Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown endorses Carmela Conroy for Congress

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown has publicly endorsed former diplomat Carmela Conroy to represent Eastern Washington in Congress.

Conroy is one of three Democrats running for a seat held by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who announced last month that she would not seek an 11th term. Seven Republicans have also announced they are running.

She clarified her support in response to a Wednesday article in The Spokesman-Review that noted that she had not previously agreed to an endorsement that Conroy listed on her campaign website.

“I definitely endorse Carmela, and I told her I would endorse her and planned to all along,” Brown said. “It was a question of timing for me.”

Brown said she had hesitated to publicly endorse Conroy early, not due to doubts with the candidate herself, but to avoid the sentiment that Democratic leadership were tipping the scales early in the race.

“I think her experience with the foreign service and her background is really great for the time we’re in as a country,” Brown added. “Plus I saw her do really good work with the Spokane County Democrats, in terms of taking people who are in the party with different views and uniting them for common projects.”