WA-5

Rick Bart (R-Arlington): Politicker photoA number of Washington's congressional challengers have, in lieu of being able to vote, issued their own statements on Monday's failed bailout. Ironically, the only instance in which challenger and incumbent agreed was in the deadlocked 8th District, where Darcy Burner (D-Carnation) and Rep. Dave Reichert both opposed the bill.

Burner's statement focused on the need for accountability, and said she would refuse to hand over a "blank check" to Wall Street.

Reichert, who voted "no", told PolitickerWA.com yesterday that the bill was put together too hastily.

"I just feel like this was a rush," he said. "I don't totally trust the process that we have gone through for the last seven to eight days."

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the Republican from Spokane, will attend next week's Republican National Convention as a delegate for John McCain.

"It's my first Republican National Convention and I'm eager to represent Washington as I cast my vote for John McCain for President," McMorris Rodgers said in a press release. "John McCain is exactly what our country needs right now. He's a war hero who can keep our country safe from terrorists. He's a spending hawk who can cut the pork from our bloated federal government. And he's from the West and understands the importance of our hydroelectric dams. He knows how vital they are to this country's energy, irrigation and transportation needs and he is committed to protecting them." 

In addition to her delegate activities, McMorris Rodgers will be blogging about her experiences on her website, cathyforcongress.com. Read all about it there and here at PolitickerWA.com.

U.S. Rep. Catchy McMorris Rodgers: Campaign photoRep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Colville) launched her first round of television advertisements in the 5th Congressional District this week. The ad, called "American Energy", will be seen on cable channels throughout the district and touches on the two-term congresswoman's energy policies.

"We must take an ‘all of the above' approach to meet our current energy needs," McMorris Rodgers said in a statement. "That's why our ad highlights more than just increased drilling.  Not only must we open new sources of energy, but we must also focus on conservation, on renewables like hydro power and on increasing our capacity for new technologies such as wind and solar."

The ad can be seen online here, and the transcript found below.

Mark Mays5th Congressional District Democratic nominee Mark Mays went on the air today with his first set of radio advertisements of the campaign. The two ads will run for a week on Spokane radio stations KQNT, KEYF, KJRB, KIXZ, and KISC, and the campaign hopes to expand the buy later in August. Both ads look to introduce Mays to voters and target the voting record and campaign statements of incumbent Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Colville).

"While we think that Cathy is a good and decent person, we believe that her votes in Congress are detrimental to the voters and the residents of the 5th Congressional District in Washington State," Mays said in a press release announcing the advertisements.  "The policies of the Bush Economy are eliminating what was the middle class in America, and the divide between the haves and the have nots has grown even larger during her watch.  Cathy has voted with President Bush 96% of the time."

Mark Mays (D-Spokane) will give his campaign for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers' (R-Colville) 5th Congressional District seat a boost this month when he goes on a listening tour of the Eastern Washington district. His tour, similar ones of which were popularized locally by former Republican Rep. George Nethercutt in 1994 and nationally by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), will start this week in the southeastern corner of the district.

Mays will hit Dayton, Clarkston and Pullman on Wednesday, July 9, 2008. Full details can be found in the campaign's press release.