User:Arms & Hearts/watkins


 * Congress 2010


 * Congress 2012
 * Drops out, Jan. 2012
 * Drops out, Jan. 2012
 * Auditor
 * Likely to run, March 2012
 * Announcement, March 2012
 * Announcement, March 2012
 * Campaign, April 2012
 * Times endorsement, Aug. 2012
 * UB endorsement, Sep. 2012
 * Campaign, Oct. 2012
 * Concedes, Nov. 2012
 * Official website

James Watkins is an American Republican Party politician who has on two occasions unsuccessfully run for office in Washington.

Background
Watkins has a Master of Business Administration from George Washington University and spent 15 years working for or with Microsoft.

2010 congressional campaign
Watkins announced in December 2009 that he would challenge Democratic Party incumbent Jay Inslee in Washington's 1st congressional district in 2010. The 1st district included the northern suburbs of Seattle as well as Bainbridge Island, Kirkland, Kitsap County and Redmond. Watkins described himself as knowing "what it takes to create prosperity and private sector jobs," and criticized Inslee's support for the cap and trade provision of the American Clean Energy and Security Act. In March 2010 Watkins expressed support for term limits for the United States Congress. In the August 2010 nonpartisan blanket primary, The Seattle Times endorsed both Inslee and Watkins. In the primary Inslee received 57 percent of the vote to Watkins's 27 percent;