| Field | Detail | Source |
|---|
| Full Name | Matt McKnight | T1 |
| Residence | PO BOX 14, Morton, WA 98356 | T1 |
| Party | Republican | T1 |
| Employment | Deputy Sheriff, Lewis County Sheriff's Office (approximately 2006-2012, six years). Started his law enforcement career at LCSO. Served as traffic safety liaison, taser instructor, field training officer, and member of the honor guard.; Police Officer and later Deputy Chief of Police, Chehalis Police Department (approximately 2012-present). Rose through the ranks to become deputy police chief, the department's second-in-command.; Member of the local STOP (Services, Training, Officers and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program committee, directing federal grant funding to local agencies.; Participated in development of a countywide active shooter incident management plan as part of a multi-department, multi-discipline effort.; Involved in Lewis County Special Olympics as presenter and fundraiser, presenting a $3,870 check from Torch Run proceeds in June 2025.; Grew up in Winlock, WA. Lifelong Lewis County resident.; Wife Amber and son Chris are part of his campaign team. | T2 |
1 Political Positions
| Topic | Position | Source |
|---|
| WASPC Accreditation | Top priority is restoring WASPC (Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs) accreditation for the Lewis County Sheriff's Office. The accreditation lapsed in 2015 and has not been regained. Both Chehalis and Centralia police departments are currently accredited, but the sheriff's office is not. McKnight views accreditation as a way to improve accountability and possibly reduce liability and insurance costs.
| T2 |
| Regional Tactical Response Team | Proposes creation of a regional tactical response team made up of officers from multiple law enforcement agencies in Lewis County. Currently, no such regional team exists.
| T2 |
| Regional Street Crimes Unit | Proposes a regional street crimes unit that responds to all crimes, not just narcotics. Teams would be composed of officers from multiple local agencies for broader crime-fighting capability.
| T2 |
| Reserve Program | Endorsed bringing back the Lewis County Sheriff's Office reserve program, which operated as recently as 2022 before Sheriff Snaza terminated it shortly after the 2022 election, requiring officers with over 20 years experience to return equipment.
| T2 |
| Inter-Agency Cooperation | Calls for deeper law enforcement cooperation across Lewis County agencies. Emphasizes collaboration between the sheriff's office and city police departments.
| T2 |
| Domestic Violence Prevention | Advocates for more STOP grant funding for domestic violence prevention. Serves on the local STOP grant committee that directs federal funding to local agencies.
| T2 |
2 Campaign Finance (PDC T1 Data)
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Filing Entity | PDC committee MCKNM--247 (cid 40677); 2026 cycle as of 2026-06-21: $7,872 cash raised, $1,235 in-kind, $5,595 spent, ~$2,277 cash-on-hand across 37 contributions; top donor Fenstermaker $1,200. Source: WA PDC SODA API (data.wa.gov), as_of 2026-06-21. | T1 |
3 Endorsements
- Brad Flexhaug
- Jason Ashley
4 Notable Public Statements
McKnight wants to see the Lewis County Sheriff's Office take steps to become accredited again, which he views as a way to improve accountability and possibly reduce liability and insurance costs.
Campaign launch event and Chronicle coverage (2026-02)
McKnight spoke highly of opportunities for the office to get more funding for domestic violence prevention through the STOP grant program.
Chronicle candidate forum at Jester Auto Museum (2026-04)
5 Vulnerability Assessment
4 sourced findings. All sourced at T1 (Official Record) or T2 (Multi-Source Media) per clearthemud provenance model. No T3/T4 claims included.
Finding 5.1: 2011 fatal officer-involved shooting, ruled justified MODERATE
- What happened
- In June 2011, while serving as a Lewis County Sheriff's deputy, McKnight fatally shot Steve Peterson, a 33-year-old Napavine man, during a burglary response. Peterson had been reported armed with a knife and had used it to stab a front door and pickup truck hood. When McKnight confronted Peterson, the man refused to remove his hands from his pockets and charged the deputy. McKnight fired four times. No weapon was found on Peterson's body. Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer ruled the shooting justified. McKnight was cleared by internal review and returned to patrol. The Peterson family subsequently filed a federal lawsuit, which was dismissed. While legally resolved, this incident is part of the public record and may be raised by opponents or during forums.
- Source tier
- T2
- Political impact
- Moderate
- Defense
- The shooting was ruled justified by the county prosecutor and cleared by internal review. The federal lawsuit was dismissed. McKnight was informed by the first responding Napavine police officer that the suspect was armed with a large knife, and the suspect charged McKnight. The use of force was consistent with training and department policy.
- https://www.columbian.com/news/2011/jun/30/lewis-county-deputys-fatal-shooting-justified/
- https://lewiscountysirens.com/?p=7211
- https://lewiscountysirens.com/?p=15049
Finding 5.2: Has published a detailed policy platform HIGH
- What happened
- McKnight has published a policy platform that includes WASPC accreditation restoration, a regional tactical response team, a regional street crimes unit, reserve program restoration, STOP grant expansion, and active shooter incident management planning. He has 6 years at LCSO and serves as deputy chief at Chehalis PD, giving him experience in both county and city law enforcement.
- Source tier
- T2
- Political impact
- High
- https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-deputy-police-chief-matt-mcknight-officially-kicks-off-race-for-lewis-county-sheriff,397322
- https://www.chronline.com/stories/the-chronicle-forum-candidates-discuss-need-for-change-at-sheriffs-office,399682
Finding 5.3: Now with Chehalis PD, not the sheriff's office MODERATE
- What happened
- McKnight left the Lewis County Sheriff's Office after approximately six years and has been with the Chehalis Police Department for the remainder of his career. While his Chehalis PD experience as deputy chief brings management and budgetary credentials, opponents from within LCSO (Frase, Riordan) may argue he lacks current knowledge of the sheriff's office culture, staffing, and operational challenges. The county sheriff's office includes corrections, civil process, court security, and patrol across 2,436 square miles, a larger operational scope than a city police department.
- Source tier
- T2
- Political impact
- Moderate
- Defense
- McKnight started his career at LCSO and understands its operations. His city police experience, including STOP grant work and active shooter planning, brings a broader perspective. His role as deputy chief demonstrates management and leadership capability at a senior level.
- https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-deputy-police-chief-matt-mcknight-officially-kicks-off-race-for-lewis-county-sheriff,397322
Finding 5.4: Endorsed by a fire chief and a former state trooper MODERATE
- What happened
- McKnight has public endorsements from Onalaska Fire Chief Brad Flexhaug and former Washington State Trooper Jason Ashley (25-year veteran and Lewis County resident).
- Source tier
- T2
- Political impact
- Moderate
- https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-deputy-police-chief-matt-mcknight-officially-kicks-off-race-for-lewis-county-sheriff,397322
6 Source Verification
- Data Sources
- WA SOS, WA PDC, local media, public records
- Collection Date
- 2026-06-24
- Highest Tier
- T1 (Official Record)
- Methodology
- OSINT deep-dive using exclusively public-record sources. All findings at T1 or T2. No T3/T4 claims included.