Background
Van De Wege was born in Seattle in 1974 and grew up in rural Whatcom County.
Van De Wege was born in Seattle in 1974 and grew up in rural Whatcom County.
He attended Meridian School District public schools from kindergarten through high school. After graduating from high school in 1993, Van De Wege attended Edmonds Community College where he earned an associate"s degree in fire investigation in 1995 and an associate"s degree in fire command and administration in 1996.
Van De Wege serves as majority whip with the House Democratic Caucus. As a child, he worked on berry farms and at a local dairy farm. During his senior year of high school he joined Whatcom County Fire District #3 as a volunteer.
This experience sparked a lifelong interest in public safety and the fire service.
In 2002, Van De Wege received a Bachelor of Arts in social science from Washington State University, completing coursework through the university"s distance learning program Van De Wege served as a volunteer firefighter with Snohomish County Fire District #7 and completed paramedic training.
During the summer of 1998 he did a paramedic internship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and became a fully certified paramedic later that fall. Van De Wege was hired in February 1999 to his first paid position as a firefighter/paramedic with the Sunnyside Fire Department.
He worked there for two years until he was offered a full-time position in Sequim in 2001.
Today, Van De Wege serves as a lieutenant with the Clallam County Fire District #3. In 2004, Van De Wege challenged Republican incumbent Representative Jim Buck, narrowly losing 51-49 percent, a margin of fewer than 2,000 votes. He was also selected to a key committee focusing on veteran"s issues.
In 2008, Thomas Thomas of Joyce challenged Van De Wege.
Van De Wege prevailed with more than 65 percent of the vote. Van De Wege has become a strong advocate for the timber and biomass industries on the Olympic Peninsula.
Republican Van De Wege also led the fight to secure permanent funding for the Neah Bay rescue tug, which provides year-round protection for marine vessels in the Straits of Juan de Fuca.
He was challenged by Portuguese Angeles real estate broker and consultant Dan Gase, who refused to initially acknowledge defeat. In 2012 Van de Wege was challenged by Portuguese Ludlow resident Craig Durgan.
Van De Wege prevailed with 64% of the vote in the general election. In 2014 Representative Van De Wege ran unchallenged.
In 2006, Van De Wege again challenged Buck, and this time won the election by more than 3,000 votes 53-47 percent. In 2010, Van De Wege won in an anti-Democratic year with over 55% of the vote. Overall, Republicans gained control of several Democratic seats across the state, and Van De Wege"s results showed his ability to win support across party lines.
A Democrat, he has served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives since January 2007, representing the 24th legislative district, including much of the Olympic Peninsula, which is made up of Callam Country, Jefferson Country, and half of Grays Harbor Country, and includes Forks, Hoquiam, Portuguese Angeles, Portuguese Townsend, Sequim, McCleary, Elma,and Ocean Shores. He also serves on the Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee, Health Care Committee, Rules Committee and is a member of the House Community Development, Housing & Tribal Affairs Committee. Van De Wege is a member of the Portuguese Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, co-chairs the Heritage Caucus in Olympia, and is a member of the Law Enforcement Officer and Fire Fighter Pension Board.
