2nd District candidates disagree on trade, Obamacare
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, October 18, 2016
EVERETT — Republican Marc Hennemann faces long odds in his campaign against Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen in next month’s election.
And he realizes it.
“I know it’s tough,” he said. “It needed to be done and I felt like I was the one to do it.”
Larsen is heavily favored to win a ninth term in Congress in the Nov. 8 election. He’s knocked on thousands of voters’ doors and raised nearly a million dollars for his campaign while the GOP hopeful lacks the organization and financial capital to keep pace.
Larsen took 51.8 percent of the vote in the Aug. 2 primary against four opponents. Hennemann finished second with 32.9 percent. Mike LaPointe of Everett, a Democrat, finished third with 10.6 percent.
At stake is a two-year term representing the 2nd Congressional District which covers all of Island and San Juan counties, plus western Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties. It includes Everett, Marysville, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Arlington, Stanwood and Tulalip.
Larsen, 51, of Everett, narrowly won his first election in 2000. He’s been re-elected seven times to cement his grip on the district. In his past two elections, he finished with more than 60 percent of the vote.
On the campaign trail, he’s talking about his work to pass a federal transportation bill, protect the federal Voting Rights Act, better connect high school students with STEM courses and apprenticeships, and improve services for the men and women in the military.
Hennemann, 66, was born in San Diego, California, raised in New York and moved to Camano Island four years ago following careers in the U.S. Air Force and as a high school social studies teacher.
Two years ago he ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Island County Commission. He decided to run for Congress this year “because that’s where the crucial decisions are going to be made” for the country.
He’s a self-described conservative on fiscal matters and leans Libertarian on social issues, noting his support of the state’s gay marriage law and its legalization of marijuana.
Some of the candidates’ starker differences emerged at a Oct. 11 forum at Edmonds Community College.
On how best to end partisan gridlock in Congress, Larsen said it requires putting in the political sweat to find common ground with those in the other party. He touted creation of Wild Sky Wilderness as an example of his success to garner bipartisan support for a bill through years of effort.
Hennemann said the “key to ending gridlock is compromise” but members of Congress struggle to do so. “If my opponent truly practiced compromise as he preaches, we’d be fine,” he said.
On trade, Larsen voted in 2015 for legislation giving President Barack Obama authority to more swiftly negotiate trade deals. But he said he hasn’t made up his mind about the multi-nation pact known as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).
“I would support renegotiating it but I can about guarantee it would be worse for Washington workers,” he said.
Hennemann said he supports free trade but the TPP is a “job-killer” that he’d oppose. He wants the U.S. to seek bilateral deals with countries involved in the TPP.
On health care, Hennemann wants to repeal and replace Obamacare. Larsen voted for the health care bill and said House Republicans need to stop trying to tear it down. It needs some fixes, he said, and he’s willing to work on them.
Another subject on which their divergence is great is climate change.
Larsen supports a carbon tax as a means of curbing greenhouse gas emissions associated with causing pollution and negatively affecting the environment. Humans cause climate change and we need to take steps to stop it, he said.
Hennemann opposes a carbon tax. While humans may be contributing to the changes in the climate, they are in no way causing them, he said.
The two differ sharply on the need for new gun control laws.
Larsen backs re-instating a federal ban on sale of assault-style weapons, ensuring those on the national no-fly list cannot acquire weapons and allowing the Centers for Disease Control to study the public health risks of gun violence.
Hennemann said the right to own a weapon is assured in the 2nd Amendment. There’s no evidence that banning sales of certain weapons and universal background checks on firearm purchases will reduce gun violence, he said.
Not surprisingly Larsen enjoys a very lopsided advantage in fundraising.
As of Sept. 30, Larsen had raised $884,944 in this election cycle and had $363,392 in available funds, according to his latest filing with the Federal Election Commission. Larsen hauled in $192,857 between July 1 and Sept. 30, the report shows.
Hennemann’s filing had not appeared on the FEC website as of Monday afternoon.
The candidates:
Rick Larsen
Party: Democratic
Age: 51
Experience: Congressman, 2000-present; member of House Armed Services Committee, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; former Snohomish County Councilman, lobbyist for Washington State Dental Association
Website: www.ricklarsen.org
Marc Henneman
Party: Republican
Age: 66
Experience: Retired U.S. Air Force; former high school social studies teacher,
Website: www.Marc4Congress.com
