WASHINGTON -- Jaime Herrera, the newest member of Congress from Washington state, said Wednesday she has taken her husband's name and will now go by Jaime Herrera Beutler.

Herrera Beutler (pronounced "Butler") was single when she was appointed to the state Legislature in 2007 to serve out the remaining term of Rep. Richard Curtis, who resigned in a sex scandal. She won the seat outright in 2008 and got married to Dan Beutler that August. In November, Herrera Beutler, a Republican, defeated Democrat Denny Heck for the 3rd Congressional District seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Brian Baird.

Herrera Beutler said she only recently had time to officially adopt her husband's last name.

“Now that the dust from the campaign has settled, I’ve had the chance to thoughtfully consider and make a permanent choice regarding this personal decision about my family," Herrera Beutler said in a statement.

Herrera Beutler, 32, was a former legislative aide to U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane. Dan Beutler has worked for the past couple of years for Portland-based SeaPort Airlines. The couple, who live in Camas, Wash., have not finalized their relocation plans.