Washington's 8th Congressional District election (August 7, 2018 top-two primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 8 (mail or online), or Oct. 29 (in-person)
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: N/A (Washington conducts all elections by mail)
- Poll times: N/A
2020 →
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| Washington's 8th Congressional District |
|---|
 |
| Top-two primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: May 18, 2018 |
| Primary: August 7, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Dave Reichert (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: No polling hours (vote-by-mail) Voting in Washington |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th Washington elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
Former state Sen. Dino Rossi (R) and pediatrician Kim Schrier (D) advanced to the general election.[1]
While Republicans settled on Rossi in the 8th District's top-two primary, three Democrats battled for a spot on the general election ballot: Schrier, Jason Rittereiser, and Shannon Hader.
All were vying to replace retiring incumbent David Reichert (R) in a tossup seat. The district voted for a Democrat in the last three presidential elections and the Democratic House Majority PAC is targeting it in November.[2]
Schrier led the Democratic field in fundraising and national endorsements, including support from EMILY's List and Planned Parenthood.[3]
Rittereiser was supported by labor and law enforcement unions and local Democratic groups rallied behind Hader. Both Rittereiser and Hader said Democratic Party officials attempted to sway the primary in Schrier's favor.[4]
The Democratic candidates differed on some policy issues, including single-payer healthcare. Rittereiser supported the idea. Schrier and Hader said those under 65 should have the option to purchase private insurance or buy into Medicare.[5]
Rossi was the top fundraiser among all candidates. Representatives of different wings of the party, including Vice President Mike Pence's (R) Great America Committee, the Club for Growth, and the Republican Main Street Partnership, endorsed him.[6][7]
Washington uses a top-two primary system, where all candidates compete in the same primary election and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election.
For more on related elections, please see:
- Washington's 8th Congressional District election, 2018
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2018
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2018
- Primaries in Washington, 2018
Election results
The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House Washington District 8 on August 7, 2018.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Washington District 8
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Dino Rossi (R) | 43.1 | 73,288 |
| ✔ |  | Kim Schrier (D) | 18.7 | 31,837 |
 | Jason Rittereiser (D) | 18.1 | 30,708 | |
 | Shannon Hader (D) | 12.5 | 21,317 | |
 | Jack Hughes-Hageman (R) | 2.5 | 4,270 | |
| Gordon Allen Pross (R) | 1.2 | 2,081 | ||
| Thomas Cramer (D) | 0.9 | 1,468 | ||
 | William Eugene Grassie (Independent) | 0.7 | 1,163 | |
| Richard Reyes (L) | 0.7 | 1,154 | ||
 | Keith Arnold (Independent) | 0.6 | 1,090 | |
 | Patrick Dillon (Neither Major Party) | 0.5 | 898 | |
| Todd Mahaffey (Independent) | 0.4 | 673 | ||
| Total votes: 169,947 | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brian Kostenko (D)
- Poga Ahn (D)
- Robert Hunziker (D)
- Brayden Olson (D)
Candidates
Top candidates were determined by fundraising, endorsements, and media coverage.
Shannon Hader
Formerly an official at the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Shannon Hader ran for Congress by emphasizing her experience working in the federal government and her ties to the 8th District, where she was raised. She criticized the Democratic Party and said that it was attempting to influence the primary's result.[8] She was endorsed by a number of local Democratic organizations in the district.
Her campaign website emphasized her desire to build what she called "Safe, Healthy, Wealthy & Wise communities." The policies in this initiative included expanding middle-class tax breaks, reauthorizing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and developing retraining and apprenticeship job programs.[9] She supported single-payer healthcare systems at the state-level in hopes it would begin a national trend.[10]
Hader served as director of the Division of Global HIV & TB at the CDC. Prior to that, she worked for the U.S. Public Health Service. She received her M.D. from Columbia University and her bachelor's degree from Stanford University.[11]
Jason Rittereiser
A former prosecutor for King County, Jason Rittereiser ran for Congress by emphasizing his legal career, his ties to the district, and his desire to reverse policies supported by President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress.[12] He was endorsed by a number labor unions and law enforcement unions.
Rittereiser's campaign website emphasized his support for a Medicare For All healthcare system, increasing the amount of affordable housing in the district, and strengthening firearms regulations.[13]
After receiving his J.D. from DePaul Univerisity, Rittereiser worked as a prosecutor for King County, Washington. He left that position to enter private legal practice. He grew up in Ellensburg, Washington, and attended the University of Washington for his undergraduate degree.[14]
Dino Rossi
Former state Sen. Dino Rossi ran for Congress with the support of groups representing different ideological wings of the Republican Party, including the Republican Main Street Partnership, the Club for Growth and Mike Pence's Great America Committee. He kept his distance from President Donald Trump, particularly on trade policy, and emphasized his experience as a legislator, saying he has a record of "accomplishing bipartisan solutions."[15][6] He was endorsed by retiring U.S. Rep. David Reichert (R) and was one of the first 11 candidates named to the National Republican Congressional Committee's Young Guns program.[16]
His campaign website emphasized his support for maintaining Social Security and Medicare benefits, making individual income tax cuts from the 2017 tax bill permanent, investing in nuclear energy, and working on a legislative fix for DACA recipients.[15]
Rossi represented District 5 in the state Senate from 1996 to 2004, when he mounted an unsuccessful campaign for governor.[17] He also ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2008 and U.S. Senate in 2010.[18] Following his statewide campaigns, Rossi was appointed to fill terms in the Washington State Senate twice. Once was in December 2016 to fill the District 45 seat after Andy Hill (R) died and the other was in 2012 to hold the District 7 seat after Cheryl Pflug (R) retired.
His professional experience includes serving as a partner at the Coast Equity Partners real estate investment company. He received his bachelor's degree from Seattle University.[19]
Kim Schrier
Pediatrician Kim Schrier decided to run for Congress after retiring U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert (R) voted in committee for a Republican plan to repeal-and-replace the Affordable Care Act. She said she expressed her concerns to his staffers that it would increase health insurance premiums and costs and was motivated after he voted to advance the bill .
She received national endorsements from EMILY's List and Planned Parenthood and led the Democratic field in fundraising.
Schrier's campaign website emphasized her support for maintaining benefits for Social Security and Medicare recipients, transitioning to an economy powered by renewable energy sources, and increasing access to healthcare. She would be the only female doctor in Congress.[20]
Schrier began working as a pediatrician in 2002. She attended the University of California, Berkeley for her undergraduate education and the University of California, Davis for her M.D.[20]
List of all candidates
General election candidates
- Kim Schrier (Democratic Party) ✔
- Dino Rossi (Republican Party)
Primary candidates
- Keith Arnold (Independent)
- Thomas Cramer (Democratic Party)
- Patrick Dillon (Neither Major Party)
- William Eugene Grassie (Independent)
- Shannon Hader (Democratic Party)
- Jack Hughes-Hageman (Republican Party)
- Todd Mahaffey (Independent)
- Gordon Allen Pross (Republican Party)
- Richard Reyes (Libertarian Party)
- Jason Rittereiser (Democratic Party)
- Dino Rossi (Republican Party) ✔
- Kim Schrier (Democratic Party) ✔
Did not make the ballot:
Timeline
- August 3, 2018: 314 Action spent $50,000 supporting Kim Schrier.
- July 31, 2018: The Democratic candidates met in a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters. See full coverage here.
- July 27, 2018: The Seattle Times endorsed Dino Rossi (R) and Shannon Hader (D) in the top-two primary.
- July 23, 2018: EMILY's List spent $44,000 supporting Kim Schrier, bringing its total spending on her behalf to nearly $180,000.
- July 20, 2018: the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent $200,000 supporting Dino Rossi.
- July 19, 2018: The Democratic candidates met in a candidate forum hosted by the Kittitas County Democrats and The Stranger. See full coverage here.
- July 18, 2018: Campaign finance disclosures showed Dino Rossi raised more than $3 million and had nearly $1.8 million in cash on hand, Kim Schrier raised more than $1.6 million and more than $650,000 in cash on hand, Jason Rittereiser raised nearly $900,000 and had more than $230,000 in cash on hand, and Shannon Hader raised nearly $850,000 and had $315,000 in cash on hand.
- July 18, 2018: The Stranger endorsed Jason Rittereiser.[21]
- June 30, 2018: Campaign finance disclosures from the second quarter of 2018 showed that Dino Rossi raised more than $2.9 million and had more than $1.8 million in cash on hand, Kim Schrier raised more than $1.5 million and had $940,000 in cash on hand, Jason Rittereiser raised about $845,000 and had about $380,000 in cash on hand, and Shannon Hader raised about $824,000 and had about $548,000 in cash on hand.
- June 6, 2018: The Democratic candidates met in a candidate forum hosted by NARAL Pro-Choice America. See full coverage here and here.
- May 2, 2018: The House Majority PAC released polling showing Dino Rossi leading the primary field with 41 percent followed by Kim Schrier with 17 percent, Shannon Hader with 11 percent, and Jason Rittereiser with 7 percent. Twelve percent of voters were undecided.
- April 26, 2018: The Republican Main Street Partnership endorsed Dino Rossi.
- March 31, 2018:Campaign finance disclosures from the first quarter of 2018 showed the following:
- Dino Rossi had raised over $2 million and had $1.5 million in cash on hand.
- Kim Schrier had raised over $1 million and had $780,000 in cash on hand.
- Shannon Hader had raised almost $600,000 and had over $500,000 in cash on hand.
- Jason Rittereiser had raised almost $600,000 and had over $400,000 in cash on hand.
- February 1, 2018: The Club for Growth endorsed Dino Rossi.
- November 9, 2017: EMILY's List endorsed Kim Schrier.
