Within hours of the release of new congressional district maps Wednesday, the newly created 10th District has a contested Republican primary.
And both candidates are members of the Pierce County Council.
Stan Flemming announced he will run in the new district, which stretches from Olympia to University Place. While the former mayor of University Place said he would have run in the new district wherever it ended up, he was thrilled it contained his house, much of the County Council district that elected him and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
“It was not just nice news, it was wonderful news,” said Flemming, who filed papers with the Federal Election Commission on Dec. 14.
Later Wednesday, Dick Muri announced he, too, will be a candidate in the new 10th district. Muri, who challenged U.S. Rep. Adam Smith in 2010, represents the County Council district centered on Lakewood.
The only announced Democrat in the race is Denny Heck of Olympia. He had already said he will run for Congress again, having lost the 3rd District race to Jaime Herrera-Buetler in 2010.
But he was waiting to see the makeup of the new district and whether it would hold his new home base of Thurston County.
Both are looking for different political opportunities. Muri cannot run for the County Council again because of term limits. Flemming can run but was moved out of his home base during last summer’s county redistricting.
Both also have military backgrounds in a district that now will contain the military bases and the communities around them.
Flemming is a medical doctor, two-time combat veteran and a brigadier general (retired) in the Army. Muri is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel.
Peter Callaghan: 253-597-8657 peter.callaghan @thenewstribune.com
• Two Pierce County Council members to run for Congress in new 10th District. Back Page
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