Challenger contends incumbent is part of the problem rather than the solution.
As Congress limps through its seventh consecutive year of anemic approval ratings, Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers has the difficult task of convincing voters she’s part of the solution, rather than an extension of the problem.
“I’m smarter about what needs to happen,” she said during a debate hosted last week by the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University. “I hear that people are angry with Congress,” McMorris-Rodgers said. “I want to take that and turn it into smart solutions. My goal is to be your voice in Washington and restore trust in representative government.”
Pakootas said McMorris-Rodgers has been a poor advocate for the district, focusing more on party fundraisers than on the needs of rural areas, veterans and families.
“I think the 5th district is in need of something that’s been lacking for a couple of decades, and that’s leadership,” he said during the WSU debate. “I come from a culture that believes we have a duty to leave the world a better place. I want to represent you — not corporate interests, not the party’s interests, but your interests.”