John E. Cunningham III is a former Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Washington's seventh district. Prior to that, Cunningham served in the Washington House of Representatives

Washington House of Representatives

The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, the legislature of the U.S. State of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 districts, each of which elects two members. All members of the House are elected to a two-year term without...

 from 1973–1975, and in the Washington Senate from 1975-1977.

Cunningham was elected as a Republican to the seventh district vacancy in a special election when U.S. Representative Brock Adams

Brock Adams

Brockman "Brock" Adams was an American politician and member of Congress. Adams was a Democrat from Washington and served as a U.S. Representative, Senator, and United States Secretary of Transportation before retiring in January 1993.Adams was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and attended the public...

 resigned to become Secretary of Transportation. However his victory in this extremley liberal district was more the result of confusion with Adams resignation. Cunningham lost reelection in 1978, and served from May 17, 1977 - January 3, 1979.