Endorsements
Know of an endorsement we missed? Please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
| Democratic candidate endorsements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Hader[22] | Rittereiser[23] | Schrier[24] | |||
| Organizations | ||||||
| The Seattle Times[25] | ✔ | |||||
| American Federation of Teachers Washington[26] | ✔ | |||||
| EMILY's List[3] | ✔ | |||||
| Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Planned Parenthood | ✔ | |||||
| International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers District Lodge 751[27] | ✔ | |||||
| International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 5[28] | ✔ | |||||
| Laborers’ International Union of North America, Washington and Northern Idaho District Council[29] | ✔ | |||||
| Indivisible[30] | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Washington Federation and State Employees (AFSCME Council 28) | ✔ | |||||
| Plumbers and Steamfitters UA Local 598 | ✔ | |||||
| Tacoma Pierce County Advocates for Retirement Action | ✔ | |||||
| Retired Public Employees Council of Washington | ✔ | |||||
| Kittitas County Democrats | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Win With Women PAC | ✔ | |||||
| Young Democrats of Washington | ✔ | |||||
| National Women’s Political Caucus | ✔ | |||||
| King County Young Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| Humane Voters of Washington | ✔ | |||||
| Washington State Democratic Party Hispanic & Latino Caucus | ✔ | |||||
| Washington State Stonewall Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| OneAmerica Votes | ✔ | |||||
| King County Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| Pierce County Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| 11th Legislative District Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| 41st Legislative District Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| 31st Legislative District Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| 45th District Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| 33rd Legislative District Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| 25th Legislative District Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| 30th Legislative District Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| 47th Legislative District Democrats | ✔ | |||||
| Leadership NOW Project | ✔ | |||||
| North Central Washington Central Labor Council | ✔ | |||||
| National Organization for Women PAC | ✔ | |||||
| Auburn WA Flip 8th CD | ✔ | |||||
| Retired Public Employees Council of Washington | ✔ | |||||
| OneAmerica Votes Muslim Committee | ✔ | |||||
| American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists PAC | ✔ | |||||
| International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 77 | ✔ | |||||
| Wenatchee Aluminum Trades Council | ✔ | |||||
| United Steelworkers Local 310A | ✔ | |||||
| The Stranger[21] | ✔ | |||||
| International Union of Operating Engineers Local 286 | ✔ | |||||
| Central Puget Sound Carpenters Local 30[31] | ✔ | |||||
| Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 598 | ✔ | |||||
| International Longshoremen & Warehouse Union’s Puget Sound Council | ✔ | |||||
| Communications Workers of America, Pacific Northwest Council | ✔ | |||||
| East Pierce Firefighters, IAFF Local 3520 | ✔ | |||||
| International Longshoremen & Warehouse Union Foremen’s Local 98 | ✔ | |||||
| Young Democrats of Washington | ✔ | |||||
| Valley Firefighters, IAFF Local 1352 | ✔ | |||||
| Eastside Firefighters, IAFF Local 2878 | ✔ | |||||
| Maple Valley Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 3062 | ✔ | |||||
| Operating Engineers Local 612 | ✔ | |||||
| Renton Firefighters, IAFF Local 864 | ✔ | |||||
| Renton Police Officers Guild | ✔ | |||||
| Individuals | ||||||
| Zack Hudgins, Washington state representative | ✔ | |||||
| Nita Rinehart, former Washington state senator | ✔ | |||||
| Jeannie Darneille, Washington state senator | ✔ | |||||
| Rebecca Saldaña, Washington state representative | ✔ | |||||
| Nancy Backus, Auburn mayor | ✔ | |||||
| Judith Billings, former Washington superintendent of public instruction | ✔ | |||||
| Lisa Wellman, Washington state senator | ✔ | |||||
| Judy Clibborn, Washington state representative | ✔ | |||||
| Tana Senn, Washington state representative | ✔ | |||||
| Beth Doglio, Washington state representative | ✔ | |||||
| Steve Bergquist, Washington state representative | ✔ | |||||
| Zack Hudgins, former Washington state representative | ✔ | |||||
| Pat Thibaudeau, former Washington state senator | ✔ | |||||
| Laura Ruderman, former Washington state representative | ✔ | |||||
| Mary Lou Pauly, Mayor of Issaquah | ✔ | |||||
| Tola Marts, Issaquah City Councilmember | ✔ | |||||
| Pam Stuart, Sammamish City Councilmember | ✔ | |||||
| Jason Ritchie, Sammamish City Councilmember | ✔ | |||||
| Mary Morgan, Ellensburg City Councilmember | ✔ | |||||
| Larry Brown, Auburn City Councilmember | ✔ | |||||
| Ava Frisinger, former Mayor of Issaquah | ✔ | |||||
| John Stokes, former Mayor of Bellevue | ✔ | |||||
Dino Rossi
- U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.)[32]
- Republican Main Street Partnership[33]
- The Seattle Times[25]
- Washington State Farm Bureau[34]
- Club for Growth[7]
Campaign themes and policy stances
Shannon Hader
Hader’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Economy & Jobs I tell you this because it’s important to know how my family’s history frames my position on jobs and the economy. Every decision I make and every vote I cast will be with the intention of doing what’s right for the hard-working people of the 8th District – people like my mom, dad, siblings, cousins, and grandparents – and people like you and your neighbors. As your congresswoman, my priorities will be: Ensuring that America is competitive now and in the future. This includes supporting science, research, and innovation both the public and private sector, making college more affordable and promoting community colleges, apprenticeships, and technical careers – particularly in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math disciplines, creating an employee pipeline for the technology-based industries that are vital to our area. Reversing Trump’s tax giveaways to the rich and making the tax code instead benefit the middle class, reforming policies that penalize wage-earners and reward unearned income, and removing tax breaks and loopholes that only benefit the extremely wealthy. Supporting small businesses by ensuring they can access credit, loans, and the kind of technical assistance that will help them grow. Putting laws in place that make workers more secure and ends worker instability and abuse. I will support a federal minimum wage that actually supports full-time workers; paid sick leave so employees don’t have to sacrifice health for a job; worker scheduling rules that gives employees certainty regarding their hours; and overtime rules to make sure that workers get paid for all hours they work. Putting protections against sexual harassment in the workplace, particularly for low-wage workers and jobs that are predominantly held by women. Assisting homeowners by keeping the housing market stable, investing in affordable housing, and supporting reforms that prevent predatory lending and fend off foreclosures. Helping families care for seniors by giving tax credits to help ease the financial burden of long-term needs and expanding programs that assist families who care for elderly or disabled family members. Addressing our nation’s energy issues with the promotion of green energy – and supporting the purposeful development of this “transitional economy” by training workers displaced from other energy-focused jobs. Encouraging foreign trade and nurturing partnerships that are critical for agriculture and manufacturing jobs, while enforcing standards for labor, the environment, and health quality, so American companies are playing on a level field with the competition. Healthcare I became a doctor for the same simple reason I want to be your congresswoman: I want to help people. That’s why I’ve spent the last several decades working to improve health across the country and around the world. I’m an internist and a pediatrician who’s cared for both children and adults in clinics nationally and internationally, and worked in the private and public sector. I’ve helped clinics improve quality, supported them to become federally qualified health centers, and served as a Trustee of a safety net hospital during times of healthcare reform. I’ve served as a Commander in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (one of the uniformed U.S. services, along with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Officer Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). I led the Division of Global HIV & TB at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), which consisted of a team nearly 2,000 strong and a budget of approximately $2.4 billion. I acted as the senior scientific advisor to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which contributed to more than 2.2 million babies being born HIV-free. I’ve worked under four White House Administrations. And as your congresswoman, these will be my healthcare priorities: 100% truly accessible, affordable, high-quality healthcare for all; Lowering drug costs by using the bargaining power of Medicare, and ensuring robust research and development of new drugs and devices without having consumers “pay twice”; Lowering premiums, especially for young healthy people, by allowing Medicare opt-ins at progressively younger ages; Lowering costs and improving predictability, by implementing price transparency, accelerating cost reforms that work to incentivize outcomes, modernizing fraud response, and exploring ways to increase provider-client time, while decreasing bureaucracy; Ensuring that the federal government provides flexibility and support to states that are pursuing single-payer or all-payer approaches to healthcare. Environment There’s never been a more important time for the 8th District to have a representative in Congress who can protect our shared resources. The Trump Administration seems determined to figuratively and literally bulldoze its way over environmental regulations that govern air and water pollution, wildlife protection, public lands, and science-based decision-making. As your congresswoman, I will be duty-bound to stand in opposition to such policies, and these will be my priorities: Leadership and Innovation – Combating climate change. As a scientist and a doctor, I will fight to ensure that decisions are made based on evidence and sound science, not the fact-fuzzy opinions of those who take money from the fossil fuel industry. Across our “purple” district, we are united in our connection to the land, air, and water – and in recognition that global climate change is REAL and will continue to have devastating effects on our world and region if we do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote green energy without burdening our farmers and small businesses. As your congresswoman, I will promote comprehensive climate change reform, de-incentivize fossil fuel production while incentivizing alternative clean energy, and invest in technology and infrastructure that will support a bright, clean future; Ensuring that the United States remains known as an active and enthusiastic proponent of the Paris Climate Agreement and opposing President Trump’s withdrawal from the pact, not only to emphasize the importance of the future health of our planet, but also to make sure that America is the leading voice in environmental policy. Promoting green energy projects that create jobs statewide, and demanding purposeful inclusion of transitional training and positions so that our experienced workers from fossil fuel-associated industries lead the way with new applications of their skills to green energy production; Protecting the health of our citizens by spearheading science-based research and response to combat the effects of climate change on our people and communities. Mitigation – Instituting policies and funding resources that will help prevent, lessen, and recover from the kinds of climate impacts that we are already experiencing, such as the devastating impact of wildfires in the Pacific Northwest; Investing in the ongoing clean-up of critical resources and sites across Washington, including the Puget Sound and Hanford nuclear site, through local projects and partnerships. Protection – Protecting public lands such as national parks, national forests, and wildlife refuges that belong to all of us. Sadly, President Trump and certain factions of the Republican parties are working to “transfer” or privatize our public places for the benefit of energy companies and the extremely wealthy. As your congresswoman, I will work tirelessly to reject such ideas and protect our shared lands from being sold off, contaminated, or otherwise abused; Improving the management of Washington state’s salmon population, with an eye toward protecting the fishing industry while preserving our region’s iconic fish, and in turn, Puget Sound’s resident orcas which feed on them; Championing initiatives that protect our wilderness and recreation areas from development and promote healthy forests, clean waters, and robust wildlife. Earned Benefits As a doctor, I took an oath to help people. As your congresswoman, I will continue to abide by that promise to protect your earned benefits from those who would aim to eliminate, cut, or alter those benefits to the detriment of the people I serve. I will fight to make earned benefits work more efficiently with additional supports. And I will defend policies that provide, protect, and preserve pensions and defined benefits. My top priorities regarding earned benefits will be: Sending the clear message – routinely and repeatedly: “hands off our earned benefits”; Protecting Social Security against suspect schemes that would privatize it, turning it from a program that guarantees a secure retirement into one that would benefit the financial giants of Wall Street. Additionally, I will strengthen the program by promoting sensible reforms that will extend the program’s solvency for future generations, as well as extend benefit eligibility for children of retired, disabled, or deceased workers, or people with disabilities; Fighting to ensure the solvency of Social Security – such as lifting the cap on Social Security wages – without raising the retirement age; Lowering drug prices by empowering Medicare to negotiate for prices that are low and reasonable, while still incentivizing the development of new treatments and cures – without our paying twice, three times, or more for research and development; Expanding innovative aspects of Medicare that work, so that the people of the 8th District – especially those in our more rural areas – can more easily get the right care at the right time. This includes expanding telemedicine options like those available to those enrolled in the chronic disease program; Improving Medicare for healthy aging by covering eyes, ears, and teeth and raising coverage from 80% to 100% to eliminate the need for expensive supplemental insurance; Modernizing fraud prevention to prevent seniors from being taken advantage of or used as pawns by dishonest providers, protecting seniors from identity theft and other financial scams, and putting more money back into the system; Supporting those families who care for seniors at home, reducing bureaucratic barriers to smoother transition to assisted living when needed and ensuring that critical Medicaid dollars that support our seniors in nursing homes are not cut; Ensuring the efficiency and solvency of the Social Security Disability Insurance by streamlining processes, reducing waiting periods, instituting improved fraud and incorrect payment checks, increasing allowances for families to set up more stable back-up supports for those with disabilities, and making it easier and less risky for those looking to return to work; Opposing any legislation or regulatory changes that would limit or negatively impact pensions and defined benefits. Additionally, I will support pension guarantee funds like the Pension Protection Act that take measures to protect pensions from going broke or otherwise not paying their beneficiaries. I will also oppose raising Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) premiums as a way to fix years of miscalculations in the way multi-employer pension plans have been set up and managed. Retirees cannot be expected to shoulder reduced benefits and workers cannot be expected to reduce current take-home wages to fix these miscalculations – and none of us can afford to artificially pit workers against retirees. Immigration That promise includes the power of immigrants. They’re a part of who we are as a people, and those who would deny them, deny the very thing that makes America great. We are a better nation when we recognize and embrace the tremendous value that immigrants bring to our great country. It’s a fact: Global is local. This administration’s anti-immigration agenda goes hand-in-hand with its isolationist agenda – and both are dangerous to our country. We are stronger, smarter, safer, and wealthier when we’re open to the best ideas, partnerships, and