Lynda Wilson
Lynda is a native Washingtonian, born in Spokane. Her father was a member of the U.S. Air Force, which led Lynda to be located in many different areas during her early years, including Germany, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, and finally returning to Washington during her teens. Lynda attended Covington Junior High and graduated from Evergreen High School. She then attended Clark Community College.
Lynda’s early career was working for First Independent Bank and The Columbia Credit Union. As a single mother, Lynda met and married her husband of 35 years, Tracy, and became a member of the family business. DeWils Industries, a local cabinet manufacturer who sells their products through 200+ independent dealers throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Japan.
During the Great Recession, Lynda became very concerned with the political direction of our country and our state. She got more active in the local political scene and became the Chairman of the Clark County Republican Party in 2013. She then ran for and won a seat against an incumbent for State Representative for the 17th District in 2014. After serving one two-year term as Representative, Lynda ran for the vacant State Senate seat in 2016, and again was victorious.
Lynda’s many life experiences have helped shape her views and priorities as a person and a legislator:
- Having been a single mother, Lynda knows what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck, struggling to pay bills and find quality childcare.
- Growing up in a home where domestic violence was prevalent, Lynda has been a strong advocate for legislation protecting those who endure such violence (her Tiffany Hill Act passed in the most recent session and is now law).
- Growing up in a military family, she has been a strong supporter of veteran’s issues (she passed The Mental Health for Heroes Act, providing for mental health counseling on campus for veterans).
- Being a member of a family business, Lynda has been a champion of small independent employers and those who work for them (passed The Small Business Bill of Rights).
- In 2018, Lynda was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and steadfastly served through the 2019 legislative session while going through chemotherapy and undergoing a double mastectomy. Having made a full recovery, Lynda will use her experience to help shape healthcare legislation in areas where she found deficiencies in the system.
- As a mother of three daughters, and grandmother of five children, Lynda strongly believes in protecting family and defending parental rights.
For the past few decades, Lynda and her family’s business has been very active in our community, as participant, contributor, or sponsor of many of our community’s most important events and charities, including but not limited to: (Stay tuned for more complete details)
- food banks
- homeless shelters
- mental health and addiction programs
- youth programs
- veterans programs
- neonatal intensive care unit
- breast cancer programs
When Lynda isn’t actively serving her community, she likes to enjoy activities with her family, such as; cycling, kayaking, hunting (Lynda has been the Legislator of the Year for the Hunter’s Heritage Foundation from 2015-2020), target shooting (Lynda is a certified firearms instructor), gardening, reading, fishing, and long walks with her dog Liberty, and especially hanging out with her five grandchildren and three daughters.