About Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck

Denny Heck is humbled to serve as Washington’s 17th Lieutenant Governor. First elected in 2020, Lieutenant Governor Heck brings to the office a lifetime of experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

As Lieutenant Governor, he is the President of the Washington State Senate and Chair of the Senate Rules Committee. He also serves as Acting Governor whenever Governor Inslee is out of the state. In addition to these constitutional duties, the Lieutenant Governor is designated other duties in state law. Lieutenant Governor Heck currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Export Import Bank of the United States and is a member of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors.

Lieutenant Governor Heck previously served as the first United States Representative from Washington’s 10th Congressional District. While in Congress, he served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Financial Services Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee.

Prior to his service in Congress, Lieutenant Governor Heck successfully grew several small businesses in Washington State. One of those small businesses, which specializes in workplace education, started in Olympia with only two employees and grew to more than 300 people throughout the United States. Lieutenant Governor Heck was also an original investor in Real Networks, the digital entertainment company that pioneered streaming media on the Internet.

A strong advocate of open government, in 1993 Lieutenant Governor Heck cofounded TVW to provide the people of Washington State greater accessibility to their state government. TVW has grown into the nation’s preeminent statewide public affairs network. While at TVW, the Lieutenant Governor hosted the renowned public affairs program Inside Olympia and won an Emmy for a documentary he wrote, produced, and directed.

Early in his career, Lieutenant Governor Heck served his community in the State House of Representatives. Elected to five terms, he was chosen by his colleagues to serve as House Majority Leader before retiring in 1986. While in the State House, Lieutenant Governor Heck was one of the prime authors of the state’s historic Basic Education Act. After his time in the Legislature, he served as Chief of Staff to Governor Booth Gardner during his second term.

Lieutenant Governor Heck was born in Vancouver, Washington and graduated from The Evergreen State College in 1973. He has been married since 1976 to Paula Fruci Heck, an educator who began her career as a teacher and retired as principal at Jefferson Middle School in Olympia. He and Paula have lived in Olympia since 1985. They have two sons, Bob and Trey, and are grandparents to Maleah and Kal, and Cameron Grace.