people. That’s why I will be a tireless champion of our newest citizens and will fight the racism and short-sightedness of recent anti-immigration policies. Among my priorities as your Congresswoman will be: To support a clean and robust Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) bill, so that those who were brought to our country through no action of their own are not exiled from home and sent to a country they’ve never known; To support comprehensive immigration reform that improves our process and predictability for legal immigration and includes a pathway to citizenship so that families are kept together and workers and employers – including those in the agriculture and technology sectors – are provided with more certainty regarding status; To maintain and modernize our temporary worker visa programs to ensure a robust workforce for agriculture and specialty jobs while facilitating opportunities for workers to more fully participate in corporate growth, employee organizations, and labor unions, recognizing skilled workers as a distinct and complementary part of our overall workforce; To champion legislation that allows graduate students and others who have studied and trained in the U.S. to continue to contribute to our country with a clear path to citizenship, so that we are not unnecessarily “exporting” top-notch skills and talents after we have invested in them; To rapidly clear the backlog of pending special immigrant visas and asylum cases, including those of people who have helped our troops overseas at great personal risk to themselves and their families. Leaving these people in an uncertain “limbo” limits their ability to plan and contribute; To stand up to the Trump Administration with clear messages: We will not build his wall, and we will not support immigration policies that discriminate based on ethnicity or religion; To provide immigration and border enforcement agencies with the tools and training needed to ensure robust border protection that is also non-discriminatory and humane, with respect for the law and due process; To live up to the ideals of America by welcoming those refugees who are fleeing the horrible realities of countries torn by war, persecution, poverty, and starvation. Gun Safety I support the second amendment and have family and friends who are avid hunters and responsible gun owners – including a niece and nephew who own a hunting expedition company and hunt much of their own food. I also support common-sense gun legislation. My heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones in the horrific and all-too-common mass shootings that plague our country. And too many families have also experienced gun violence in other ways, such as accidents and suicides. I believe we can find common ground, where we can see fewer gun-related deaths, while still protecting the rights of responsible gun owners. America has a problem – make no mistake, a public health problem – and it needs to be addressed. This means finding more solutions to the full spectrum of gun deaths: from mass shootings and murders to accidents to suicides. In addition to the common-sense measures that we can take immediately to keep weapons out of dangerous hands, what additional interventions will help? What’s needed to further empower family, teachers, classmates, and friends to report concerns, and to whom? What actions work in response? What interventions work better for different age groups or different contexts to reduce the risk of gun violence? How can we get everyone across communities to help promote safe firearm storage? How many deaths and injuries would be prevented if existing policies – such as orders to relinquish firearms in cases of domestic violence – were fully implemented, and what would that take? The fact is, we don’t know and we need to find out. As a doctor and a scientist, I believe in evidence-based solutions. Unfortunately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been effectively prohibited from doing research into what works to reduce and prevent gun deaths. We need more answers and more solutions. And we need to fund what works. As your congresswoman, my priorities regarding gun safety will be: To mandate a full public health response to gun violence, to find out what policies, programs, mental health support, young adult programs, or other measures will do the most to reduce gun deaths, including those due to suicides and accidents, and fund those interventions; To expand background check measures to include Internet and gun show sales nationally, strengthen systems used to conduct such checks rapidly and efficiently, and enforce compliance with existing policies; To reinstate the Obama-era regulation that would have made it easier for background checks to accurately identify people with certain mental illnesses who are not currently allowed to purchase guns – a regulation that President Trump overturned; To encourage “smart gun” technology that incorporates safety features that prevent misuse, accidental shootings, gun thefts, and use of the weapon against the owner; To renew the ban of the manufacture of assault weapons, and ban high-capacity magazines and “bump stocks” such as the one used in Las Vegas. To support and promote safe storage: keeping guns locked, unloaded, and stored properly to decrease the chances of an unintentional shooting or of a child getting access to weapons. Women’s Health All of this is abhorrent to me personally, but even more so in my role as a doctor. I’ve seen firsthand the direct impact quality services has on women’s lives. And I’ve seen the “death-by-a-thousand-cuts” kind of legislation and regulations that effectively limits women’s options – especially poor and minority women – to live a healthy life. Burdensome and unnecessary bureaucratic requirements on facilities, or artificial and arbitrary staffing requirements that do nothing to enhance medical care, safety, and health outcomes, but rather increase the costs and decrease the feasibility of services in order to shut down access, must be called out for what they are. I promise to be your voice calling them out in Congress and will be a tireless advocate for women’s rights to make decisions about their own care, with these as my priorities: Ensuring that every woman’s health decisions are between her and her doctor; Fighting any and all efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, including calling out the anti-competitive and illegal nature of artificially removing qualified organizations from competition for U.S. funds and government contracting. Its funding, including Title X funding and the ability to bill Medicaid and Medicare like any other health provider, must be protected; Protecting, expanding, and improving the Affordable Care Act, with an eye toward ensuring that women have access to birth control and comprehensive women’s health services, regardless who employs them; Supporting innovation such as telemedicine to connect with difficult-to-reach individuals, especially those in the 8th District’s more rural areas; Reversing the re-implementation of the Global Gag Rule, which bans international organizations that receive U.S. funding from offering any information about abortions or working with any providers that provide information or abortion services funded by other sources. This not only hurts women around the world, but greatly hampers the ability of organizations such as PEPFAR and others to fight HIV, malaria, and promote healthcare in general; De-incentivizing states to institute artificial, non-evidence-based barriers to healthcare access by penalizing their federal healthcare funding; Standing up against individual state laws that limit women’s healthcare access and options by making them travel great distances or even to other states to receive care; Oppose bureaucratic pre-abortion requirements such as state-scripted counseling, waiting periods, and mandatory ultrasounds, whose sole purpose is to create barriers, distort the evidence, and manipulate women away from making their own decisions; Require “truth in advertising” so that so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” that do not include licensed medical professionals cannot falsely advertise themselves as providers of medical services in order to trick women into coming through their doors; Fighting any efforts to undo Roe v. Wade and standing in opposition to any state or individual who would limit or put up barriers to a woman’s right to have an abortion. Education And that’s why, as your Congresswoman, I will fight for public education so that your kids have dynamic opportunities like I did – and I will fight for programs that support workforce training and apprenticeships for displaced workers and returning veterans. We’re at a dangerous crossroads for education. The current administration is aiming to reverse and delay the implementation of Obama-era rules that address the disparities in treatment of students. They want to make it more difficult for students to pay back their loans. They’re shrinking the budget and the influence of the Department of Education. And – incredibly – they’re looking at arming teachers as a response to school shootings. As your Congresswoman, I will defend our children and our schools, with these priorities top-of-mind: Supporting early childhood education, so that every student has an opportunity to succeed from the very beginning and are prepared when they finally get to the classroom; Championing Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) programs to ensure America’s continued leadership in an increasingly technology-centered economy; Supporting early childhood education, so that every student has an opportunity to succeed from the very beginning and are prepared when they finally get to the classroom; Expanding and enhancing opportunities for all students, including those from military families, those with disabilities, and those who are homeless or in foster homes; Helping teachers by opposing any federal role in teacher evaluations, expanding professional development opportunities, and improving teacher and principal pay and retention; Ensuring we are addressing issues beyond the classroom – hunger, homelessness, poverty, addiction among caregivers – that make it harder for students to learn inside the classroom. Expanding access to programs like the American Psychiatric Association’s “Typical or Troubled” and other evidence-based programs that work with school communities to improve student mental health and reduce stigma through early recognition, intervention, and treatment of anxiety, trauma, and other mental health conditions; Mobilizing funds to make our schools safe and secure learning environments for the school community; Making sure that the federal government supports education for those with disabilities provides them with the services they need to reach their learning goals; Ensuring that every student has the opportunity to pursue higher education by making college more affordable and student loans lower interest and easier to repay, and eliminating the need for loans for community college; Promoting community and technical colleges and apprenticeship programs as core and celebrated parts of our educational system, so that students with a passion and a plan to immediately enter the skilled workforce after graduation have more options; Supporting and expanding access to apprenticeships across the board, particularly for men and women who are looking at career changes, high schoolers exploring long-term career options, and veterans returning from service; Making sure that career training is accessible for those who are seeking to change professions or those who have been displaced from their jobs; Spearheading supports that ensure that students, those who are seeking to change careers, and returning veterans see all opportunities available to them, so they are not limited to certain tracks. Standing with labor unions to support, enforce, and grow apprenticeship programs through thoughtful lawmaking including ensuring federally funded infrastructure programs make space for apprentice-workers. Trade And we’re now facing unnecessarily perilous times – brought about not by external forces in the world market, but by rash and injudicious statements by President Trump. International trade accounts for more than a quarter of Washington state’s GDP and 40 percent of our jobs are tied to such trade. Yet, our President, to the dismay of both parties, has opted to invite a trade war – this time with China – that has potentially devastating results for the 8th District. In 2017, China purchased in the neighborhood of $50 million in apples from Washington state, along with $1.5 million in pears, and a whopping $127 million in cherries. And in response to the White House’s threat of obscene tariffs, China – the top export market for our cherries, pears, and apples – will impose a 15 percent tariff. That’s a penalty that the farmers on the east side of our district cannot bear. And on the west side of our district, concerns focus on the how the Chinese tariffs will affect aircraft manufacturing. So far, they’ve only targeted specific Boeing 737 models (which is bad enough), but looking at the bigger picture, a trade war that sparks a global recession would mean an enormous downturn in aircraft sales – and a job-killer for our region. And we haven’t even begun to talk about the huge number of other manufacturers and small businesses that rely on foreign trade. For those reasons, your next representative in the 8th District must combine an understanding of our jobs and families with experience in global diplomacy – the kind of experience that I’ve gained over decades of working with diplomats and governments to combat disease. And the kind of experience that will allow me to focus on the following: Standing up to and speaking out against the kind of “shoot-from-the-hip” ego-driven diplomacy that threatens our global, national, and local economy, and stabilizing relationships with our allies by demonstrating a check on the White House by Congress; Enforcing existing trade agreements to ensure a level playing field for Washington businesses – specifically calling out currency manipulation, unfair government subsidies, and sub-par labor, environmental, and health standards that undercut our industries, and holding specific bad players accountable; Understanding that solutions to trade issues must be nuanced and specific (not “one-size-fits-all”), to recognize and serve the diverse businesses and industries of the 8th and to work toward agreements that best benefit us all; Opening markets for Washington farmers and producers of goods by breaking down export barriers, supporting fair trade agreements, and exploring new opportunities to ship products overseas; Improving and updating the North American Free Trade Agreement to the benefit of our state’s manufacturers, ranchers, and farmers. We now have decades of experience of what has not worked well in NAFTA, and need to use that experience to apply fixes to this agreement and all other future agreements that require strong labor, environmental, and health standards, and include provisions for enforcing them; Repealing White House “fast-track authority” in trade negotiations, which allows for backdoor deals without key labor and consumer interests at the table; Eliminating opportunities for Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions to undercut U.S. laws and standards. Opioids It’s this kind of knee-jerk, quick-fix reaction that got us in this mess in the first place. We thought we could cure all manners of pain – physical and mental – with a miracle drug that could wash it all away. We ended up with more than 64,000 deaths in 2016 alone and it’s getting worse. And the President seems to believe that the threat of the death penalty will magically make what has become a national health crisis disappear. Traveling the state as I run for Congress in the 8th District, I’ve had the opportunity to hear the concerns of thousands of our fellow citizens. Among all their worries – jobs, healthcare, the economy, education, the environment – perhaps none is more personal than opioid addiction. From the grandmother who’s now caring for her addicted daughter’s children, to the gentleman who’s watched his college roommate and lifelong friend’s life fall apart to the point of homelessness, the stories are many and heartbreaking. And as a doctor and a public health expert who has spent decades fighting disease the world over, from individual treatment to working with Congress to get things done, I can assure that there is no quick fix, no magic cure, no instant solution. But there are solutions. It starts with our treating this problem as an epidemic, rather than just calling it one. I know what it takes to reverse the course of epidemics to save lives – even epidemics of chronic diseases without a cure. I’ve worked as part of a broad community to turn the death sentence of HIV into a manageable chronic disease, to save lives, reduce stigma, and restore communities. It will take an equally ambitious comprehensive public health response to stop THIS epidemic and stabilize the families and communities that have been ravaged by it. Here is my plan: Build true access to treatment on demand. We must make treatment readily available when folks bring strength and resolution to the fight – and not test that strength further by making them wait. We can do this by using federal reimbursements to incentivize health care systems to purposefully expand access to treatment and provide medication-assisted therapy – something that is in short supply, and even less available in the more rural corners of Washington state. We must also better integrate these services with primary health services, as is being done right now at Confluence Health in Wenatchee. The hospital has put together an opioid epidemic response team filled with physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, trained and certified to be able to address and treat chronic opioid users as well as those dealing with acute pain, so that every patient has access to care. Keep people alive so they can actually get into treatment. You can’t help someone who is already gone. This requires widespread overdose prevention and response interventions and making overdose prevention medications, such as Narcan, available to patients, families of addicts, and first responders. I cannot stand to see one more tragedy – including the tragedy of someone in recovery who has “one bad day” and accidentally overdoses because they don’t realize that their “previous dose” will now kill them because their tolerance is lower. We also need to rethink our criminal justice system to include drug courts and other diversion programs that provide more effective, and less expensive, alternatives to jail and the endless cycle of repeat incarcerations. Turn off the faucet. We must start by preventing new addiction, whether it’s driven by pain control or self-treatment of mental health issues. In the case of addiction that starts by medical prescription for pain control, we need to ensure the proper training of providers, support non-burdensome prescription checks, educate patients, and hold drug companies accountable for identifying abusive prescribing patterns. For those who are self-medicating, we need to continue to work toward making mental health treatment parity a reality: full access and full coverage by insurance providers. Reduce stigma and recognize addiction for the chronic disease it is. This is an enormous problem and it’s one that we all contribute to. We see it in the pregnant women and mothers who are driven from treatment and recovery for fear of having their children taken away from them. