Tribal member to run for House

Published 1:30 am Thursday, March 26, 2026

NEAH BAY — A former Makah Tribal Council member aims to be the only member of a Washington tribe in the state Legislature.

Patrick DePoe announced Tuesday that he plans to run for the 24th Legislative District state House seat that will be vacated by the retiring Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Port Townsend. DePoe plans to run as a Democrat.

“I love our home,” DePoe said. “I’ve been here my whole life. Even when I left for University of Washington, I always made time to come home. I think it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world.”

As such, DePoe hopes to be elected to the state Legislature to help protect what makes the Olympic Peninsula special.

“The most beautiful place is our district, and what makes it so beautiful is our lands and our waters,” DePoe said.

DePoe graduated from the University of Washington in 2005 with a bachelor of social science degree. Since then, he has worked as a commercial fisherman, a land manager and served on the Makah Tribal Council for six years. During that time, he led coordination with state and federal agencies on climate resilience and habitat restoration, according to his campaign website at depoe forwashington.com.

DePoe was an executive team leader for the state Department of Natural Resources and helped with the state’s landmark investments in climate change response, wildfire prevention and land management, according to his website.

He now works as the executive director of the Association of Washington Tribes.

“My work experiences have always been as a service to our community,” DePoe said. “I have the legislative experience, too. I’ve been working with the Legislature now for over 10 years, and I want to put that experience and service together for our district.”

As a Makah Tribal Council member and now through his work with the Association of Washington Tribes, DePoe said he’s has been facilitating meetings with the Legislature and the governor’s office and building strong relationships.

He also has campaign experience from when he ran for state Commissioner of Public Lands in 2024.

“It was a statewide race, and I was the second-highest Democrat in the race,” DePoe said. “I believe that, coming from the small town of Neah Bay, to be able to get so far in a race on the statewide level shows my commitment and understanding of the issues.”

One of the biggest issues DePoe plans to focus on is that of health care affordability and access, he said.

“I’ve been watching places shut down while costs skyrocket,” he said. “I’ve seen the loss of Planned Parenthood and the effect that’s going to have on OMC. One of the factors is nurse retention and other medical staff retention which forces us to look at temporary staff who cost more.”

Another problem is that if Olympic Medical Center is full, patients have to travel to Silverdale or even Seattle, he said.

DePoe has helped fight fires, clean up oil spills off the coast and managed the COVID-19 response. He said he wants to use the relationships he formed through that work to deliver for the community.

“I want to be one that bridges divides,” DePoe said. “I want to bring my expertise from Natural Resources, I want to bring my background of understanding infrastructure needs and be able to work with different communities and bring that home for us.”

Candidates can’t file to run until May. Between now and then, DePoe said he plans to speak to as many voters as he can.

“I believe it’s important to listen more than you speak,” he said. “I want to listen to the voters, find out what they think is important, and find ways to address those issues.”

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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.