Michael James Baumgartner (/ˈbɑːmɡɑːrtnər/ BAHM-gart-nər, born December 13, 1975)[1] is an American politician and former diplomat currently serving as the U.S. representative from Washington's 5th congressional district, a post he has held since 2025.

On February 26, 2024, Baumgartner announced his intention to run for the United States House of Representatives' in Washington's 5th congressional district to succeed Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, who did not seek reelection.

After graduating from Harvard, Baumgartner, a Catholic, volunteered on a Gonzaga Jesuit mission to Mozambique and studied forests in Siberia.

During the Iraq War, he served as the economics officer in the Office of Joint Strategic Planning & Assessment (JSPA) at the United States Embassy in Baghdad, helping the Iraqi government as part of the Baghdad Security Plan, receiving accolades from then General David Petraeus as well as Ambassador Ryan Crocker.

[5][6] After leaving Iraq, Baumgartner worked as a civilian contractor in Helmand Province, Afganistan, where encouraged poppy farmers to grow food instead, in an effort to combat the opioid epidemic.

[7] Baumgartner represented parts of the City of Spokane, Airway Heights, and Cheney including Eastern Washington University.

(map) In 2010, Baumgartner returned to Eastern Washington and was planning a trip with his future wife Eleanor “to see if we actually like each other," when he was approached by Cathy McMorris Rodgers' Chief of Staff and future Spokane Mayor David Condon, who recruited him to run against incumbent Democratic State Senator and Majority Whip Chris Marr for the Washington State Senate 6th Legislative District seat.

[13] During the 2016 presidential election primaries, Baumgartner chaired Scott Walker's campaign for president in the state of Washington.

[26] During his tenure in the State Senate, Baumgartner fought to improve infrastructure in Eastern Washington, including securing the $900 million funding needed to complete the north–south corridor route first proposed sixty years ago, being the sole local Republican to support the major transportation package,[29] helping lead successful efforts to build a new medical school in Spokane which addressed physician shortages in underserved and rural areas of Eastern Washington, which contributed to boosting healthcare economy jobs growth.

[32][33] One of Baumgartner's most notable personal efforts was in 2016, when he took an outspoken stand against the expulsion of an American Samoan student, Robert Barber, from Washington State University.

[37] In the final year of his tenure, 2018, the Washington Policy Center think-tank announced that Baumgartner would be presented with their prestigious "Champion of Freedom" award, in recognition "for his outstanding commitment to free-market principles, worker rights and limited government, particularly in advancing labor reform in our state.

WPC’s board chose Baumgartner for this award in recognition of his "unwavering principled stand on numerous key issues during his many years in the State Senate.

Baumgartner maintained a close friendship with Washington State University football coach Mike Leach throughout his life.