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, whose providers are truly on the front lines, has been raising the alarm against stigma-driven punitive legislation for women with opioid use disorder and their babies, calling for supportive laws that allow social service providers to promote evidence-based solutions that will actually help families. We need to listen to these experts. Of course, this is just a beginning. A problem this enormous requires an enormous commitment. Our elected representatives must commit to tackling this epidemic with dollars and action, and be accountable for achieving the results that matter: stopping deaths and the destruction of families. Anything less is essentially signing the death warrant of thousands upon thousands of Americans each year and turning their backs on the very people they swore to serve. Diplomacy Since then, I’ve been privileged to travel around the world and work with dedicated professionals, activists, and community members to make their own communities safer and healthier. And I’ve done that more often than not by working with our diplomats, foreign service officers, and the Department of State (DOS). As a Commander in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, I was honored to be assigned to the DOS as the Senior Scientific Advisor for our global HIV program. I’ve also achieved results by partnering with Americans living overseas for mission or business work. I’ve seen how our “penny-on-a-dollar” investments in foreign assistance have not only saved lives, but have also built a warmth and appreciation for Americans and American values, fostered economic development that leads to bigger markets for American products, and stabilized political environments to reduce the pull of radicalism and the likelihood of more wars. I’ve had the privilege of working in Afghanistan to complement the work of our armed services in “winning hearts and minds” by helping people – working to expand family planning and child survival products and programs to the farthest reaches of the country. I’ve witnessed how “global is local” – that we are stronger, safer, smarter, and wealthier here at home when we are actively engaged in promoting America’s interests, values, and engagement overseas. And as your Congresswoman, these will be my priorities to support global diplomacy and American leadership: Keeping American families safe by opposing the current dismantling of the State Department and ensuring a robust corps of expert diplomats, as well as full and strong U.S. representation around the world to champion American values: democracy, economic growth, and protection of human rights – including those of women, those in the LGBTQ community, and people with disabilities; Strengthening our homeland security and promoting peace through diplomacy and development to prevent war and de-escalate conflict – ensuring our military does not “need to buy more ammunition” and our troops are deployed only when absolutely necessary; Opposing isolationism in foreign policy, maintaining strong and predictable relationships with our allies – such as consistent support to NATO, and vigilantly addressing and responding to threats such as those posed by a nuclear North Korea, expansion of the regional influence of Iran, and Russian interference in our elections; Opening new avenues for trade and growing global markets in manufacturing, technology, and agriculture to the benefit of our region’s workers and businesses; Ensuring that the United States remains known as an active and enthusiastic proponent of the Paris Climate Agreement and opposing President Trump’s withdrawal from the pact, not only to emphasize the importance of the future health of our planet, but also to make sure that America is the leading voice in environmental progress and innovation; Addressing barriers encountered by Americans living or deployed overseas to ensure their needs are not overlooked in tax, voting, or other policies. Citizens United Simply put, that’s why I want to overturn Citizens United and why I will fight in Congress to do so. I fully support a Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and believe this is the only way to restore accountability in our elections. There is absolutely no place in our politics for unlimited, undisclosed dark money. Only voters should decide elections and it must be in a fair and transparent system. The 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission threw the door wide open for the wealthiest individuals and special interests to pile unlimited – and untraceable – money into our elections. This decision was not only wrong-headed, but dangerous to our democracy. We must have accountability. We must have transparency. We cannot allow the unimaginably wealthy – the Koch brothers, the Adelsons, and others – to continue to wield political power that renders the individual nearly voiceless. Furthermore, we have to hold candidates of both parties accountable for the money they accept and where it comes from. You can tell a lot about a candidate when you follow the money, which is why I will never take contributions from the NRA, Tobacco, Big Pharma, or any other PAC that doesn’t align with our shared principles here in Washington state. Make no mistake, SuperPACs are already setting up shop in our local communities. The Great America Committee (Vice President Mike Pence), Eye of the Tiger PAC (Rep. Steve Scalise), and KochPAC (Koch brothers) have already pledged support for Dino Rossi in this race. What’s more, the Congressional Leadership Fund – Speaker Paul Ryan’s SuperPAC – has even gone as far as to set up an office in the 8th District. And we will never know who is funding these efforts – the real identity of funders will be shielded from the voters. This kind of extreme money distorts democracy. American citizens are entitled to “an equally effective voice” in our elections – “One person, one vote.” That vote cannot be drowned out by the waterfall of money coming from the enormously wealthy and well-connected. As your Congresswoman, I will support efforts to demand transparency in reporting. I will not treat money as ‘votes’. I will seek to put an end to the kind of campaign contributions that make a mockery of democracy. And I will work with representatives of both parties for a Constitutional amendment that will overturn and put an end to Citizens United. |
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| —Shannon Hader’s campaign website (2018)[36] | ||
Jason Rittereiser
Rittereiser’s campaign website stated the following:
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Healthcare We need a healthcare system that unites us in our core belief that no one should go broke because they get sick, and no one should die because they can’t afford healthcare. That’s why I am a strong supporter of Medicare for All and would proudly co-sponsor HR 676 to establish a national single-payer system. We must also work to fix the flaws and expand the gains created by the ACA in the short term, rather than allowing Republicans to destroy the progress we have made. Congress must act immediately to stabilize insurance markets and state exchanges. We must expand access to Medicare, fully fund Medicaid, and ensure that every family in America has access to affordable healthcare regardless of their income. Women’s healthcare is a fundamental right, yet the current administration has placed women’s health under attack and passed a discriminatory rule that allows employers to opt out of providing birth control. Before the Affordable Care Act, 1 in 3 women struggled to afford birth control. Now, we have the lowest rate of unintended pregnancy in 30 years, especially among teens, along with associated health benefits that birth control provides. I will always fight to protect a woman’s right to an abortion and to ensure that women can make their own decisions about their health and family planning. Though Congress recently renewed the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Trump and the Republicans in Congress are already trying to gut funding for CHIP which could leave over 60,000 children in our state without health insurance. This partisan attack on our most vulnerable populations is wrong. Families should not be left with the choice of paying for rent or paying for their child’s medical bills. As your representative, I will fight for the children of the 8th district and the 9 million children across the nation to get the healthcare they deserve. Economy & Jobs We must start with a common-sense approach to policies that will grow the middle class and create a sustainable economy for our future because prosperity in America comes from the middle out. We must focus on creating good paying jobs for hard working Americans, incentivize entrepreneurs, support small businesses, and ease the burden on middle class families. Congress must lead from the top by rebuilding our aging infrastructure, incentivizing the growth of small business, and addressing the rising costs of housing, education and childcare. We must demand fiscal responsibility in our government while promoting innovation and growth. In Congress, I will stand up for workers’ rights and fight to ensure that the minimum wage is a living wage. I will defend equal pay for equal work and promote policies that create a level playing field for small businesses. I will protect Union workers that earn the respect and wages they deserve. America must invest in infrastructure, small businesses, and education and job training opportunities for our workforce as the world becomes an increasingly global economy. Ensuring that entrepreneurs have the resources they need to launch and small businesses have access to the capital they need to grow is essential to the health and future of our economy. We must create a tax system that is fair. America works best for all of us when we each do our part for our communities and country. That includes paying our fair share in taxes to build our roads, educate our kids, and keep our country safe. But too often, politicians protect the powerful special interests, giving them tax breaks they don’t need. We should close loopholes that let them get away without paying their fair share and focus on rebuilding the middle class. Education We should focus on investing in smart, proven strategies that we know will improve the lives of students, while also supporting innovative policy that will confront our education system’s most deeply-rooted issues. Investing in our public schools to reduce class sizes, providing ongoing teacher training, and increasing the cultural responsiveness of our public-school system is our duty. By funding early learning programs, we can set every child up with a foundation for success. We must also adequately fund the mental health services that are necessary for all students to succeed. And, by focusing on apprenticeship programs, coursework that develops practical skills, and preparation for higher education, we can better set students up for success in college and in the job market. Education beyond high school is increasingly out of reach for a growing number of young Americans, despite their hard work and desire to learn. Poor and middle-class families continue to face barriers to higher education for their children, which contributes to a lack of social mobility. Three-quarters of all jobs today require more than a high school diploma, and the average worker with a bachelor’s degree now earns $1 million more over their lifetime than the one who only completed high school. Student loan debt is now greater than credit card debt in America, and that is simply unacceptable. If we are committed to giving all our children an equal shot at the American Dream, we need to fix the system. Congress needs to make college more affordable. First things first, we need to reinstate year-round Pell Grants, so that the deck is no longer stacked against students who come from disadvantaged families. We also need to solve the mounting crisis of student loan debt. We’ve got to lower interest rates on school loans and streamline students’ repayment plans. This issue is personal to me — I myself have student loans, and understand what this burden means for real working people. I believe it is important to have members of Congress who understand how these policies affect the everyday people that they represent. We need to ensure that our students can compete in a 21st century workforce. The United States was once first in the world in college completion; now, we don’t even make the top ten. America is falling behind in the race to educate our children. Solving this problem is not just the right thing to do – it is necessary for our future. Any responsible approach to higher education has to include technical and trade schools. We should recognize that, while many students should go to college, not everyone needs to. University may not be right for all kids, especially considering the time commitment, financial burden, and academic demands that four-year colleges place on their students. As educators and public servants, we need to promote and fund alternative options that put high school graduates on new paths to success. Environment We are experiencing the symptoms of climate change today, with devastating impact to the environment and the economy, to people and to property. In Washington, our forests and plains spend each summer burning. California has experienced the largest wildfires in its history. Houston was underwater, with lives lost, families displaced, and thousands of homes and small businesses damaged. