Mr. Mainstream: Sam Reed’s Half Century of Public Service and Civility

"In many ways, Reed is a throwback. He entered public service to serve the public, not to further a specific point of view or accumulate power. He is unfailingly gracious, civil and dignified. In the rough and tumble of today’s politics he stands apart."

-The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, 2011

In his half century of political activism, Sam Reed has championed civility and civic engagement. Appointed assistant secretary of state at 28, he energized the staff and emerged as an advocate for civil rights and lowering the voting age. Then, during 23 years as Thurston County Auditor, Reed became a nationally recognized leader in the movement to make voting both more accessible and secure.

In 2000, he was elected to the first of three terms as Secretary of State. Four years later, Reed was widely praised for his bipartisanship in overseeing the closest-ever governor’s race, Gregoire vs. Rossi. Reed went on to defend Washington’s “open” primary election system, winning a landmark US Supreme Court decision. He also created the nation’s first state digital archives; saved the Washington State Library from closure and protected the state’s landmark Public Disclosure Law.

In his honor, the Thomas S. Foley Institute at Reed’s alma mater, Washington State University, created the Sam Reed Distinguished Professorship in Civic Education and Public Civility. 

• Download Mr. Mainstream (PDF)
• TVW: An Hour with “Mr. Mainstream” Sam Reed, 2024
• CSPAN Interview, 2014