U.S. Representative
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It’s a big day for incumbents
Incumbents representing Washington and Eastern Washington in Congress advanced easily in Tuesday’s primary to the general election, but their November opponents say they’re confident that the races aren’t over. U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, won 54 percent of the vote in a four-way primary race to retain her seat representing Washington’s 5th Congressional District. She will face Democrat Rich Cowan, the founder of North by Northwest Productions, who took 35 percent of the vote. McMorris Rodgers and Cowan eliminated two long-shot candidates.
Spin Control: Protest elicits tangle over Medicaid
Do Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Gov. Chris Gregoire agree on the best way to fix the nation’s health care system? Not hardly, although that may not be the impression one gets from a video circulating on YouTube. Last week, a group of progressive activists marking the 47th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid visited McMorris Rodgers’ downtown office to challenge the Spokane Republican’s vote for the budget drafted by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Women get help through Care Act
WASHINGTON – Starting today, nearly 1.1 million women in Washington state will no longer be charged a co-pay for birth control, HIV screening and several other health care services under the Affordable Care Act. The 2010 law requires insurance companies to fully cover preventive services in eight categories for women whose health plans begin or are renewed on or after Aug. 1.
Candidates for Congress weigh in on top issues
Two years ago, Democrats were divided about their choice to challenge U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. But this year, party officials worked to unite the party early behind Spokane businessman and filmmaker Rich Cowan and persuade other potential candidates, including former Spokane Mayor Mary Verner, to stay out of the race.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Q&A on 15 topics
1. Why do you feel you are the best candidate? My background and values are very representative of Eastern Washington – growing up on a small farm, the first in my family to graduate from college, helping run the family business. It is an honor to represent you in Congress. Today, our country is borrowing over a trillion dollars a year. Our future economic strength and national security depend on putting our fiscal house in order. I’ve balanced budgets at my kitchen table, in small business and in state government; I have the proven skills required to rein in spending by setting priorities so we can live within our means.
Ian Moody, Q&A on 15 topics
1. Why do you feel that you are the best candidate? I have the vision, audacity, and heart to tackle tough issues and fight back when government encroaches on citizens’ rights. By nature and trade I am a caregiver, possessing over a decade of experience working directly with the disabled, aging, and dying of Eastern Washington. I am the author and sponsor of marijuana regulation initiatives circulating in seven regional cities. When the Spokane City Council took steps to impede the initiative process earlier this year, I responded with a counter proposal in the form of a citizens’ initiative. I hope to represent a new generation of doers in congress.
Rich Cowan, Q&A on 15 topics
1. Why do you feel that you are the best candidate? For 22 years I served as CEO of film company North by Northwest Productions. Our company brought a new industry to the Inland Northwest, and hundreds of family-wage jobs along with it. I know how to create jobs, minimize debt, and build for the long term. Those are the skills we need in Congress. More importantly, I am not a puppet of a political party or corporate interest – I am dedicated to finding solutions to our common problems and fighting for the needs of Eastern Washington. We need a representative for “our” Washington, not the “other” Washington.
Randall Yearout, Q&A on 15 topics
1. Why do you feel that you are the best candidate? The general feeling that the federal government has grown too big for its britches has a constitutional remedy, and I appear to be the only candidate who will work towards that remedy. 2. What legislation is your top priority for 2013?
Proposal streamlines retrofitting of nongenerating dams
WASHINGTON – The nation could get new electricity from old dams, saving time and money compared to damming new streams, under a bill that passed the House unanimously this week. The Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and praised by one environmental watchdog group, would speed up the licensing of projects that retrofit existing dams and pipelines.
Ruling highlights partisan split
OLYMPIA – When a divided U.S. Supreme Court settled the question Thursday of whether federal health care reform is constitutional, it turned up the spotlight on the issue for Washington’s hotly contested governor’s race. Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna, one of the original plaintiffs in the failed multistate challenge, said he was surprised by the ruling but insisted he was relieved, not disappointed.