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have felt the wrath of larger-than-ever hurricanes, with Florida and the East Coast in similar paths of destruction. Climate change is no longer a hypothetical future or a piece of abstract data. It is real, it is happening now, and it is wreaking havoc from coast to coast and around the world. It is the greatest threat we face today. We need to elect serious advocates for the health of our planet to adjust our course of history and avert the coming environmental catastrophe. To solve the issue, we must come up with wide-ranging solutions while reclaiming our moral authority to lead the world in this challenge. That means adhering to the Paris Climate Accord, and taking care of our lands at home, ensuring that our public lands remain protected from harmful private industries and open to the public; it means funding the Environmental Protection Agency, keeping the Clean Power Plan intact, and keeping our water and air free from harmful pollutants. We must also commit to energy solutions that make sense for our future, which means ending oil and gas bailouts, investing in research and development, and becoming a global leader in clean energy technology and green mass transit solutions. If we can keep America’s forests and other natural systems healthy despite climate change, they also can provide an important climate solution. U.S. forests and forest products currently capture and store 13% of our nation’s annual carbon emissions. New research suggests that these natural systems could provide much more carbon capture if we invest in conservation, restoration, and stewardship. Strong federal policies to support natural climate solutions can help make this possible. With our carbon-rich forests, wetlands, and other natural systems, Washington state is positioned to be a global leader in this effort. The time for talk is over. We deserve action on addressing this threat. Republicans in Congress will continue to bow to the will of powerful interests, putting oil industry executives ahead of the health and prosperity of Americans and the planet. We need to come together as a society and do what we’ve done so many times before. When I am elected in Washington’s 8th District, I promise to represent the people and the planet we live on, and not powerful corporate interests. There is no threat too great, no problem too complex, that we cannot solve if we put our best and brightest on the task. Affordable Housing Today, we face a nationwide shortage of approximately 7.5 million affordable rental homes available to our most vulnerable neighbors. If we fail to act, this figure will continue to rise pushing more and more people into poverty by the crushing cost of rent. Predictions suggest that by the year 2025, there may be 15 million Americans who must spend half of their monthly income on rent in order to remain off the streets. With stagnant wages and the increasing cost of housing, families in America are struggling to make ends meet and those hurt the worst by the affordable housing crisis are senior citizens, veterans, and those experiencing homelessness. I support Low Income Housing Tax Credits in order to leverage private investment in the development of affordable housing. These tax credits will create more affordable housing units easing demand, create jobs in our communities, and generate revenue. Immigration We need an immigration policy that ensures dignity and respects the humanity of those that come to our country seeking a better life for themselves and their children. All families should have the opportunity to pursue a brighter future for their children without living in constant fear of deportation, and in America we don’t rip apart families. I am a staunch supporter of the DREAM Act and continue to call on Congress to honor the promise we made to the DREAMers by passing a clean DREAM Act. I strongly believe that we need to protect our borders and our national security, but breaking our promises to DREAMers and Trump’s hateful, nationalist policies make us less safe. As a former prosecutor, I know how Trump’s hateful rhetoric makes our communities less safe and actually puts our law enforcement officers in greater danger. Through my work with victims of violent crimes and their families, I have met witnesses who were afraid to speak to law enforcement because they feared ICE would deport them and rip their families apart. We must ban ICE from co-opting local law enforcement in their effort to execute Trump’s cruel deportation agenda so that our undocumented neighbors trust local law enforcement. If elected, my office will serve as a resource for constituents seeking legal aid, citizenship support services, interpreters, and general support on immigration matters – just as I have served Washingtonians by fighting for their civil rights in my career. Gun Safety The last decade in America has highlighted, time and again, the fact that the culture of violence and mental health issues in America have lead to an epidemic of gun violence that is a public health crisis. From Newtown to Orlando and San Bernardino to Spokane, mass shootings have left our communities devastated. The evidence is clear that guns also increase the risk for domestic violence homicide as well as suicides. Gun violence is ravaging our cities from coast to coast. Congress must immediately form a bipartisan Select Committee on Gun Violence to take real action to stop this epidemic. This issue is critical for all Americans. In order to solve this crisis, we must come together from every side of the issue to protect the public and the rights of law-abiding citizens and to stop preventable deaths. Our nation must address this issue now, because tragedy is striking everyday. I worked hard to fight gun violence as a criminal prosecutor in south King County, and I intend to keep fighting it in Congress. Criminal Justice Reform Ending Mass Incarceration and a Commitment to Prison Reform Our country’s over-reliance on prison, particularly for nonviolent offenders, has left us with an overburdened and underperforming correctional system. No country in the world has a higher percentage of its citizens in prison than the United States. Many are incarcerated for low-level, nonviolent offenses. Sensible prison reform starts with the broad use of alternatives to incarceration. This includes increasing the use of home detention, incorporating community service opportunities, re-energizing restorative justice programs and providing funding to increase capacity and effectiveness of monitoring individuals through community correctional supervision. Mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines, developed in the 1980’s, continue today, forcing low-level and first-time offenders to serve lengthy mandatory prison terms. This practice is a chief contributor to prison overpopulation. It has taken discretion away from talented, knowledgeable judges who fashioned sentences to meet the needs of a particular situation and has deprived the modern prosecutor of the ability to recognize the humanity behind every case and work to serve justice. We must repeal mandatory minimum sentences and instead utilize sentence ranges. It is time to fully transition funding from reactive drug abuse enforcement and prosecution to more productive strategies involving prevention, education, treatment and rehabilitation. Solitary Confinement We must eliminate solitary confinement of juveniles in detention. The practice is inhumane and ineffective. Representative Cardeñas’ efforts in the House to pass legislation banning juvenile solitary confinement are steps in the right direction. I look forward to working with Rep.Cardeñas to ensure that the federal government is not harming our children, but protecting them. I am proud to note that a similar effort is underway right here at home, in King County. I will push for proper implementation and enforcement of that ordinance and fight for national change to guarantee the rights of our children. Reintegration: From Prison to Community An overburdened criminal justice system cannot be repaired without greater attention toward the promotion of successful reentry programs for inmates that have served their time and are soon to be released. Society continues to punish offenders long after their release by depriving individuals of social services, housing, access to healthcare, educational opportunities, and the right to vote. Shifting funding from costly incarceration to prevention strategies, mentoring programs, job training and programs promoting alternatives to incarceration is critical to have a meaningful impact on recidivism rates as well as homelessness. The Democracy Restoration Act seeks to restore voting rights in federal elections to Americans who have been released from prison but are still denied the right to vote. About 5 million Americans are unable to vote because of a previous felony conviction. This contradicts efforts toward reentry and constricts an individual’s ability to become a fully reintegrated member of society. Police/Community Relations As the son of a police officer and as a former prosecutor, I understand the incredibly important and challenging job taken on by law enforcement officers every single day. They serve to protect the community and deserve our support and our respect. In Congress, we must address the crisis of confidence that is evident between police and the communities they are pledged to protect. Federal legislators are key players in improving police and community relations. I support the development of a national system of tracking use-of-force incidents including officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths. I also support criminal justice research and initiatives that encourage the use of evidence based, best practices in law enforcement including officer trainings in de-escalation, crisis intervention and community policing. Training should be provided to all federal, state, county, municipal, tribal, and campus police officers. Funding must be used to identify police and community relations best practices so these programs can be shared, adapted and implemented across the country. This includes guidelines and opportunities for new and innovative evidence-based community policing initiatives and strategies made available through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. |
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| —Jason Rittereiser’s campaign website (2018)[37] | ||
Dino Rossi
Rossi’s campaign website stated the following:
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Protecting the Vulnerable I defended funding for seniors, the mentally ill, and those with developmental disabilities by bringing people from both parties together onto fiscally responsible and socially conscientious common ground. That’s why my budget work in the state Senate was signed by the Democratic Governor and supported by every single Republican Senator and 38 Democrats in the Washington legislature, including the current Speaker of the House, Frank Chopp. I have dedicated myself to protecting the most vulnerable in society. My balanced budget earned the Senior Star Award from the AARP for protecting seniors, and developmental disabilities groups gave me eight different awards for my work in the legislature defending the vulnerable. I will work to enact effective, fiscally-responsible programs designed to get results and eliminate the bureaucracy that prevents kids, the disabled, and other vulnerable groups from getting the help they need. I will keep our word to our senior citizens by protecting and preserving Medicare and Social Security for everyone who has paid into it. It’s their money. I will work to ensure that everyone gets 100% of the Social Security they are entitled to while reducing fraud and abuse. Economy & Jobs The recent tax cuts for the middle class should be made permanent. The median family of four in the 8th Congressional District will save $3,357 a year thanks to these tax cuts, and the median individual tax filer will save $2,191 each year. These cuts should be preserved because they are already leading to economic growth and job opportunities, with companies from Boeing to Walmart to Starbucks along with dozens of others already offering raises and bonuses. In a presentation to the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Steve Lerch, Executive Director of the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, stated that, because of this tax cut, 20,000 to 21,000 new jobs will be created in Washington state. These are real and lasting benefits for the middle class, and I am the only candidate in favor of preserving them. Government Reform My guiding vision for every policy decision is whether it will move the economy forward or backward. I view all legislation through this prism. I will end the inattention to key business climate issues and return to responsible and sustainable federal budgeting. I will focus on fiscally responsible policies and work to produce a budget that reduces the deficit for the next generation of taxpayers while reducing the red tape and burdens that bureaucracy places on people. Environment I have been a steward of the environment and am committed to ensuring the conservation of public lands. I have twice won the Good Green Deeds award from the Washington Conservation Voters, and was on the Board of The Nature Conservancy and the Mountain-to-Sound Greenway Trust. I was also instrumental in saving the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery from closure as a state Senator. I favor an all-of-the-above approach to energy policy, including preserving our state’s dams and supporting nuclear power, which has been and will continue to be important to our nation’s energy infrastructure. I have campaigned on environmental issues, including calling for converting the state motor pool to hybrid and plug-in vehicles, providing a sales tax exemption on hybrid vehicles, replacing fish-killing road culverts and implementing congestion relief projects that would eliminate millions of tons of carbon emissions produced by cars stuck in traffic. Our forests must be managed more effectively to reduce forest fires, which destroy property, take lives, ravage communities, and release massive amounts of greenhouse gasses and particulate pollutants into the atmosphere. Immigration Additionally, I support improving the guest worker program for those who want to enter our country legally. A legislative immigration “fix” must also include a humane and compassionate approach to those here under the DACA program. Deporting hundreds of thousands of people to a country that they may have never known and left when they were young is not logical. Veterans Recently discharged military veterans deserve dedicated job training programs to ensure a successful transition to the private sector. I believe that meaningful employment is always preferable to unemployment and it is our duty to our veterans to help them add to the skills they acquired in the military and achieve meaningful jobs in the civilian sector. Job training programs would teach these veterans valuable skills and enhance the skills they gained from their service. Accessing VA programs is difficult for many veterans, which is one of the reasons why only a small percentage of veteransever use the benefits they earned during their service. We have to do a better job of ensuring veterans' health care needs are met, including allowing them to see doctors outside the VA system when necessary. All options need to be made available and properly funded to ensure that our nation’s veterans can utilize the health care they earned as a member of our Armed Forces. Keeping military families together and supported should be a priority for our nation. Reintegration of soldiers who are away from home for months at a time is a difficult transition for many families because there are not many dedicated, family-specific resources. It is important that we focus on doing all it can to assist families during active members’ time away from home and after their return. Public Safety I also led the debate and passage of Washington’s two-strikes law for sex offenders who prey on children. This bill has ensured that over 100 repeat child molesters have remained in prison rather than being released back into the general population. Securing cyber infrastructure and defending Americans while ensuring privacy Congress must work to provide adequate funding for our nation’s military. I will work with both parties to ensure that our military is properly outfitted and supported in order to continue its missions both at home and abroad. Healthcare I have personal experience with the consequences of mandates -- the last time Congress expanded mandates, my family lost our health insurance and we were forced to buy a more expensive plan with worse coverage that required us to purchase services we had no need for. Congress' decision last year to reduce health care mandates was a good start, but more must be done to drive down the cost of health care and increase individual choices for health insurance in the 8th District and across the country. Keeping Our Children Safe One thing that our Congress is failing to do now is to do more to recognize and treat mental illness in this country. It's important to have resources available to help people who may be struggling with mental disorders before they become dangerous, and I would support efforts to do more for the mentally ill, just as I did in the state legislature. It is essential for Congress to re-evaluate whether there are modifications in the market that turn legal weapons into illegal ones. It has been illegal to own automatic weapons (machine guns) for a very long time, and if there are technologies that can functionally turn hunting rifles into automatic weapons, we need to make sure they're not falling through loopholes in the law. We also must strictly enforce current firearms laws. After dipping for several years, prosecution of gun crimes is now trending up again, and that's a good thing. Although this is not a legislative fix, I believe that we must collectively stop sensationalizing the murderers who commit these attacks. The focus in the aftermath of these atrocities must be on helping the victims and preventing these attacks, not on giving the attackers the attention and platform they desire. |
” |
| —Dino Rossi’s campaign website (2018)[38] | ||
Kim Schrier
