TNT Ed Board endorsements: Congressional races in WA’s 6th, 8th and 10th districts | Opinion

Yes, it’s a prestigious gig. Yes, some of the perks are cool. As far as jobs and responsibilities go? Few are more important.

Still, none of that is to say serving in Congress — particularly when representing a state more than 2,000 miles removed from Washington D.C. — is for the faint of heart.

In the Puget Sound region, we’ve been blessed with some of the best to do it, which is pretty lucky. In particular, Pierce County has benefited from a short list of Congressional leaders who delivered local results while raising the bar for every political hopeful to follow.

Over the last decade, no one has been better at it than U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer — at least in our humble view.

The whip-smart, down-to-earth son of school teachers has represented constituents in Washington’s 6th Congressional District since being elected in 2012 — when voters from Tacoma to Ocean Shores to Bremerton to Neah Bay promoted the rising Democratic star from the state Legislature to a seat in Congress. The position previously had been held on lockdown by the venerable Norm Dicks for more than three decades.

Late last year, Kilmer announced he would not seek reelection in 2024.

While The News Tribune Editorial Board wouldn’t wish a lifetime of cross-country flights and missed family milestones on anyone, let alone someone so dang diligent and approachable, there’s no avoiding the obvious: Kilmer’s departure is a massive blow for Pierce and Kitsap counties, the entirety of Washington’s 6th Congressional District and the nation.

If this country has any hope of regaining political equilibrium in the coming years and remembering what matters in government — improving the lives of real people, regardless of party affiliations — Kilmer is precisely the type of leader it will take.

That’s one of many reasons his unexpected exit from Congress stings so badly.

Voters across Western Washington will soon cast ballots in three U.S. House races, including in the 6th Congressional District, where Kilmer’s sizable shoes won’t be easy to fill.

Here are the TNT Ed Board’s endorsement picks in those critical contests.

WA’s 6th Congressional District

Every election season, the TNT Ed Board faces one or two endorsement decisions that test and stretch its members. In the 2024 primary, the battle to replace Kilmer in Washington’s 6th Congressional District was one of them.

After heated discussion and passionate debate, our endorsement nod goes to state Sen. Emily Randall, a Democrat from Bremerton.

In the end, Randall’s integrity, clear connection to the district, political backbone and track record of speaking up for those who have often been ignored convinced the board she’s up to the challenge — and the candidate best suited for the job.

While the board’s decision was not unanimous, we like Randall’s fight and love her potential.

Collectively, we were won over by Randall’s history of sticking her neck out and doing what’s right. In 2022, she was one of the first local Democrats to acknowledge to the TNT Ed Board that legislation passed by Democrats in the state Legislature designed to limit police vehicle pursuits had created unintended negative consequences in communities like hers. More recently, she risked progressive backlash by standing firm on her convictions related to the complicated conflict in Gaza. At a time when the war between Israel and Hamas is being used as a wedge to drive constituencies into political corners, Randall’s response to a story published by the Jewish Insider about the firing of a campaign staffer was refreshing and courageous, even if foreign policy views differ among reasonable people.

Largely on the strength of lifelong ties to the Kitsap Peninsula, where the former Planned Parenthood staff member and LGBTQ+ advocate returned after being the first in her family to attend college, Randall successfully flipped an important state Senate seat from red to blue in 2018 as a grassroots candidate. In our mind, it speaks to Randall’s tenacity and resolve, which will serve her well if elected.

In 2022, for an encore performance, Randall fended off Republican Jesse Young, holding down the 26th District in decisive fashion in a race that was one of the most watched and most expensive in recent memory. The electoral victory, for us, underscores Randall’s important ability to connect with voters across partisan lines and political divides, which will be a paramount duty for whoever is elected to represent Washington’s 6th Congressional District.

As a state lawmaker, Randall has routinely made good on her progressive bonafides, championing access to education, health care and living wage jobs while giving a voice to historically marginalized constituencies. In her campaign for Congress, she boasts the endorsements of U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, U.S. Rep. and former Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland and Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, among others.

You can add the TNT Ed Board to that list.

Considering the high-profile nature of the race in Washington’s 6th Congressional District — not to mention the advertising money spent on TV ads and campaign mailers — voters probably don’t need an introduction to the other big-name candidates in the race. We’ll provide one anyway.

Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hillary Franz, a Democrat who assumed her current office in 2017, initially had eyes for the governor’s mansion, as you might have heard. But a combination of Bob Ferguson’s stronghold on this year’s battle for governor and an 11th-hour opening in Congress created by Kilmer’s departure lured her into the 6th Congressional District race, where she immediately became the presumed front runner.

Franz has spent the last seven-plus years transforming the management of Washington’s public lands at a time when the threat of climate change-related wildfires and destruction never has been higher. Throughout her tenure as a statewide elected official, Franz has championed her office’s critical work while taking a very public role contending with an issue residents of the state are paying close attention to — because lives and livelihoods are at stake.

