Patrick would be first Native to be elected statewide in the PNW.

Grounded in his upbringing on the Makah reservation in Neah Bay, Patrick DePoe is committed to investing in local communities while ensuring responsible management of the lands that support them.

Patrick currently serves on the executive team at the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. He’s worked as a commercial fisherman, a land manager, and spent six years as an elected member of the Makah Tribal Council, where he led Tribal coordination with state and federal agencies on climate resilience and habitat restoration. Patrick earned his degree from the University of Washington, where he began nearly two decades of working and volunteering in emergency response: skippering a 110-foot boat to clean up oil spills, and leading preventative work to make our forests more resilient to wildfires and the effects of climate change. 

In his role on Makah Tribal Council, most recently as Vice Chairman, Patrick co-chaired the Natural Resources Subcommittee of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal-Interior Budget Council, represented the Makah Tribe on the Pacific Fishery Management Council, served as Treasurer for the Northwest Indian Fish Commission, served on the Low-carbon Energy Siting Study Advisory Board, co-chaired Washington State’s Environmental Justice Council, and chaired the Natural Resources Subcommittee or the National Congress of American Indians.

If elected, Patrick would be the first Native American elected to statewide office in Washington, the Pacific Northwest and one of the first in American history.