Elections should not be coronations.
We appreciate the willingness of three citizens – Republican Doug Cloud, Democrat Paul Richmond and Green Gary Murrell – to challenge U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks in the Sixth Congressional District.
Still, Dicks not only will be re-elected – he should be.
He’s served 32 years in Congress, which some would cite as an argument for his ouster. The fact is, Dicks has been elected and re-elected for a reason: He’s an extraordinarily effective lawmaker who has tirelessly served his district, which currently encompasses part of the Tacoma area and the entire Olympic Peninsula.
He’s also repeatedly helped solved problems outside his district. For example, when torrential floods ruined roads, utilities and trails in Mount Rainier National Park the winter before last, Dicks helped secure the millions of dollars needed to do the repairs and reopen the park.
We could cite dozens of such instances in which he has used his position to assist the communities he represents and Washingtonians in general. His influence increased dramatically in 2007 after the election of a Democratic Congress left him with the coveted chairmanship of the interior subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.
Thanks for making it a race, guys. But Dicks is still a keeper.
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