Dennis Flannigan

State Rep. Dennis Flannigan (D-Tacoma) will begin his campaign for re-election to a fourth term in the 27th District Wednesday, but the event is not just about him. Checks will be written and speeches given, as at any campaign kickoff, with the key difference being that Flannigan's kickoff is a fundraiser not for his campaign, but for the victims of the recent earthquake in the Szechuan province of China.

The proceeds raised will go to the Mianyang relief fund, set up by the city of Tacoma through Columbia Bank. Mianyang is a "friendship city" with Tacoma. Flannigan is known for his culinary campaign gatherings, and is so far running unopposed in the heavily Democratic 27th District.