Republican Josiah Rowell, former sailor from the USS John C. Stennis and Central Kitsap High School Alumni, has announced his intent to run for the Washington State House of Representatives in 2014. Rowell will run for Position One, currently held by Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, who is now serving her 15th year in Olympia.

“I am excited to serve the citizens of 35th Legislative District and Washington State in the same way that I have served my country,” Rowell said.  “We need new, energized leadership in Olympia.”

He will be running on a platform focusing on quality of life to include education, jobs and safe communities.

“Washington’s economy is still 25,000 jobs below where it was in 2008,” he said. “We need proactive leaders in Olympia who know how and are willing to work together in order to move Washington forward.”

Rowell has served four years on active duty and five years as a reservist and this April he returned home from his third deployment, this time to Afghanistan.

He is currently a student at the University of Washington Milgard School of Business and lives in Union with his wife, Alicia. They have been married nine years.