Schrier’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Climate Change and the Environment As a person of science, I will apply evidence-based principles and methods to my evaluation of environmental policy and regulation and insist that our government agencies do the same. As a pediatrician who understands the negative impacts of polluted water and air on the health of our children, I will fight any effort to reduce or eliminate clean air and clean water protections. I will protect access to our public lands. I will champion responsible and effective action to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change impacts. I will refocus subsidies away from oil and gas companies and toward clean energy to promote the transition to a 100% clean energy economy within our lifetime. I will advocate for innovative approaches of local organizations like the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy and Carbon Washington to make the transition to 100% clean energy. I will focus resources on people most dramatically affected by climate change, including lower-income communities, farming communities, and communities of color. Education I will work to improve outcomes in our public schools, with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math. I will fight to provide resources needed in disadvantaged schools to level the playing field. I will push to make sure that our high school graduates are prepared with the skills they need for whatever path they choose. For students who choose to pursue higher education, whether at trade schools or public universities, I will work to make it affordable, with no-interest loans and grants to students who need them. Advocating for early childhood education will be a cornerstone of my education policy. By investing in our children early, we set them up for success later in life. Economy I will work to make sure that our high school graduates have the education and skills they need for today’s economy, whether they are headed to college, trade school, or straight into the workforce. I will push for tax policies that reward people for hard work, support small business, support our agriculture and tech sectors, incentivize job growth in our burgeoning clean energy market, and keep good jobs here in Washington state. I will support legislation to ensure that all workers earn a livable wage that can provide for a family. I will support the vital role of the federal government in promoting innovation by increasing investments in scientific research and development. I will prioritize investment in infrastructure, such as public transit in denser areas and access to high-speed broadband for all households and small businesses throughout the district. Healthcare I will push for accessible, affordable, and excellent healthcare for every American for life. I will work to bring medication costs down while still respecting the fact that pharmaceutical companies need an incentive to pursue novel drug development. There needs to be a balance. I will push to invest in preventative care to reduce the epidemic of untreated chronic diseases that lead to expensive medical interventions down the line, costing us all. I will push to let all Americans buy into Medicare on a sliding scale. Average insurance company overhead is currently estimated to be 20%, while Medicare overhead is estimated to be only 1.8%. The competition will incentivize private insurance companies to offer plans as efficient and beneficial to consumers as Medicare. Women’s Health I will oppose any effort that limits a women’s right to choose abortion or make any reproductive health decision. I will fight to increase funding for Planned Parenthood and consider any attack on Planned Parenthood to be an attack on women. Contraception should be widely available and covered by insurance. Vaccines Vaccinations should be given according to the schedule set forth by the ACIP, AAP, and CDC, and should be required to attend preschool and elementary school, in line with our policy here in Washington State. We also need to combat the spread of misinformation. I wholeheartedly support policies that lead to higher immunization rates and any role the government can play in reaching an end goal of having every medically eligible child in this country immunized. This is our responsibility to our children and to our community at large. As someone who has treated children suffering from deadly, vaccine-preventable diseases, I cannot state firmly enough that no child should have to suffer through a disease that could have been prevented by immunization. Immigration No one’s child should live with the constant anxiety of being torn away from the only life she or he has ever known. No one should be discriminated in the workplace or harassed in the streets because of where they were born. It is our responsibility to link arms with our immigrant neighbors and stand against hate. As your Congressperson: I will join with my Washington state colleagues in pursuing comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship on a bipartisan basis. I will push to expand and improve worker visas that agricultural and technology-based economies all across our district depend upon. I will immediately push to codify DACA and the DREAM Act as laws of the land. I will seek to overturn Donald Trump’s travel ban which was clearly crafted to deny entry to our country based on religion. I will oppose any expenditure of your tax dollars to build an unnecessary and unaffordable wall on our southern border. Reform I will fight to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United to stop the flow of corporate money into US elections. I will support efforts to modernize and secure US voting systems. I will call on social media services to examine foreign attempts to influence our elections in 2016 on their platforms, and to take steps to prevent it from happening again. Gun Safety As a mom and pediatrician, I know how important it is to take action on common sense gun safety. Like many parents, I trust that my third-grade son will be safe when I send him to school, but we know that nowhere is really safe in a country that allows guns to get into the hands of people who would do others harm. We cannot accept these shootings as normal, nor can we accept any notion that we are powerless to stop them. It is long past time for Congress to take common-sense steps to prevent gun violence. If elected, I will fight for solutions that protect our children and families. These are my commitments to addressing our gun violence crisis: Implement universal, comprehensive background checks. Guns should never be allowed in the hands of someone with a history of domestic violence, a violent criminal record, convicted stalkers, and those with severe mental illness. Keep military-style weapons out of the hands of individuals with criminal histories, people in crisis, and those under 21 years old. Work to create a national center for reporting — to ensure that no individual falls through the cracks. Repeal the Dickey Amendment, which prohibits the Centers for Disease Control from researching gun violence as a public health crisis. We base all other health challenges, from highway safety to cancer, on data. But the federal government is not allowed to investigate gun violence in the same way. This is unacceptable and must be reversed immediately. Reject money from gun manufacturers and their lobbying group, the NRA. It is time to say “enough!” to politicians who profit from an industry that spends millions to stop what the vast majority of Americans consider to be common-sense gun safety policies, which makes it easier for individuals to do harm to children. Expand Washington State’s Extreme Risk Protection Order policy nationally, which will enable families and law enforcement to petition the court to temporarily restrict an individual’s access to firearms if there is evidence that he or she will do harm to themselves or others. Let’s not forget that most gun deaths are from suicide. Trade First, does it include fair labor standards? We need to make sure any trade deal raises labor and wage standards abroad to help U.S. workers compete without undermining our domestic labor standards. I’ll be sure to lean on my relationships with Labor to make sure that any deal will not displace 8th district workers. I have been endorsed by some of the largest Labor organizations in Washington state. They know that I will fight to keep jobs here at home. Second, does it have environmental standards? We must ensure that the U.S. is not disadvantaged when we take the lead on confronting our changing climate. Third, does the deal have teeth? I will only support a trade deal if it has clear consequences for noncompliance. If a trade deal passes these litmus tests, I will support it, because trade is an important tool that can raise the tide for all ships if implemented properly. Trade is absolutely critical to Washington state. Ours is the most trade-dependent state in the nation, and our economy here in the 8th district is particularly reliant on trade. Our district is particularly hurt by President Trump’s unpredictable, governing-by-tweeting trade policies. We need to have comprehensive trade agreements that support our workers and our businesses here in the 8th district, but not all trade deals are good trade deals. |
” |
| —Kim Schriers campaign website (2018)[39] | ||
Response to school shooting in Parkland, Florida
After a former student killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Patch.com asked the four leading candidates in the race the following question: "If you were in Congress today, what would you do to stop future school shootings?"[40]
- Shannon Hader: "In Congress, I would move to close loopholes and ensure universal background checks, re-institute Brady Bill measures that have been lost, and mandate and fund a full public health response to gun violence."
- Jason Rittereiser: "We must start by passing laws that help ensure criminals and those who suffer from mental illness do not have easy access to guns. Background checks must be mandatory for all firearm purchases, and we must strongly enforce existing laws that are designed to enhance gun safety and keep guns out of dangerous hands...After the tragedy in Las Vegas I joined the call for Congress to take action by forming a Select Committee on Gun Violence."
- Dino Rossi: "First, we have to do more to recognize and treat mental illness in this country...Second, we must strictly enforce current firearms laws...Third, we should re-evaluate whether there are modifications in the market that turn legal weapons into illegal ones...Lastly, although this is not a legislative fix, I believe that we must collectively stop sensationalizing the murderers who commit these attacks. The focus in the aftermath of these atrocities must be on helping the victims and preventing these attacks, not on giving the attackers the attention and platform they desire.
- Kim Schrier: "The number one thing we can do to keep guns out of dangerous hands is to enact a more comprehensive background check system, like the one we have here in Washington State. Here in Washington, our background checks look for a history of domestic violence, criminal background, and mental illness, and closes the gun show loophole. These criteria should be expanded nationwide, and in Congress, I will fight to do exactly that. I'll also fight any reciprocity bill that would undermine our state's background check system."
Campaign strategies and tactics
Dino Rossi's approach to President Trump
Republican Dino Rossi explained his thoughts on President Donald Trump in an interview with the Seattle Times published on March 11, 2018. Retiring incumbent Rep. Dave Reichert (R) had opposed Trump during the 2016 presidential election and did not vote for him. Rossi had said that Trump was his least favorite candidate in the Republican field, but that he was a better choice than Hillary Clinton. He had opposed an attempt by some Republicans to deny Trump the party's nomination at the Republican National Convention in July 2016.
- When asked how he would interact with Trump while in Congress, Rossi said, "For me, the most important part is I am not running to be ‘The Apprentice.’ I am running to be the congressman from the 8th Congressional District...The way I am going to treat Donald Trump is just the same way I would have treated George W. Bush or Barack Obama. If I agree with them I agree with them, and if I don’t, I don’t."
- When asked to name a Trump policy he would oppose, Rossi said he opposed Trump's announced tariffs on steel and aluminum. He said, "I don’t think anybody wins a trade war. Eighty percent of our steel is made domestically. We also import from friends like Australia and others. I am not really convinced that somehow it is national security if 8o percent of your steel already comes from America...And so I am hoping it is more posturing … that’s how he negotiates. He wants 100 and he asks for 200 and then he gets 110 and complains."
- When asked about his thoughts on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, Rossi said, "Let it play itself out. To this point I haven’t seen any evidence of collusion. Of collusion by Trump...What I read was that apparently they helped fund an anti-Trump rally and an anti-Hillary rally. So they were trying to just cause trouble."[32]
After the Democratic candidates said that Rossi had not addressed the Trump administration's family separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border in June 2018, Rossi said, "It should not be U.S. policy to separate parents from their children. Congress should address this immediately by passing legislation to fix this problem along with the rest of our broken immigration system."[41]
Possible Democratic Party preference for Schrier in primary
Candidates and news outlets claimed that the Washington Democratic Party preferred Kim Schrier over the other Democratic candidates running.
At a candidate forum on February 28, Shannon Hader referenced Schrier's endorsements from national Democratic groups and unions and said, "We need a robust, free and fair primary election, not a coronation.” She did not mention Schrier by name.[8]
On March 6, The Stranger, a liberal news outlet, published an article titled: "Is the Democratic Party Playing Favorites In the Race to Replace Dave Reichert?" The article quoted an anonymous Democratic donor who said that state Democratic Party Chairwoman Tina Podlodowski was “putting her thumb on the scale” for Schrier. The donor also said that Podlodowski had been pressuring donors to either give to Schrier or stay out of the race until the general election.
It also quoted candidate Jason Rittereiser saying that Podlodowski was “using her power to attempt to manipulate the outcome of the primary election in favor of [Schrier].” Former candidate Chris Franco said in the article that he had been dissuaded from staying in the race by Washington State Democrats Executive Director Karen Deal.
Schrier denied that she had the implicit support of the Democratic Party and said that the other candidates were criticizing her because she was ahead in fundraising. Podlodowski denied that she was directing donors toward Schrier, saying, “I’ve had several donors very frustrated with me since I won’t tell them which candidate to give to. My advice is twofold in that case: either wait and find out more until the donors feels sure, or invest in organizations like the State Party, the local legislative district organizations, or groups like Indivisible."[4]
Brayden Olson withdrawal
Brayden Olson withdrew from the race in April 2018, citing his lack of support from the Democratic Party. Olson had previously said that organizations were endorsing Schrier without vetting the other candidates.[42]
In his withdrawal announcement, Olson said the following:
| “ |
In January, I made the difficult decision to stop fundraising for this election, when it was made clear to the candidates that endorsements on the Democratic side would be made without fair consideration of all the Democratic candidates. This was a disappointment, but faced with that reality, I decided on principle that I could not continue to actively ask donors for their hard-earned monetary support. As this process has continued to accelerate, I know it is only right that I choose to withdraw at this time. I continue to believe in the spirit of our values, and I hope that my departure will help those important values be better represented in Congress. Further, I hope that our party will continue to learn from 2016 and beyond. We have an immense opportunity to continue to become a more perfect representation for the people in our community who are in desperate need of a voice. We can be that voice, and I know there are so many among us working toward that cause. [35] |
” |
Local party support for Hader
After Shannon Hader entered the race, she received endorsements from a number of county and legislative district Democratic organizations. Her endorsers included the King County Democrats, Kittitas County Democrats, and Pierce County Democrats.
According to interviews of local Democratic leaders conducted by the Seattle Times, Hader was more likely to show to interviews with local groups than Schrier and Rittereiser, did not get involved in their feuds about polling and whether Schrier's medical practice treated children on Medicaid, and seemed knowledgeable about federal policy.
