| Anna Burkette | |
|---|---|
| |
| United States Senator from Washington | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Succeeded by | James Brock |
| Preceded by | TBD |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 3, 1945 Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
Annalise "Anna" Burkette (born September 3, 1945) is an American politician and author. A member of the Republican party, she served as a United States Senator from Washington from 1995 to 2001. She was defeated in her re-election bid in 2000 to James Brock by 45,000 votes. As of 2021, she was the last Republican senator from Washington.
Early life and education[]
Burkette was born in Spokane, Washington, to Maria Burkette (1915–2004) and Andrew Burkette (1919–1999), both descended from Russian immigrants in the 1880s.
She attended the Foundry United Methodist Churchin Washington, D.C., before joining the National Presbyterian Church in 1973.
Burkette attended the University of Washington and graduated with distinction in Political Science, on June 2, 1967. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was a recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, a national prize given to those exemplifying the ideal of service to others.
Following her graduation from Washington, she took a job as a student teacher at a High School in Spokane, for the 1959–1960 school year. While teaching, she also pursued her master's degree in education from Harvard University, which she earned in 1970, followed by a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1975. At graduation, she was one of 85 women in a class of 550 students. She is an alumna of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
White house years[]
Nixon administration[]
Burkette, who had campaigned for the Nixon–Agnew presidential ticket in 1968, began working in 1970 as a staff assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the Nixon administration. Meanwhile from 1973 to 1977, she served as deputy assistant to President Nixon for consumer affairs.
Jackson administration[]
After Nixon's term ended in 1977, she left the white house during the administration of democrat Henry Jackson.
Bush administration[]
Jackson was defeated by George H.W. Bush in 1980, resulting in Burkette returning to the White House.
During Bush's administration she was appointed to the Federal Trade Commission in 1981, and served for the entirety of Bush's term. She eventually left the white house in 1989, when Bush was defeated by democrat Andrew Newman.
1992 Republican National Convention[]
During the 1992 Republican National Convention, Burkette gained national attention in her speeches for the convention, which became known as the "Compassion speech" in which she portrays the republican party as a Compassionate but conservative party. Which would be the start of the Compassionate Conservative movement.
U.S. Senate[]
Elections[]
1994[]
In 1994, Burkette decided to run for senate in her home state of Washington. Burkette defeated then-King County Councilman Anthony Kelly by 86% to 13% in the republican primary. The democratic party renominated incumbent senator and former state secretary of transportation Gary Bauser, who won an unexpectedly close the primary against representative Mike Lauer by 54% to 44%.
In the general election, the race was generally considered as a tossup. Burkette's prominence as a member of the Bush administration and being a "Compassionate Conservative" played into Burkette's hands, as she presented herself as a moderate, which played well to voters.
The result was a narrow victory for Burkette, with her winning with 51.3% of the vote, compared to Bauser's 48.1%.
2000[]
In 2000, Burkette ran for re-election, and was unopposed in the republican primary. The democratic party nominated U.S. representative James Brock, who won the primary with 58.4% of the vote.
During the general election, the race was considered as a tossup once again. Burkette lead in fundraising and most early polls, but her lead vanished as her campaign was embroiled in an ethics investigation in August.
The result was a narrow defeat for Burkette, with Brock winning with 51.1% to Burkette's 48.9%.