New Faces Dot District Campaigning Hopkins Battling Gop Veteran Sommers; Personett, Benson Vie For Position 1 Seat

There’s an ice-cream maker knocking on doors with a longtime politician. A retired teacher campaigning to save public education. And a retired nurse advocating education and health care for all.

The 6th District offers up candidates in all flavors for its two state House seats. Most are political newcomers. Only Duane Sommers, the Republican who holds the Position 2 seat, is a political veteran.

He’s running against Democrat Jerry Hopkins, a retired teacher who also served as the president of the Spokane Education Association.

Democrat Judy Personett, a 22-year nurse for Veterans Affairs, and Republican Brad Benson, an Air Force veteran and ice-cream store owner, are battling for the Position 1 seat.

Of the four candidates, Sommers, 63, is galloping ahead in the money race. With almost $35,000 in his coffers, Sommers has raised about twice as much as Hopkins, 58.

The money battle between Personett and Benson is tighter, and the political race will probably be close as well.

The 6th District is historically a Republican district, not sending a Democrat to the statehouse in at least a decade.

But Personett, 55, and her Democratic primary opponent together grabbed 53 percent of the vote in September.

“In a lot of ways, this isn’t a really good year to be a Republican,” said Benson, 37.

Benson and Sommers have been campaigning together, knocking on thousands of doors and handing out pamphlets.

Benson’s main issues are juvenile crime and shifting more control of schools from the state to local school boards.

Personett’s major issues are health care and help for the disadvantaged. She wants to give health care back to patients and practitioners.

“My goal is to try to bring a balance into health care,” she said.

As of Monday, Personett had raised almost $24,500 from 112 donations. Almost half her donations came from Democratic Party groups, including $9,922 worth of campaign mailers from the Washington state Democratic Party.

Almost one-third of her donations were from political action committees, associations and labor groups. More than two-thirds of her contributions came from outside the Spokane area.

Benson describes himself as a typical conservative, looking to cut some taxes and roll back some regulations.

Benson’s records show that he’s raised $24,150.79, although his donations actually add up to $27,235.79.

He’s collected 195 donations. Almost 60 percent came from political action committees, companies and associations. Another 12 percent came from Republican Party groups, including $2,764.25 worth of mailing labels from the Washington state Republican Party.

Almost two-thirds of his contributions came from outside the Spokane area.

In the other race, Hopkins is trying to beat a longtime legislator. Hopkins squeaked by Barbara Lampert in the Democratic primary, winning by just 57 votes. Together, the two picked up 47 percent of the vote, to Sommers’ 53 percent.

Hopkins is a supporter of public education and opposed to both the school voucher and charter initiatives. He advocates downtown revitalization and programs for youth.

“I will be an advocate for Spokane when I go over there,” Hopkins said. “I have some new insights, some energy and enthusiasm.

Hopkins has raised almost $18,000, from 214 donors. Most of his donations were small.

Almost 40 percent of his donations came from Democratic Party organizations, including more than $6,200 worth of brochures from the Washington State Democratic Central Committee.

About 13 percent of Hopkins’ money came from political action committees, associations and labor organizations. About 11 percent came from teachers, school administrators and workers in educators’ unions. About 42 percent came from outside the Spokane area.

Sommers is looking to finish what he started. He served in the statehouse from 1987 to 1992, bowing out of the seat after redistricting. Sommers was selected in November to finish the last year of Rep. Todd Mielke’s term.

Sommers wants to look at putting a lid on the state’s part of property tax levels and look at reforming the business and occupation tax. He also advocates reforming regulations.

“I really do want to see some tax decreases,” Sommers said.

Sommers has raised almost $35,000, from 307 donors.

Almost half of Sommers’ donations came from political action committees, associations and businesses. Two-thirds of his donations came from outside the Spokane area.

, DataTimes MEMO: See individual profiles by name of candidate. This sidebar appeared with the story: THE 6TH DISTRICT Snakes from Moran Prairie to the Stevens County border, mainly following the Spokane River. It sprawls east to state Highway 395 and west to Rambo Road.