Senator Chris Gildon first won election to the Washington State House of Representatives in 2018 and was elected to the State Senate in 2020. He represents the 25th Legislative District, which includes Puyallup, South Hill, Midland and Summit.
Chris has proven leadership experience — not only as a 23-year veteran Army Officer with five overseas deployments and two bronze star medals — but also as a legislator who earned a reputation as being a calm voice of reason in Olympia.
Chris serves on the Senate’s Business, Financial Services, Gaming & Trade Committee; Housing Committee; Rules Committee; and its budget-writing Ways and Means Committee as the Assistant Ranking on the state’s operating budget. He is also the Senate Republican deputy leader.
In addition to his legislative committee assignments, Chris serves on the Legislative Ethics Board and the board of directors for the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, which conducts nonpartisan research to inform public policymaking. He also serves on the Joint Committee on Veterans’ and Military Affairs, the Washington State Criminal Sentencing Task Force, and the Legislative-Executive WorkFirst Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force.
Chris earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Texas. He also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Webster University and a master of strategic security studies from the National Defense University.
Chris lives in Puyallup with his wife, Autumn. They have been married 29 years and have two adult children.