From elections to board games: Washington’s secretary of state does double duty as a tabletop trade envoy

Steve Hobbs, secretary of state for Washington, poses at his booth during the 2026 Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo/Thomas Wilde) If you explore the main expo hall during the Penny Arcade Expo, you can often find some interesting booths around the edges of the room. These can offer rare games, designer clothing, blind boxes of themed merch, and occasionally/inexplicably, unfiltered access to local Washington politicians.