Democrat joins race in 3rd Congressional District

Another Democrat is throwing his hat into the ring for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.

Peter Harrison of Vancouver is the third candidate with a D behind their name to take on Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground. Dorothy Gasque and David McDevitt announced earlier this year.

Top campaign issues for Harrison include health care, infrastructure and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy.

“I was born outside the United States and immigrated here as a child. I think it’s unfair to judge children or people by the things their parents did to bring them here,” Harrison said. “You don’t charge someone with drunk driving if they were a passenger in the car.”

As to health care, Harrison said until the U.S. addresses the cost of procedures, pharmaceuticals and general care, the U.S. will always be behind the curve.

“All of Congress seems to be fiddling around with who pays the bill instead of why is the bill so large in the first place,” he said.

Overarching these issues, he said, is investing in the country’s future.

“The United States became a great nation because it invested in its future; it had a vision moving forward,” Harrison said. “That investment showed up in terms of bridges, in terms of educating our youth and doing things that would make tomorrow better.”

But infrastructure, especially in Clark County, has not kept up with growth.

“Because we stopped looking forward and stopped investing in a healthy future,” he added. “If we want to be a great country in 20 years, we have to start working on investing now.”

Can Harrison, a Democrat, win in a Republican district? He thinks so.

“There are a lot of things that make me think 2018 will be a very interesting year for Republicans and Democrats,” he said. “There are a lot of issues where the Republicans have dropped the ball and are not doing a good job for their constituents.”

If Harrison’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he filed with the Federal Election Commission in February to set the groundwork for what he hopes will be a successful campaign.

“I’m going to give Jaime a run for her money,” he said.