July 15, 2022 – When U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier initially sought elected office in 2017, she was a politically inexperienced pediatrician aiming to win a congressional seat that had always been held by the GOP.
The Democrat now seeks reelection to her third term representing the 8th Congressional District, which spans the Cascade Mountains and joins east King and Pierce counties with Kittitas and Chelan. This time, she possesses the confidence of someone with a scorecard of success.
A Sammamish resident, Schrier worked hard to earn the trust and respect of her constituents, particularly those hardened skeptics in rural areas.
Schrier should continue to represent the 8th District. In this difficult year for Democrats, her focus on constituent services and finding practical solutions are needed here, but especially so in the other Washington as well.
Successful bills that Schrier introduced and were signed by the president include: helping farmers access critical research grants; joining U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, to ensure Central Washington has a reliable water supply; and speeding up production of generic drugs to bring down the cost of medications like insulin.
Schrier helped Wenatchee receive federal roadway funds for a wildfire evacuation route. Earlier this year, when state money was needed to complete the project, she got involved in Olympia. It is budgeted and moving forward. “I give Kim Schrier a ton of credit for that,” said Wenatchee Mayor Frank Kuntz, a Republican. He didn’t vote for Schrier in 2018. He endorsed her this year.
“When I’m making the case for my reelection, I’m talking about me serving the district,” she told the editorial board. “I’m talking about how important it is to have centrist, pragmatic leaders in Congress who will work with both parties to get things done.”
When Schrier campaigns, she said the crankiness of the times comes across loud and clear. Gas prices are too high, groceries too pricey, and crime concerns prompt people to lock their houses and fear for their catalytic converters.
To hear two of Schrier’s Republican opponents tell it, all this can be laid at her feet, along with President Joe Biden’s. King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn — whose mother represented the district from 1993 to 2005 — and former Army paratrooper Jesse Jensen both contend the administration’s response to the pandemic fed inflation. Another Republican candidate, Mark Larkin, never responded to an editorial board interview request. Schrier faces a total of 10 opponents.
Schrier notes that inflation is the bane of economies across the globe. To blame the American Rescue Plan Act would be to forget the terrible economic dislocations of 2020 that forced record numbers of Americans to seek donated food and rental assistance.
All politics is local. That adage has guided successful office-seekers since the dawn of democracy. But this year, there is more at stake on the ballot than what’s happening on the neighborhood level.
Republican control of the House would likely embolden the worst instincts of the current GOP leadership. Expect congressional hearings on Hunter Biden, the exit from Afghanistan, alleged election fraud and a host of other issues that don’t make the life of a single American any better. Expect legislation to ban abortion across the nation, state protections be damned.
Forget action on climate change, or any of the other worthy items contained in Biden’s defunct Build Back Better plan.
Schrier deserves reelection for representing her district well, putting political partisanship aside and helping people navigate federal bureaucracies.
This editorial board has a record of endorsing Republican candidates, and has done so in several state legislative races this year. But the language and priorities of national GOP leaders prompt an imperative this November: Keep Democrats in charge of Congress.
Vote for Kim Schrier.
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/the-times-recommends-kim-schrier-for-the-8th-congressional-district/
