Dick Muri: Military man hopes he can lock down military district

Editor’s note: Staff writer Brad Shannon talked with the six candidates for Washington’s new 10th Congressional District about their campaigns for the seat created by post-census redistricting. The race offers what is, for much of the district, the first wide-open congressional election in 20 years.

Here is the first of his interviews.

Dick Muri, a retired Air Force officer and Republican candidate for Congress, was the first candidate to file in person at the Secretary of State’s office when the state’s campaign season officially kicked off this month.

He brought that same military posture and punctuality to a recent interview in Tacoma.

Muri says his military experience makes him the best match for voters in the new 10th Congressional District, which takes in Joint Base ­Lewis-McChord along Interstate 5 and runs from Puyallup to Olympia and Shelton. He said retired officers were endorsing his campaign and that half of his campaign money was coming from retired military veterans.

“It just comes down to you can speak their language. People trust you understand their issues,” he said, sitting upright and alert in his chair, reminiscent of a man who wore a uniform for many years.

Muri ran two years ago against well-entrenched U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-­Tacoma, in the since-reconfigured 9th district and lost. Smith had grown into a major powerhouse in the district, and Muri’s backers were happy to have lost by less than others who have taken on Smith and failed.

This time, Muri has his eyes on Democrat Denny Heck of Olympia as his chief rival, looking past fellow Republican Stan Flemming, who is a bit like Muri in that both serve on the Pierce County Council and have military backgrounds.

“Keeping Denny Heck under 50 percent (in the Aug. 7 primary) is critical for fundraising,” Muri said. He said national Republicans will be more interested if the Democrat-leaning district looks winnable.

Muri insisted he can win the 10th for the GOP and said he’s “much more comfortable” in the 10th than he was in the 9th against Smith. He said 60 percent of the new district is in Pierce County and lesser amounts are in Thurston and Mason counties.

“I think if the election was held today, I would win Pierce County. The question is whether I’d win enough to cover my losses in Thurston County,” Muri said. He added that he recenlty has put in a lot of time in Thurston County, including Yelm. “I don’t have to spend much time in Pierce County. People obviously know me. ... I’ve got a good base there.”

On the personal front, Muri is from an Italian family from the Boston area. He earned a degree in environmental studies at the University of Massachusetts before going into the Air Force in 1976, which brought him to McChord Air Force Base. He married his wife, Mary, in Washington in 1979, and the couple has four children. Muri spent 22 years in the Air Force, 14 at McChord.

Muri is painting himself as the most moderate GOP candidate. He has enlisted the help of Alex Hays, a Tacoma political consultant and executive director of the Mainstream Republicans of Washington.

Among his priorities and positions:

BUDGET: Muri thinks the budget plan from Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the House budget chairman who wants to reshape Medicare, “was a good start.” As for budget cuts, he would start on the agriculture side, cutting crop and price supports and letting the market sort out production issues.

Muri does want to take a look at the whole tax structure – what exemptions or favoritism in the code might need to expire and whether the U.S. needs a “flatter tax.”

He sees “good news” for Social Security and says the pension system’s trust fund “can be made solvent” with tweaks. He believes the retirement age needs to continue to go up – say by one year per decade for the under-50 age group – to reflect the longer life spans.

ECONOMY: Muri said the biggest challenge to getting businesses to boost hiring is “to get a new president that isn’t continually bashing successful people.” Muri reiterated a pretty standard GOP line – that uncertainty about taxation and regulation is what is really keeping U.S. businesses leery of hiring, despite many sitting on big cash cushions.

DEBT: Muri said he wants to limit spending and keep the federal role focused on flood control, military defense and transportation. He plans to advocate for JBLM – its soldiers and infrastructure – and veterans without seeking special appropriations known as earmarks.

“I’m going back there to try to make the job of Congress less important. I’m not trying to go back and be the Norm Dicks (the 6th Congressional District’s iconic congressman who is retiring this year). Being Santa Claus is (over),” Muri said.

FEDERALISM: Muri wants more decisions made by states – and he would shrink the federal Department of Education to about five full-time jobs, he said. He said the U.S. cannot afford a national education policy and that he believes in a diversity of actions by the states.

VETERANS AND WARS: Helping returning vets from Afghanistan and Iraq is on his agenda. He said “the care is good if you can get it” at the Veterans Administration but the process is slow. He suggests help from the private sector may be needed to catch up on the backlog.

The U.S. occupation of Iraq is winding down well enough in Muri’s view but he says he thought in 2004 that the U.S. should have left Afghanistan. He thinks the U.S. can reduce troops in Okinawa and Korea. “Let’s not get embroiled in nation-building,” he said.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Muri casts himself as someone to protect the environment. In nine years on the county council, he said he has supported conservation futures – buying land to protect habitat – and the conservation district.

But he said he does not believe the government needs to respond to the effects of human activity on climate change.

“I believe in energy independence,” he said. “We want an all-of-the-above energy policy; I’m not so worried about climate change.”

SOCIAL ISSUES: Muri said these will be a factor in a lot of campaigns come November, particularly same-sex marriage. Muri said he opposes recognizing gay marriage.

On abortion rights, he said: “I am pro-life” and endorsed by Human Life Washington. He favors “no exceptions” for abortion but said “I guess the only exception might be if the mother was doomed to die.”