Prior to being elected Commissioner of Public Lands, Franz served as director of the conservation agency Futurewise and served on the Bainbridge Island City Council. A vocal critic of all things MAGA, she’s provided ample soundbite catnip for progressives in a state where Trump hatred runs high. In her run for Congress, she boasts the support of a long list of prominent Democrats from across Washington, including Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards and Pierce County Council Chair Ryan Mello.

Perhaps most influential at the ballot box?

Kilmer identified Franz as his preferred successor from the get-go, providing Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands with the same kind of push he benefited from when Dicks handpicked the Gig Harbor Democrat as his heir apparent more than a decade ago.

Given the TNT Ed Board’s respect for Kilmer, the weight of such support isn’t lost on us.

Still, lingering reservations about the strength of Franz’s connection to the 6th Congressional District and the criticism she’s recently faced from current and former Department of Natural Resources staffers who told The Seattle Times she misused public resources gives some TNT Ed Board members pause.

In a lengthy letter sent to the TNT Ed Board last week, Franz strongly disputed the Seattle Times’ depiction of her tenure at DNR, describing it as a “far from complete characterization of my leadership approach.”

Franz urged the board — and, in the process, local voters — to “evaluate me on what we’ve done, and what we’ve accomplished” at the agency.

In a primary election field of five candidates, Republican Drew MacEwen is the other name to watch — playing the role of formidable wildcard.

Washington’s 6th Congressional District has been about as old-school blue as they come over the last 60 years — built on union jobs, hard work and traditional progressive values — but the state Senator from Shelton is no pushover, particularly in an election year when conservative enthusiasm is running high, even if flipping the district would be a historical feat.

For more than a decade, MacEwen has represented constituents in Washington’s 35th Legislative District, which spans from Rochester and Tenino to Belfair and beyond. He knows the area well, including the small towns and coastal outposts that are often overlooked, places where the idea of small government and local control go a long way.

MacEwen, who spent six years in the U.S. Navy manning submarines, was elected to the state House in 2012. In 2023, voters decisively promoted him to the state Senate.

In the view of the TNT Ed Board, Randall has proven her readiness and deserves the responsibility. She’s a leader residents in the 6th Congressional District can trust.

The good news for voters?

We’re convinced Franz is up to the task if given the opportunity — as is MacEwen, for that matter.

WA’s 8th Congressional District

If the TNT Ed Board’s endorsement decision in the 6th Congressional District was fraught and contentious, our pick in Washington’s 8th Congressional District — where U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier has served thoughtfully and effectively in recent years — was a relative no-brainer.

Schrier, a Democrat and pediatrician elected as part of a blue wave that took control of the U.S. House in 2018, has faced formidable opposition in recent election cycles, including 2022, when Republicans Matt Larkin, Reagan Dunn and Jesse Jensen unsuccessfully battled to oust her from office.

This year, Republican Carmen Goers, a commercial banker and community volunteer, is giving it a shot. If elected, the two-decade 8th Congressional District resident would be a first-time officeholder.

Imraan Siddiqi, a civil rights champion who has recently served as executive director of the Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, is also running as a Democrat.

In our view, Schrier’s understanding of policy and experience in D.C. gives her a clear leg up on the competition. So does her background in healthcare, her staunch support of reproductive rights and her pledge to put people above politics.

Schrier easily earned the TNT Ed Board’s endorsement.

At the same time, we were impressed by Goers’ passion and Siddiqi’s strong commitment to social justice.

We urge both candidates to stay involved in local government and community organizing.

WA’s 10th Congressional District

The race for U.S. House of Representatives in Washington’s 10th Congressional District feels lopsided.

Since 2020, when the South Sound Democrat became the first African-American and Korean-American woman elected to Congress, Marilyn Strickland has been a natural fit for the all-important job.

Throughout her four years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Strickland, a former two-term Tacoma mayor, has established herself as a key member of the House Armed Services Committee, drawing on her background as a military kid and former elected leader in a region where Joint Base Lewis-McChord looms large. At the same time, Strickland has carved out prominent national roles as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Most important to 10th Congressional District constituents?

The Mount Tahoma High School grad didn’t just make it to Washington D.C., she has effectively brought home results since she arrived.

Strickland has championed regional affordable-housing investments across the region, strengthened workforce development programs for local families who deserve a real shot at the American Dream and continued to build on crucial transit projects that will help to bring Washington up to speed.

In a crowded 2024 primary field, she stands head and shoulders above the competition.

Republican Nirav Sheth, a former U.S. Marine, police officer and local small business owner who has made a name with strong critiques of Democratic policies on public safety, will also appear on the ballot.

While Sheth’s candidacy effectively gives voice to common conservative frustrations, he lacks a clear vision for addressing issues like crime, addiction and homelessness in our opinion.

The News Tribune Editorial Board is: Matt Driscoll, opinion editor; Stephanie Pedersen, TNT president and editor; Jim Walton, community representative; Amanda Figueroa, community representative; Justin Evans, community representative; J. Manny Santiago, community representative; Bart Hayes, community representative.

This story was originally published July 18, 2024 at 2:11 PM.