopa County presidential ballot audit be conducted in all states.[9] The letter also requested the decertification of state electors from 2020 and inaccurately claimed that the Maricopa audit found evidence of fraud.[10]

After the state's redistricting of Washington's legislative map, Kraft's district was drawn out. In December 2021, Kraft announced her intention to run against Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler.[6][11]

References[]

  1. ^ "Commencement, 1991 Spring Term" (PDF). Michigan State University. 1991. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  2. ^ "Legislative Manual 2021-2022" (PDF). Washington State Legislature.
  3. ^ Hair (November 6, 2018). "Election night: Dems gain in Washington, but how much?". The Stand. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  4. ^ "November 6, 2018 General Election Results". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Vicki Kraft For State Representative – Meet Vicki". Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  6. ^ a b c Brynelson, Troy (1 December 2021). "Washington state Rep. Vicki Kraft tells Republicans she will run for Congress". OPB. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  7. ^ a b 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.
  8. ^ Brunner, Jim (2021-08-13). "Washington Republican legislators push election fraud narrative at hearing on Sunday". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  9. ^ Brunner, Jim (7 October 2021). "State Democrats ask courts to dismiss lawsuits pursuing 2020 election audits". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2021-10-11 – via The Wenatchee World.
  10. ^ Bowman, Nick (2021-12-01). "Claims of election fraud from Washington Republicans persist amid flood of emails to AG's office". MyNorthwest.com. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  11. ^ Bowman, Nick (2021-12-06). "Election fraud narrative becomes common thread among candidates looking to unseat WA Republicans". MyNorthwest.com. Retrieved 2021-12-08.


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