The Democratic and Republican parties are fighting in races nationwide for control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
But Washington’s 1st Congressional District is not one of the battlegrounds.
Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., is pursuing of a fifth term against Republican challenger Larry Ishmael, who didn’t live in the district until deciding to run.
The winner will represent residents in parts of Snohomish, King and Kitsap counties. Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mill Creek, Mukilteo, Monroe and Bothell are included in the district.
The incumbent has raised $1.5 million for the campaign and had nearly $800,000 to spend as of Oct. 18. Ishmael had collected $25,000 and spent nearly all of it. He reported $645 in cash on hand Oct. 1.
“I respect all opponents and fear none,” Inslee insisted.
Ishmael didn’t enter the race until July, when he moved five miles, from Issaquah to Redmond, to live in the district.
“It was so late,” Ishmael said. “It put me behind the 8-ball.”
Inslee, 55, of Bainbridge Island, is on the Energy and Commerce and Resources committees. He was in the state Legislature for four years and was elected in 1992 to the 4th Congressional District seat. He lost re-election in 1994 and moved west into his current district.
Ishmael, 54, is founder and managing partner of Suasor Consulting Group Ltd. He was elected in 2003 to the Issaquah School Board and stepped down for this campaign.
One of the prime issues of the campaign is the war in Iraq.
Inslee opposed the war and is an outspoken critic of President Bush’s conduct of it.
“We need a change of policy. They have created such an enormous mess in Iraq that there are few attractive options,” he said.
Inslee praised the troops for capturing Saddam Hussein and scouring the country for weapons of mass destruction. It’s time to get Iraqis in control of their own security and bring the soldiers home, he said.
Ishmael said he would have voted against the war “unless we had a plan for nation building. I would have said, ‘Don’t go in there unless you’re prepared to fill the vacuum’” created by the removal of Hussein.
Inslee’s other major issue is energy. He is one of the most ardent advocates for spurring increased production of alternative fuels and the use of power from renewable sources such as wind, sun and waves.
He authored legislation aiding the Snohomish County Public Utility District in its fight against Enron. He opposed drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and fought an increase in oil tankers traveling through the Puget Sound.
Ishmael said he would focus on reducing federal spending. One idea is trimming NASA funding “because most of what they do can be done by the Department of Defense,” he said.
Ishmael said he would support incentives for developing alternative energy and wants to use his experience on the Issaquah School Board to craft a better federal education policy.
He pledged this won’t be his last run.
“My commitment to the party is to run hard and keep running hard to ‘08,” he said. “I am going to win this seat either now or in two years, but I will win it.”
Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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