Mike Lowry


Michael Edward Lowry was an American Democratic politician who served as the 20th governor of the U.S. state of Washington from 1993 to 1997. His political career ended abruptly following a sexual misconduct allegation made against him by his deputy press secretary, Susanne Albright. Lowry served as a United States Representative from Washington's 7th congressional district from 1979 to 1989.

Early life

Lowry was born and raised in St. John, Washington, son of Helen and Robert Lowry. He graduated from Washington State University in 1962.

Political career

Lowry had a brief career working for the Washington State Senate and as a lobbyist for Group Health Cooperative before being elected to the King County Council in 1975. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Washington's Seventh Congressional District in 1978, where he served until 1989.
Lowry twice ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate. In a 1983 special election, he was defeated by Republican former Governor Dan Evans, then an appointed Senator and the incumbent, in a race to replace Democrat Henry "Scoop" Jackson, and in 1988 he lost to Slade Gorton, also a Republican, in a close race. Lowry then began working at Seattle University and an environmental group.

Governor of Washington

Lowry was elected governor in 1992 and served for a single term. His principal policy initiative was a statewide system of health insurance with premiums based on ability to pay. He chose not to run for reelection due to a sexual harassment scandal in which his deputy press secretary, Susanne Albright, accused him of making inappropriate remarks and fondling her. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Commissioner of Public Lands in 2000. More recently, Lowry was active in building affordable housing for Washington's migrant farm workers.

Death

Lowry died on May 1, 2017 from complications of a stroke at the age of 78.

Comparison to Yasser Arafat

During his career, Mike Lowry was repeatedly compared to Yasser Arafat by both media and political opponents in the state of Washington, due to a perceived similarity in physical appearance between the two. According to some reports, Lowry shaved off a beard he formerly sported specifically to avoid comparisons to the Palestinian leader.