SEATTLE — Since voters first sent him to Congress in 1988, Rep. Jim McDermott has never had to so much as break a sweat to win re-election. He’s consistently won with 70 or 80 percent of votes cast.
McDermott’s re-election is as sure a bet as a win by the Harlem Globetrotters. The liberal Democrat’s 7th Congressional District stretches from Normandy Park in the south to Edmonds in the north and includes true-blue Seattle.
But McDermott’s Republican opponent, Craig Keller, doesn’t care about the odds.
For Keller, America’s future hangs in the balance, and someone has to speak up.
The Seattle resident said the U.S. is being overwhelmed by illegal immigration, which is putting American citizens out of work and pushing the country’s social services past their limits.
McDermott’s support for amnesty for undocumented immigrants and for the Affordable Care Act will be his undoing with voters in the 7th District, Keller said.
Neither Democratic nor Republican leaders have done little to confront the threat, Keller said, and proposals to grant amnesty to many undocumented immigrants spurred him to run.
American liberty “will never be lost if average citizens rise to defend it,” Keller said. “I am rising now for the first time as a candidate and everyone who votes can and must do the same. Do not be intimidated. If the self-dealers have no opponents, then their victories are assured.”
Illegal immigration is the challenger’s top issue, but not his only campaign promise.
If elected, he said, he will work to financially stabilize Social Security and the U.S. Postal Service, which has lost money nearly every fiscal quarter of the past eight years.
Keller studied economics at Hillsdale College in Michigan and has managed investment portfolios for retirees. He also sells earthquake protection devices.
McDermott makes no apologies for his position on immigration.
“Our nation needs immigration reform and a road map to citizenship for undocumented workers,” he said. “I strongly support comprehensive immigration reform, and have pushed my Republican colleagues to bring the Senate immigration bill to the floor for a vote in the House.”
Drafted last year, Senate Bill 733 is “far from ideal,” but it “is the only practical vehicle available” to address the most critical issues and has the best chance of passing Congress, he said.
Congress, though, has shown little interest in tackling immigration reform.
McDermott said he will continue to support manufacturing in the Pacific Northwest and pointed to his support for the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which provides financing to U.S. companies selling goods and services to foreign customers. Boeing is the biggest beneficiary by dollar amount.
Embracing clean energy is another top priority for McDermott, who drives a hybrid.
However, it won’t happen in one fell swoop “and it’s not going to be easy. But this country has risen to bigger challenges before,” McDermott said.
Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.
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