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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) (click to enlarge) Rick Larsen (click to enlarge) Rick Bart   ADVERTISEMENT   Meet the Candidates Rick Larsen Hometown: Everett Occupation: Congressman Age: 43 Education: Bachelor's in political science, Pacific Lutheran University; master's in public administration, University of Minnesota Experience: Congress, 2001-present; Snohomish County Council 1997-1999; Web site: RickLarsen.org Rick Bart Hometown: Arlington Occupation: Retired law enforcement Age: 60 Education: Bachelor's in criminal justice Seattle University; associate's in law enforcement, Shoreline Community College Experience: Snohomish County Sheriff 1995-2008 Web site: ElectRickBart.com   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, October 5, 2008 Bart knows his fight is tough The retired sheriff "keeps plugging along" in his campaign for Congress against Rick Larsen By Jerry Cornfield Herald Writer EVERETT -- Republican Rick Bart says he's got plenty of reasons why voters should back him in his bid to unseat Democratic Congressman Rick Larsen. But the former Snoho­mish County sheriff lacks the resources to reach voters to tell them and he's had too few opportunities to be side-by-side with the federal lawmaker to point out their political differences. That's made this underdog fight all the more daunting. "It's difficult to challenge an incumbent," Bart admitted. "We're plugging along, chipping away." He's trying to keep Larsen, 43, of Everett, from winning a fifth term in the 2nd Congressional District that stretches from Mukilteo to the Canadian border. Larsen easily won the four-person primary with 54.3 percent of votes cast in the district that takes in all of Whatcom, Skagit, Island and San Juan counties and parts of Snoho­mish and King counties. Bart finished with 37.7 percent. Larsen is running on a record that this term includes creation of the Wild Sky Wilderness in eastern Snohomish County, a guarantee for a new outpatient clinic for veterans in Mount Vernon and passage of a law tracking sale of everyday drugs used to make methamphetamine. Bart, 60, of Arlington, served three terms as county sheriff, stepping down in December because of term limits. Bart has campaigned on an array of subjects such as eliminating the national debt, increasing domestic supplies of oil through drilling, ending the U.S. involvement in Iraq, cracking down on earmarks in the federal budget and restoring trust in Congress. He's gotten little traction on those. Maybe this week's passage of the $700 billion emergency plan to stabilize financial markets will allow him an inroad. Larsen voted for the plan though he received roughly 2,500 calls and e-mails from constituents urging him to oppose it. Bart said he would have voted against it. The congressman insisted the plan does not bail out Wall Street and does ensure taxpayer dollars will be recouped. At a meeting in Everett this week, Larsen told civic and business leaders the package is necessary to get the credit market unclogged and the nation's economy back on a path forward. "I know people are angry about this," he said. "This is a critical time we are in. Sometimes the federal government is the only dog big enough in the pound to make something happen." Bart said he had "too many questions and not enough answers." "I wasn't convinced it had a plan for how we get our money back. I didn't see how it would stem the tide of foreclosures," he said. Bart entered this race at the behest of Republican leaders, including gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi. Yet he's been unable to excite the Grand Old Party members to write checks for his effort. He had raised only $37,000 through July and began August with only $1,038 in his campaign fund. By contrast, Larsen had garnered $1 million and had $535,251 in the bank. The gap likely will be much greater when new finance reports are released this month. Larsen is on pace to rake in $1.3 million this election cycle on the strength of 50 fundraisers, 30 in the state and 20 in Washington, D.C. Bart may not top $100,000. "I'm surprised with the very little money we've raised but we've made the most of it in this campaign," Bart said. He's been all but ignored by the national Republican Party, unlike two years ago when the GOP made a big push to dislodge the Everett Democrat. Vice President Dick Cheney and former House speakers Dennis Hastert and Newt Gingrich all came to Everett to stump for Republican Doug Roulstone. Their appearances helped him raise nearly $700,000. Receiving such national attention can make for a close race as voters in the district run the gamut of the political spectrum. In 2000, Larsen won the seat with 50.01 percent of the vote over Republican John Koster. Two years later, he collected 50.07 percent to beat Republican Norma Smith. Those elections drew in big money from the political parties and interest groups. The die seemed cast for fierce battles every two years. But in 2004 the Republican Party stayed away and Larsen amassed 63.9 percent to wallop Island County Auditor Suzanne Sinclair. That win seemed to cement his hold on the seat because in 2006 he defeated Roulstone by a margin of nearly 2 to 1, despite all the GOP firepower behind his opponent. Larsen said if re-elected he will focus on securing funds for road projects in the next transportation bill. Energy policy is another focal point. Larsen opposes new offshore oil drilling and extraction from the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Yet last month he voted for a bill that let the ban on offshore drilling expire. It was part of massive legislation to keep money flowing so the federal government wouldn't shut down. Larsen, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, opposed the war in Iraq and said U.S. troops should be coming home as reconstruction and political reconciliation improve. The U.S. military is still needed in Afghanistan, what he calls "the front of the war on terror." "We just flat-out need more troops in Afghanistan," he said. On higher education, Bart has criticized Larsen for not doing more to help college students get out from under the burden of large loans. Larsen said Congress passed the largest investment in higher education since the G.I. bill in World War II. It included money for financial aid and steps to lower interest rates on loans. For Bart, the campaign is about winning support from voters who lack trust and confidence in Congress. Earmarks are a subject he talks about a lot. Federal assistance for local programs is a good thing, he said. But Bart thinks it is wrong for Larsen and others in Congress to accept contributions from people or organizations who request earmarks because it appears as if "they are lining their pockets for the next election." "I won't take any money from anybody who's asked for or received an earmark," Bart said. On energy, he said, "I'm very much for drilling in ANWR (Alaska National Wildlife Refuge) to help free us from dependence on foreign oil." He contended "oil in Alaska means jobs in the 2nd District" because it is shipped by tankers to refineries in Anacortes, he said. Federal spending is out of control, he said, as lawmakers have "failed miserably to deal with the national debt. It's pinning our kids against the wall and now our grandkids." Troops need to be taken out of Iraq but not Afghanistan. "We need to finish what we went there to do," he said. Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. 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