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'''Don Benton''' (born April 8, 1957) is currently serving his fourth term in the [[Washington State|Washington]] [[Senate]], and has a notable record for fighting [[taxes]] and [[crime]].<ref>[http://www.bentonforsenate.com/?page_id=2 About Don], bentonforsenate.com.</ref> He is also a successful small [[business]] owner. Benton has been a state senator since 1996 and also served a term in the state [[House of Representatives]].<ref name=seattletimes>Katherine Long. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011011450_benton08m.html Don Benton, veteran state senator, seeks to take on Patty Murray in November], ''The Seattle Times'', February 7, 2010.</ref> In 1998, Benton unsuccessfully ran against Democratic U.S. Rep. Brian Baird of Vancouver for a seat in the U.S. House.
State Senator Don Benton officially filed his candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission for the [[US Senate]] seat held by [[Patty Murray]] on February 15, 2010.<ref name=bentonFEC>[http://www.bentonforsenate.com/?page_id=102 Senator Don Benton officially files candidacy for US Senate with FEC], bentonforsenate.com, February 15, 2010.</ref>
==Experience==
Don Benton first became interested in politics when his father, whom Benton considers to have been his [[mentor]], served four terms on the local school board. His father's passion for politics carried over to Don, beginning with his service as student body president in college, to today’s service in the state Senate. Don Benton was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994; Benton has been in the Senate starting in 1996 and was reelected in 2000, 2004 and 2008. His current term expires January 2013.<ref>[http://www.bentonforsenate.com/?page_id=92 Senator Don Benton to run for US Senate], February 6, 2010.</ref>
==Political Philosophy==
Senator Don Benton has dedicated his legislative career to protecting property rights, reducing property taxes and putting criminals behind bars.<ref name=seattletimes/> He called for a special session to save a voter-approved cap on property tax collections. Despite the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate I-747 on a technicality, the Legislature put the cap into law during a one-day special session in November 2007.
Benton has led the fight to save the Taxpayer Protection Act in the Washington state Senate. Initiative 960, which requires all new taxes to be approved with a two-thirds majority vote and was approved by voters in 2007, is being suspended by majority [[Democrats]]. Don Benton commented on the suspension of I-960 by majority Democrats, and how Democrats have run rampant in the state of Washington for too long and have refused to answer to the people.
{{Cquote|This is just plain wrong. We’re ignoring the will of the people. I believe government should answer to the people, not the other way around.<ref name=bentonFEC/>}}
Benton believes in "common-sense conservatism" and criticized Murray as "moving in lock-step" with [[President Obama]] on an agenda to nationalize banks, medicine and the auto industry.<ref name=seattletimes/> Inspired in part by [[Republican]] Sen. [[Scott Brown|Scott Brown's]] upset victory in [[Massachusetts]], Don Benton retained the same consulting team behind Brown's candidacy.
==Tea Party Movement==
Don Benton is a critic of big government and an opponent of tax increases. He is in alignment with members of the [[Tea Party movement]] and their call for smaller government and lower taxes. Benton has never voted to increase taxes in his 16-year tenure in the Legislature.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External Links==
* [http://www.bentonforsenate.com/ Benton For Senate 2010] - [[Washington State|Washington]], [[Republican]]
* [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Don-Benton/13438768593 Don Benton] - [[Facebook]]
==Also See==
* [[2010 Midterm Elections]]
* [[Arthur Coday]] - [[Republican]]
* [[Patty Murray]] - [[Democrat]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benton, Don}}
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:Former United States Representatives]]
[[Category:United States Senators]]
State Senator Don Benton officially filed his candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission for the [[US Senate]] seat held by [[Patty Murray]] on February 15, 2010.<ref name=bentonFEC>[http://www.bentonforsenate.com/?page_id=102 Senator Don Benton officially files candidacy for US Senate with FEC], bentonforsenate.com, February 15, 2010.</ref>
==Experience==
Don Benton first became interested in politics when his father, whom Benton considers to have been his [[mentor]], served four terms on the local school board. His father's passion for politics carried over to Don, beginning with his service as student body president in college, to today’s service in the state Senate. Don Benton was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994; Benton has been in the Senate starting in 1996 and was reelected in 2000, 2004 and 2008. His current term expires January 2013.<ref>[http://www.bentonforsenate.com/?page_id=92 Senator Don Benton to run for US Senate], February 6, 2010.</ref>
==Political Philosophy==
Senator Don Benton has dedicated his legislative career to protecting property rights, reducing property taxes and putting criminals behind bars.<ref name=seattletimes/> He called for a special session to save a voter-approved cap on property tax collections. Despite the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate I-747 on a technicality, the Legislature put the cap into law during a one-day special session in November 2007.
Benton has led the fight to save the Taxpayer Protection Act in the Washington state Senate. Initiative 960, which requires all new taxes to be approved with a two-thirds majority vote and was approved by voters in 2007, is being suspended by majority [[Democrats]]. Don Benton commented on the suspension of I-960 by majority Democrats, and how Democrats have run rampant in the state of Washington for too long and have refused to answer to the people.
{{Cquote|This is just plain wrong. We’re ignoring the will of the people. I believe government should answer to the people, not the other way around.<ref name=bentonFEC/>}}
Benton believes in "common-sense conservatism" and criticized Murray as "moving in lock-step" with [[President Obama]] on an agenda to nationalize banks, medicine and the auto industry.<ref name=seattletimes/> Inspired in part by [[Republican]] Sen. [[Scott Brown|Scott Brown's]] upset victory in [[Massachusetts]], Don Benton retained the same consulting team behind Brown's candidacy.
==Tea Party Movement==
Don Benton is a critic of big government and an opponent of tax increases. He is in alignment with members of the [[Tea Party movement]] and their call for smaller government and lower taxes. Benton has never voted to increase taxes in his 16-year tenure in the Legislature.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External Links==
* [http://www.bentonforsenate.com/ Benton For Senate 2010] - [[Washington State|Washington]], [[Republican]]
* [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Don-Benton/13438768593 Don Benton] - [[Facebook]]
==Also See==
* [[2010 Midterm Elections]]
* [[Arthur Coday]] - [[Republican]]
* [[Patty Murray]] - [[Democrat]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benton, Don}}
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:Former United States Representatives]]
[[Category:United States Senators]]