Democrats will give voters a choice in at least one race in the 6th Legislative District.

Former state Democratic state Rep. Dennis Dellwo filed paperwork with the state Public Disclosure Commission last month announcing a bid to challenge Republican state Rep. John Ahern.

Democrats had success in the 6th District, which surrounds central Spokane on the south, west and north, in 2006 and 2008. But they lost all three seats in 2010 and redistricting may have shifted the district more toward the GOP camp.

Dellwo, 66, served 13 years in the Legislature serving the 3rd District. He was first elected in 1982. He left in 1996 to take a position on the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board. He said he moved into the 6th District a three years ago and lives near Polly Judd Park on the South Hill.

It's no shocker that Dellwo chose to challenge Ahern and not state Rep. Kevin Parker. Ahern has a reputation as an extremely hard-working campaigner, but he doesn't raise much money. Parker has $145,000 in his campaign war chest. Ahern only has $10,000. Dellwo already has half as much as Ahern and he only filed with the PDC on Feb. 29. Democrats declined to challenge Parker in 2010.

Ahern, lost his seat in 2008 to Democrat John Driscoll but beat Driscoll to win it back in 2010, called Dellwo a "very good opponent."

"I'd be highly disappointed if I ran for reelection and nobody ran against me," he said in an interview tonight after testifying about the state Department of Early Learning to the Spokane City Council.

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