OLYMPIA — Political candidates lined up Thursday to compete in Washington’s open congressional seats, even though officials haven’t yet settled on the final district boundaries.
Two members of the state’s redistricting commission have proposed making a new 10th District from Olympia to Tacoma. The 1st District left open by Rep. Jay Inslee would carve out new territory as a competitive seat stretching from east of Seattle to the northern border.
Since that map was released on Wednesday, at least seven candidates have declared their intention to campaign for the 1st district slot.
Darshan Rauniyar, a businessman running as a Democrat, said he welcomed having a full roster of candidates in the race. He said the diversity of the district — from the high-tech centers in King County to the rural farmers further to the northeast — would mean there are a broad range of issues at stake.
“It’s always good to have more candidates than few candidates,” Rauniyar said. “Let the voters decide.”
Others Democrats that said they were in the race include state Sen. Steve Hobbs, former state Rep. Laura Ruderman, Rep. Roger Goodman and political activist Darcy Burner. The Republicans have already drawn Snohomish County Councilman John Koster and business consultant James Watkins.
Watkins said he expected the moderate composition of the district to trigger a genuine debate about the issues instead of partisan disputes.
“I don’t think there’s a real interest in hearing someone getting up and giving a lot of political talking points,” Watkins said.
At least three candidates — Democrat Denny Heck and two Republican members of the Pierce County Council, Stan Flemming and Dick Muri — say they are campaigning in the 10th District.
The redistricting commission hasn’t voted on the new congressional proposal yet because they are struggling to reach agreement on the accompanying legislative maps. The panel is comprised of two Democrats and two Republicans, and at least three of them must agree on the boundaries.
They must finish their work by New Year’s Day or the process moves to the state Supreme Court.
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