BELLEVUE — State Rep. Jim Walsh, who represents District 19 in the Aberdeen area., was named chair of the Washington State Republican Party, according to an announcement from the WSRP.

Walsh was elected Saturday by a vote of 95-15 at the WSRP’s Summer State Committee Meeting in Olympia, the announcement said. He replaces outgoing chair Caleb Heimlich, who has serves in that capacity since 2018.

“Jim Walsh is an exceptional representative and community leader who has a proven track record of winning tough battles, including flipping Legislative District 19 from a Democrat stronghold since the days of FDR, into a Republican stronghold built on a variety of voting coalitions,” WSRP Executive Director Brady Batt wrote in the announcement/ “I'm confident in his abilities to build successful programs and trust with the members of our party, just as he has done with the voters of his district.”

In his acceptance speech, Walsh said, "We have a tremendous opportunity to show the people of Washington State that there is a better path forward, that the state government currently representing them in Olympia has failed them and their families time and time again through rampant crime in their cities, crumbling educational standards in their schools, and an attack on their personal property and incomes.”