Aaron Schuler, chair of the 47th District Democrats, said that Hader was preferred over Schrier because Hader was perceived as more moderate and attractive to blue-collar voters in the district.[43]
April 2018 poll by Schrier campaign
On April 26, Kim Schrier's campaign released a poll from Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research that showed her with a 28-point lead over her nearest opponent, Shannon Hader. The result came from a survey of 173 self-identified Democrats.
Jason Ritterheiser's campaign said the poll was not based on a sound methodology and that it was attempting to deflect attention from the King County Democratic Party's endorsement of Shannon Hader. A statement directed at Schrier said, "If attempting to mislead the voters of the 8th district is your way of trying to distract from losing out on an endorsement, it raises doubts about your ability to go toe-to-toe with Dino Rossi in the fall.”
The Schrier campaign responded by saying, "Voters are tired of petty political jabs like Mr. Rittereiser's. It's no surprise that he's struggling on the campaign trail. In the meantime, we'll let the data speak for itself."[44]
Ritterheiser later said that he had internal polling from late March that showed the Democratic candidates to be running even. He said he could have used the results to show himself with a 35-point lead but that doing so would have been dishonest.
The Schrier campaign responded by saying it was "disappointing to see Jason running a negative campaign and attacking fellow Democrats when we should be focused on beating Dino."[45]
Schrier's medical practice
At a campaign forum in May, Jason Rittereiser said that Kim Schrier's medical practice did not treat "the vast majority of poor kids on Medicaid."
Schrier responded by saying that she did not check to see whether children had insurance before treating them and that it was the insurance companies and a flawed health system that prevented her from seeing all Medicaid patients in the area.[46]
Schrier's position on vaccinations
In July 2018, Shannon Hader began sending out mailers that said Kim Schrier opposed mandatory vaccinations for children.
At a candidate forum in March 2018, Schrier held up a sign indicating she disagreed with the statement: “the government should require children to be vaccinated for preventable diseases.” Schrier later said she misunderstood the question and supported vaccinations. Her campaign website included the statement: “I wholeheartedly support policies that lead to higher immunization rates and any role the government can play in reaching an end goal of having every medically eligible child in this country immunized.”
Hader said she supported mandatory vaccinations with only medical exemptions and that the mailer highlighted a distinction between her and Schrier
Schrier's campaign said in response, “Kim has repeatedly said that she supports only medical exemptions. Again, Hader knows this, and for her campaign to pretend otherwise is dishonest. It’s also worth noting that ‘policy difference’ is not what her mailer said — Hader clearly knows her attack overreached, and now she’s trying to figure out a way to backpedal out of a political lie.”
Hader's campaign responded by saying Schrier had supported non-medical exemptions for vaccinations in the past.[47]
Electability
A major question at the Democratic candidate debates was which candidate was best positioned to defeat Republican Dino Rossi in the general election.
The Democratic candidates competed in a debate on February 28 hosted by the 47th Legislative District Democrats and the Washington State Labor Council.[8]
- Kim Schrier said that she was “a woman physician with a fire in her belly” and a “missing voice in Congress.”
- Jason Rittereiser said that he could connect with voters across the entire district.
- Shannon Hader emphasized her background working for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. She also implied that Schrier's support among Democratic labor organizations and national progressive groups with large amounts of campaign funds would prevent the primary from being "robust, free and fair."
- Brayden Olson said his business background would help him appeal to independent voters and that his young age (30 at the time of the debate) would connect him with millennials.
- Robert Hunziker said that his refusal of corporate contributions would help him run a strong campaign.
The candidates again argued about who was most electable at a forum on June 6 hosted by NARAL Pro-Choice America.[48]
- Kim Schrier said she had "built up the resources needed to take on Dino Rossi" and spoke about her endorsement from EMILY's List.
- Jason Rittereiser cited hypothetical polling matchups from the House Majority PAC that showed him with the closest margin against Rossi once voters received information about him.
- Shannon Hader said her experience with federal policy would appeal to the district's voters and that Democratic groups in the eastern and western parts of the district endorsed her.
Campaign advertisements
Jason Rittereiser
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Kim Schrier
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Dino Rossi
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How did the candidates differ?
Medicare for All
The Democratic candidates took the following positions on U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vermont) plan to cover all Americans with Medicare.
- Shannon Hader said she supported single-payer healthcare systems at the state level and allowing more people to buy into Medicare at an earlier age than 65.[5]
- Jason Rittereiser said he supported Medicare for All and wrote an op-ed explaining how he came to support the policy.[49]
- Kim Schrier said she supported Medicare for All but did not think it was politically feasible. She endorsed a plan that would allow anyone to buy into Medicare as a public option in a state exchange.[50]
- Dino Rossi said he supported fewer mandates in health insurance coverage so that a more diverse array of healthcare plans could be offered.[51]
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Internal polls
| Washington's 8th Congressional District | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Jason Rittereiser (D) | Kim Schrier (D) | Shannon Hader (D) | Robert Hunziker (D) | Brayden Olson (D) | Thomas Cramer (D) | Bill Grassie | Dino Rossi (R) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||
| GBA Strategies (April 18-22, 2018) | House Majority PAC | 7% | 17% | 11% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3% | 41% | 12% | +/-3.3 | 900 | |||||||
| Global Strategy Group (March 26-28, 2018) | Rittereiser campaign | 4% | 6% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 3% | 43% | 37% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||
| AVERAGES | 5.5% | 11.5% | 7% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0% | 3% | 42% | 24.5% | +/-4.1 | 650 | ||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign finance
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Cramer | Democratic Party | $44,823 | $37,912 | $6,916 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Shannon Hader | Democratic Party | $886,444 | $868,909 | $17,534 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Jason Rittereiser | Democratic Party | $1,044,900 | $1,044,387 | $514 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Kim Schrier | Democratic Party | $8,144,753 | $8,075,093 | $69,660 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Jack Hughes-Hageman | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Gordon Allen Pross | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Dino Rossi | Republican Party | $4,846,553 | $4,821,393 | $25,160 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Richard Reyes | Libertarian Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Patrick Dillon | Neither Major Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Keith Arnold | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| William Eugene Grassie | Independent | $7,260 | $7,358 | $-98 | As of October 1, 2018 |
| Todd Mahaffey | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Satellite spending
- 314 Action spent $50,000 supporting Kim Schrier on August 3.[2]
- Club for Growth had spent $11,251 supporting Dino Rossi as of July 26.[2]
- EMILY's List had spent $295,094 supporting Kim Schrier and $39,404 opposing Dino Rossi as of August 1 through its Women Vote! independent expenditure group.[2]
- The House Majority PAC had spent $176,014 opposing Dino Rossi as of July 31.[2]
- The Human Society Legislative Fund spent $2,654 opposing Dino Rossi as of June 20.[2]
- Planned Parenthood spent $10,000 supporting Kim Schrier on July 16.[2]
- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent $200,000 supporting Dino Rossi on July 20.[2]
Media coverage
- Rich Smith, The Stranger (July 4, 2018): "The most pressing issue in the race to fill Congressman Dave Reichert's seat in Washington State's 8th District isn't health care, it isn't immigration, and it isn't the environment. The most pressing issue is which one of the Democrats in the race can beat Dino Rossi in November.
- With his money, his name recognition, and his "thousand-watt smile," Rossi will easily make it through Washington's top-two primary on August 7 and go on to the general election in the fall. But who among the three Democrats in the race can turn three-time loser Dino Rossi into four-time loser Dino Rossi? That's the question asked at every candidate forum, every meet and greet, and every event where political types gather. Each of the three Democratic candidates gunning for the most flippable district in the state during the most important midterm election of our lives thinks they're the only one who can defeat Rossi.
- Shannon Hader is the wonk from Auburn. She's managed big budgets as a public health doctor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which means she actually has some government experience. Democratic political nerds like her, and she polls decently, but her message would never fit on a hat. Kim Schrier is the doctor from Sammamish. Donald Trump's election and Reichert's vote for Trumpcare turned her from a pediatrician into pussy-hat politico. She's got big endorsements and alleged establishment support, but bad polling. Jason Rittereiser is the dude-lawyer from Ellensburg. He baled hay to pay for college, and he can't wait to tell you about it. He's got good polling, a few decent endorsements, and a law-and-order background.
- The Cascade Mountains split Washington's 8th Congressional District in half, with bluer voters concentrated west of the mountains and redder voters out east. The liberal enclaves of Sammamish and Issaquah dominate the west, and the working-class manufacturing hub of Auburn anchors the southwest. However, East Pierce County is MAGA-hat red and appears to be getting redder all the time. Ditto the areas east of the mountains around Ellensburg, Wenatchee, and Chelan. A Republican of one sort or another has ruled over the 8th since its creation in 1980. In 2012, an appointed commission redrew the district to lean even more to the right. Still, voters in the 8th District have backed Democratic candidates in every election going back to the days of Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton beat Trump by 3 points here. According to recent polling, a majority of 8th District voters dislike Trump, and 47 percent of them really dislike him. And independents in the district hate Trump almost as much as Democrats do. At the same time, 54 percent of 8th District residents think seven-term congressman Dave Reichert, a Republican rubber-stamp and former King County sheriff who announced his retirement this year, is doing an "excellent/good" job.
- In this arena, all of the Democratic candidates have advantages and disadvantages, and the only people who claim to know which one will win also happen to be working for one of the candidates. One thing is all but certain: Dino Rossi will make it through the primary. He's the guy to beat. So who's the Dem that can beat Rossi?"[52]
- Joel Connelly, Seattle Pi (June 26, 2018): "The first candidate out of gate for the Democrats was Dr. Kim Schrier, for 16 years a pediatrician practicing in Issaquah. Schrier picked up key endorsements from the Boeing Aerospace Machinists and Emily's List, the funding SuperPAC of women Democrats. She even graced Time magazine's cover story on women candidates. Schrier has raised over $1 million and has one of the country's top political consulting firms to introduce her to voters. The buzz, however, is that Hader is simply making a stronger impression. She copped the backing of the National Organization for Women, which said: 'Dr. Hader is the only candidate who has experience and proof points of delivering results with federal dollars and resources.' The third Democratic candidate is Jason Rittereiser, an Ellensburg native and former deputy King County Prosecutor. Rittereiser is an impressive, aggressive candidate, the epitome of an assistant DA bucking for the top spot...
- The 8th District is, however, a welcome distance from Seattle's insular liberal-left political culture. It's a constituency that offers real diversity. The district embraces blue-collar neighborhoods of southeast King County, conservative precincts of rural Pierce County, fast-growing suburbs around Issaquah, and then crosses the Cascades to take in Kittitas and Chelan Counties. It has a substantial Latino population. The North Cascades Highway, between Rainy and Washington Passes, is at the northern border of the district. With many Boeing workers, and major agricultural exports from east of the Cascades, the 8th District stands to feel -- hard -- retaliatory action against the Trump Administration's steel and aluminum tariffs. The 8th District was a target of Democrats from its time of creation in the early 1980's. Reichert had four consecutive tough races before the last redistricting gave him two conservative Central Washington counties."[53]
Republican district won by Hillary Clinton
This district was one of 25 Republican-held U.S. House districts that Hillary Clinton (D) won in the 2016 presidential election.[54] Nearly all were expected to be among the House's most competitive elections in 2018.
Click on the table below to see the full list of districts.
Click here to see the 13 Democratic-held U.S. House districts that Donald Trump (R) won.
