Chris Vance

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. Early life and education 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. Political career After college Vance went to work for former Congressman Rod Chandler, then served as a research analyst with the Washington State Senate.