House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox: ‘It is time’

The following email from House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox was sent to members of the Washington State Legislature on the afternoon of April 23, 2023:

[J.T. Wilcox represents LD2, is listed as a Republican from Yelm.]

[From Spokane’s Spokesman-Review: “Although he’s leaving his leadership role, Wilcox said he isn’t resigning his seat.“]

Today [April 23] is the right time for me to end my time as Leader of the House Republicans.

I’ve served in seven different versions of the Washington House Republican Caucus and this version of the caucus is undoubtedly the highest quality caucus of all. The dedicated and deeply competent men and women who have joined our group in the last two elections give me great hope for the future, and the leaders who occupy positions throughout the caucus give me absolute confidence that my replacement, when he or she is named, will accomplish far more than I can.

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The Washington State Legislature is intended to be a part-time citizen Legislature and I don’t believe it should be a career. I’ve tried hard to make my years here productive for the people of the 2nd Legislative District and, in my leadership roles, for all the other people of Washington. This is also a partisan job and I’ve said in the past that if my leadership didn’t result in better results and a more balanced Legislature for our state then it was time for a change. That time is now.

I believe it’s also time for generational change in our politics in a broader sense. Experience is valuable in government, but it also has a shelf life. I hope that all across our state and country we can recognize the value of a newer generation of leaders who will have less investment in the antagonisms that have consumed the last years.

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Read more from The Olympian Editorial Board.

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+ The Center Square: Rep. Drew Stokesbary elected new leader of Washington State House Republicans