Race ratings
| Race ratings: Washington's 8th Congressional District election, 2018 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| October 30, 2018 | October 23, 2018 | October 16, 2018 | October 9, 2018 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season. | |||||||||
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was EVEN, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were within 1 percentage point of the national average. This made Washington's 8th Congressional District the 202nd most Democratic nationally.[59]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.05. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.05 points toward that party.[60]
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Five of 39 Washington counties—12.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Clallam County, Washington | 2.76% | 0.38% | 3.30% | ||||
| Cowlitz County, Washington | 13.32% | 4.44% | 11.15% | ||||
| Grays Harbor County, Washington | 6.99% | 14.11% | 14.56% | ||||
| Mason County, Washington | 5.81% | 7.09% | 8.66% | ||||
| Pacific County, Washington | 6.74% | 11.52% | 14.07% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Washington with 52.5 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 36.8 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Washington cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 73.3 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Washington supported Democratic candidates for president more often than Republican candidates, 53.3 to 43.3 percent. The state favored Democrats in every election between 2000 and 2016.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Washington. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[61][62]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 34 out of 49 state House districts in Washington with an average margin of victory of 25.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 30 out of 49 state House districts in Washington with an average margin of victory of 32.1 points. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 15 out of 49 state House districts in Washington with an average margin of victory of 13.9 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 19 out of 49 state House districts in Washington with an average margin of victory of 14.9 points. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | |
| 1 | 59.66% | 37.93% | D+21.7 | 61.73% | 30.36% | D+31.4 | |
| 2 | 47.71% | 49.88% | R+2.2 | 37.79% | 53.05% | R+15.3 | |
| 3 | 57.66% | 38.63% | D+19 | 51.82% | 38.12% | D+13.7 | |
| 4 | 40.00% | 57.37% | R+17.4 | 34.91% | 56.36% | R+21.4 | |
| 5 | 53.41% | 44.29% | D+9.1 | 54.74% | 37.12% | D+17.6 | |
| 6 | 46.76% | 50.72% | R+4 | 44.72% | 46.75% | R+2 | |
| 7 | 36.16% | 61.01% | R+24.9 | 29.00% | 63.45% | R+34.5 | |
| 8 | 36.10% | 61.49% | R+25.4 | 34.54% | 57.03% | R+22.5 | |
| 9 | 37.70% | 59.71% | R+22 | 35.13% | 56.40% | R+21.3 | |
| 10 | 50.21% | 47.38% | D+2.8 | 46.94% | 45.07% | D+1.9 | |
| 11 | 67.51% | 30.27% | D+37.2 | 67.74% | 25.40% | D+42.3 | |
| 12 | 39.91% | 57.67% | R+17.8 | 37.34% | 55.97% | R+18.6 | |
| 13 | 35.70% | 61.75% | R+26 | 31.04% | 61.91% | R+30.9 | |
| 14 | 42.63% | 54.97% | R+12.3 | 38.98% | 54.23% | R+15.2 | |
| 15 | 45.75% | 52.31% | R+6.6 | 42.51% | 51.74% | R+9.2 | |
| 16 | 38.20% | 59.21% | R+21 | 36.00% | 56.67% | R+20.7 | |
| 17 | 48.28% | 49.36% | R+1.1 | 45.51% | 46.88% | R+1.4 | |
| 18 | 43.85% | 54.12% | R+10.3 | 42.36% | 50.56% | R+8.2 | |
| 19 | 53.59% | 43.66% | D+9.9 | 41.57% | 50.52% | R+8.9 | |
| 20 | 40.98% | 56.26% | R+15.3 | 30.96% | 61.41% | R+30.4 | |
| 21 | 61.52% | 36.25% | D+25.3 | 62.27% | 30.19% | D+32.1 | |
| 22 | 63.17% | 33.68% | D+29.5 | 60.67% | 30.15% | D+30.5 | |
| 23 | 57.91% | 39.72% | D+18.2 | 56.69% | 34.37% | D+22.3 | |
| 24 | 54.21% | 42.81% | D+11.4 | 48.95% | 43.35% | D+5.6 | |
| 25 | 50.87% | 46.92% | D+4 | 45.23% | 46.56% | R+1.3 | |
| 26 | 49.33% | 48.06% | D+1.3 | 45.36% | 45.35% | D+0 | |
| 27 | 67.29% | 30.00% | D+37.3 | 65.15% | 26.43% | D+38.7 | |
| 28 | 54.44% | 43.37% | D+11.1 | 52.61% | 38.96% | D+13.7 | |
| 29 | 62.55% | 34.97% | D+27.6 | 54.47% | 36.76% | D+17.7 | |
| 30 | 58.70% | 39.18% | D+19.5 | 56.77% | 35.96% | D+20.8 | |
| 31 | 47.88% | 49.93% | R+2.1 | 41.61% | 50.16% | R+8.5 | |
| 32 | 70.64% | 26.92% | D+43.7 | 71.67% | 21.56% | D+50.1 | |
| 33 | 65.65% | 32.25% | D+33.4 | 64.85% | 28.57% | D+36.3 | |
| 34 | 77.41% | 20.25% | D+57.2 | 79.30% | 14.85% | D+64.4 | |
| 35 | 51.47% | 45.95% | D+5.5 | 44.25% | 46.59% | R+2.3 | |
| 36 | 81.82% | 15.34% | D+66.5 | 85.25% | 9.15% | D+76.1 | |
| 37 | 86.30% | 11.18% | D+75.1 | 87.06% | 8.13% | D+78.9 | |
| 38 | 59.99% | 37.08% | D+22.9 | 53.38% | 37.81% | D+15.6 | |
| 39 | 49.44% | 47.52% | D+1.9 | 40.00% | 50.75% | R+10.7 | |
| 40 | 62.09% | 34.70% | D+27.4 | 62.61% | 29.29% | D+33.3 | |
| 41 | 60.00% | 38.22% | D+21.8 | 67.76% | 26.09% | D+41.7 | |
| 42 | 49.67% | 47.37% | D+2.3 | 47.57% | 44.43% | D+3.1 | |
| 43 | 85.99% | 10.63% | D+75.4 | 88.74% | 5.96% | D+82.8 | |
| 44 | 54.08% | 43.61% | D+10.5 | 50.96% | 40.24% | D+10.7 | |
| 45 | 58.18% | 39.63% | D+18.6 | 64.80% | 28.03% | D+36.8 | |
| 46 | 78.25% | 19.15% | D+59.1 | 81.92% | 12.42% | D+69.5 | |
| 47 | 55.53% | 42.30% | D+13.2 | 54.37% | 38.29% | D+16.1 | |
| 48 | 61.67% | 35.86% | D+25.8 | 68.17% | 25.02% | D+43.2 | |
| 49 | 57.30% | 40.04% | D+17.3 | 54.21% | 37.87% | D+16.3 | |
| Total | 56.16% | 41.29% | D+14.9 | 54.30% | 38.07% | D+16.2 | |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2018
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2018
- United States Senate elections, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ AP News, "Democrat Schrier advances in Washington’s 8th District," August 14, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 ProPublica, "Washington’s 8th District House Race - 2018 cycle," accessed June 28, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Seattle Times, "EMILY’s List boosts Democrat Kim Schrier in Washington’s 8th Congressional District race," November 9, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Stranger, "Is the Democratic Party Playing Favorites In the Race to Replace Dave Reichert?" March 6, 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Stranger, "Jason Rittereiser Embraces Single-Payer, Beginning A Healthcare Debate In WA-08," May 11, 2018
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Dino Rossi's latest benefactor? Mike Pence," February 7, 2018
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Club for Growth, "CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC ENDORSES DINO ROSSI FOR CONGRESS," February 1, 2018
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Seattle Times, "Who can beat Republican Dino Rossi? Democratic rivals jostle in pivotal 8th Congressional District," March 1, 2018
- ↑ Shannon Hader for Congress, "Issues," accessed May 15, 2018
- ↑ The Stranger, "Democratic Candidates for WA-8 Did Not Appear to Embarrass Themselves at a Rural Washington Forum," February 2, 2018
- ↑ Shannon Hader for Congress, "About Shannon," accessed May 15, 2018
- ↑ Jason Rittereiser for Congress, "Why Jason’s Running," accessed May 15, 2018
- ↑ Jason Rittereiser for Congress, "Issues," accessed May 15, 2018
- ↑ Jason Rittereiser for Congress, "About," accessed May 15, 2018
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Dino Rossi for Congress, "Issues," accessed May 15, 2018
- ↑ NRCC, "NRCC Names First Round of 'Young Guns,'" June 29, 2018
- ↑ Seattle Times, "Dino Rossi: Message shifts to the middle," October 24, 2004
- ↑ The News Tribune, "Dino Rossi chosen to fill vacant 45th District state Senate seat," December 5, 2016
- ↑ Dino Rossi for Congress, "About," accessed May 15, 2018
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Kim Schrier for Congress, "Meet Kim," accessed May 15, 2018
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 The Stranger, "The Stranger's Endorsements for the August 7, 2018, Primary Election," July 18, 2018
- ↑ Shannon Hader for Congress, "Endorsements," accessed May 10, 2018
- ↑ Jason Rittereiser for Congress, "Endorsements," accessed April 23, 2018
- ↑ Kim Schrier for Congress, "Endorsements," accessed June 20, 2018
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 The Stranger, "The Seattle Times Editorial Board Endorses Dino Rossi (and Shannon Hader) for Congress," July 30, 2018
- ↑ Patch.com, "Dino Rossi Vs. The Democrats: The Week In WA-8, May 29," May 29, 2018
- ↑ Kim Schrier for Congress, "Machinists Endorse Dr. Kim Schrier," January 24, 2018
- ↑ Kim Schrier for Congress, "International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 5 Endorses Dr. Kim Schrier," January 29, 2018
- ↑ Kim Schrier for Congress, "Another Major Endorsement for Dr. Kim Schrier!" March 7, 2018
- ↑ The Stranger, "Indivisible Groups in WA-08 Endorse Jason Rittereiser and Kim Schrier," March 21, 2018
- ↑ Patch.com, "Dino Rossi Vs. The Democrats: The Week In WA-8, June 4," June 4, 2018
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 Seattle Times, "Dino Rossi downplays Trump factor in congressional race: ‘I am not running to be The Apprentice’," March 11, 2018
- ↑ Roll Call, "Republican Main Street Partnership Backs 10 Recruits," April 26, 2018
- ↑ Dino Rossi for Congress, "Washington State Farm Bureau Endorses Dino Rossi for Congress," February 6, 2018
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Shannon Hader for Congress, “Issues,” accessed June 20, 2018
- ↑ Jason Rittereiser for Congress, “Issues,” accessed June 20, 2018
- ↑ Dino Rossi for Congress, “Issues,” accessed June 20, 2018
- ↑ Kim Schrier for Congress, “Issues,” accessed June 20, 2018
- ↑ Patch.com, "Candidates In Race To Replace Reichert React To Florida Shooting," February 16, 2018
- ↑ Patch, "WA-08 Candidates React To Trump Border Separation Policy," June 19, 2018
- ↑ The Stranger, "Brayden Olson Withdraws from Race in WA-08, Slamming Endorsement Process," April 17, 2018
- ↑ Seattle Times, "Shannon Hader sweeps endorsements from Democratic groups in race for Dave Reichert’s House seat," June 13, 2018
- ↑ The Stranger, "Washington Democrats Are Finally Fighting, Thank God," April 27, 2018
- ↑ The Stranger, "Bogus" Polls! Transparency! The 8th District Drama Continues!," May 4, 2018
- ↑ Seattle Times, "Washington's 8th District Race: Lawyer Accuses Doctor Foe of Not Treating Many Poor Kids," May 29, 2018
- ↑ Seattle Times, "8th Congressional District primary goes negative with mailers on vaccination," July 26, 2018
- ↑ The Stranger, "Questions of Viability Emerge at a Candidate Forum in Washington's 8th District," June 7, 2018
- ↑ Jason Rittereiser for Congress, "How I Got to Single-Payer," May 11, 2018
- ↑ Patch.com, "WA8 Race: Schrier Proposes Medicare-For-All Option," July 10, 2018
- ↑ Dino Rossi for Congress, "Healthcare," accessed July 16, 2018
- ↑ The Stranger, "Which of These Dems Will Save Us From Dino Rossi?" July 4, 2018
- ↑ Seattle Pi, "Connelly: Dr. Hader wins friends, a big endorsement in 8th District House race," June 26, 2018
- ↑ This figure includes Pennsylvania districts that were redrawn by the state Supreme Court in early 2018 and districts that flipped in special elections.
- ↑ The new 1st district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 8th District held by Fitzpatrick. Click here to read more.
- ↑ The new 5th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 7th District held by Meehan. Click here to read more.
- ↑ The new 6th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 6th District held by Costello. Click here to read more.
- ↑ The new 7th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 15th District held by Dent. Click here to read more.
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
