Brian Dansel

Brian Ross Dansel (born April 2, 1983)^[1] is an American politician, political advisor, and current member of the Ferry County Board of Commissioners. Before that he was a Special Assistant to the United States Secretary of Agriculture in the Trump Administration. He was previously a Republican member of the Washington State Senate from the 7th Legislative District.^[2] Dansel won the seat in the 2013 election, in which he defeated appointed senator John Smith, and was sworn in on December 6, 2013.^[3]

Brian Dansel
Member of the Washington Senate from the 7th district
In office December 6, 2013 – January 24, 2017
Preceded by	John Smith
Succeeded by	Shelly Short
Personal details
Born	Brian Ross Dansel (1983-04-02) April 2, 1983 (age 42) Republic, Washington, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Walla Walla Community College (AA)

In a letter to the Washington State Office of Governor dated January 24, 2017, Dansel resigned as senator for the seventh district and vacated his seat after accepting a position with the Trump Administration as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture.^[4] In early November, he returned to Washington state to be the director of the state's USDA Farm Service Agency.^[5]

In 2023, he became a Ferry County Commissioner.^[6]

Washington State Senate

Dansel represented Douglas, Ferry, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Stevens Counties, along with portions of Grant and Spokane Counties.^[7] An earlier redistricting proposal from 2021 would have divided Okanogan County between the 7th and 13th districts.^[8]

Elections

In 2013, Dansel ran against incumbent Republican senator John Smith. On November 5, 2013, Dansel defeated Smith with 54% of the vote.^[9]

During his campaign for state senate, Dansel received the endorsement of the Washington Education Association and a $500 contribution from the Spokane Committee on Political Education, a political action committee under the AFL-CIO.^[10][11] Smith claimed that Dansel was a "tool of unions" throughout the campaign. Dansel responded by asserting that "he'll listen to anyone, whether they agree with him or not."^[12]

Washington State Senate special election from the 7th District, 2013

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brian Dansel	18,873	54
	Republican	John Smith (Incumbent)	16,324	46

2024 congressional run

On February 10, 2024, Dansel announced that he would be a candidate for the United States House of Representatives to succeed Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is not seeking reelection.^[13] On April 19, his campaign was endorsed by the Washington State Republican Party during the State convention.^[14]

On August 6, 2024, Dansel lost the primary, placing in a distant fifth.^[15] He promptly announced his retirement from politics, and deleted his Twitter account.