OLYMPIA — Former Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart said Wednesday he is pondering a run for Congress, a year after he stunned Republicans by abruptly ending a campaign for county executive.
Bart said he is exploring a race against incumbent Democrat Rep. Rick Larsen and is looking to make his decision by the end of March.
He said Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., a former King County sheriff, is lobbying Bart to run. Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-Wash. and Republican candidate for governor Dino Rossi also have encouraged Bart to launch a bid for the 2nd District seat.
“I don’t want to run unless I can make it a good race and that means money,” Bart said. “If we can raise the money, then I’ll get in. If I cannot raise the money, I won’t run.”
Money is no problem for Larsen. By the end of last year he had raised $671,000 and had $474,000 in the bank. And he’s held a couple fundraisers since Jan. 1 to add to his total.
“I will raise $1.3 million to $1.5 million to tell folks what I have done and what I hope to do in the next two years,” he said Wednesday.
Larsen said he intends to seek his fifth term as the representative of the 2nd Congressional District that encompasses part of Snohomish County and all of Island, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties.
Until recently, his opponent was Doug Roulstone, the same man he defeated in 2006. Roulstone pulled out for personal reasons last month.
Bart, who said he likes Larsen, pledged that if he runs it will be a grass-roots effort built around issues of public safety. He’ll look to capitalize on voter frustration with congressional incumbents.
Larsen said, “I’m not concerned. Change in this country is not going to come in the form of more Republicans in Congress in 2008.”
A lack of money played a role in Bart’s decision last March to withdraw from the race against Democratic Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon.
Bart announced on Feb. 9, 2005 he planned to take on Reardon and formally kicked off his campaign in June 2006.
Yet by March 20, the day he left the race, he had raised just $21,000. That was one-tenth of what Reardon had amassed up to that point.
“People talk with their checkbooks,” Bart said at the time. “I get the hint. Why try to buck a machine if you don’t have the tools to do it?”
Personal reasons, including the death of his father, also led Bart to exit the race.
When he did get out, party leaders scrambled for a replacement candidate. In the end Jack Turk, a professional magician and political unknown, signed on. He didn’t raise any money and was soundly defeated.
Bart said he’s not been hearing from many Republicans who are so upset about last year that they won’t support him this year.
“There’s only been a few of those naysayers,” he said.
Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com
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