Democrats Fight to Hold One of Few House Seats in Eastern Washington

10/30/2009

Across the Northwest, democrats who represent rural districts have become almost an endangered species. In Washington state, just one democratic lawmaker hails from a rural area east of the Cascades. On Tuesday, that seat is up for grabs after the democratic incumbent that held that position for 22 years died in January. Richland Correspondent Anna King met the candidates who are in a close battle to represent this district that includes Pasco and Walla Walla.

Laura Grant is teaching her fifth graders in Walla Walla about consensus building and elections.

Laura Grant: "Ironically with voting, one person is going to get their way, and one person is not going to get their way."

Her students are still breathless and fidgety from afternoon recess. Grant is teaching them to make decisions democratically on their Revolutionary War class project.

Grant is in a kind of war of her own. She's running to represent the 16th District in the Washington Legislature against republican challenger Terry Nealey. The race is close. Laura Grant is the daughter of the late Bill Grant. He held this seat for 22 years until he died this past January. She says she never saw herself as a politician, but she felt she had to step into her father's place.

Laura Grant: "Right up until the end he was committed to getting back to Olympia and fulfilling his term. We saw how important it was for him to do that. So we decided as a family that one of us should step forward."

Besides teaching full time, Grant has three daughters and recently remarried this past summer. Her family is behind her because if elected, Grant would be one of few rural voices in her caucus. She describes herself as a conservative democrat, and she says it's important for democrats to hang on in Eastern Washington.

Laura Grant: "All of Eastern Washington has some really great republican representatives. There are doing all the right things for all the right reasons. They're representing their districts very well. But without someone from rural Eastern Washington to be in the democratic caucus there is really no one to reach across the aisle to."

Just minutes away is the headquarters for republican candidate Terry Nealey. Nealey grew up on a farm, served in the Army and has lived and practiced law in Dayton for about 33 years. Nealey says it's time for a republican to take this seat, because the party's fiscally conservative positions match the district better.

Terry Nealey: "As soon as I hit Olympia, I want to talk to the people that know about the budget — I've already met with them — and how we are going to address it. It's very difficult to deal with any programs until we get the budget under control and know what money we have to see where we are going to spend it."

Despite a tough campaign, Nealey and Grant actually agree on many of the issues. They both want to keep the hydro dams churning out energy. They are both interested in bolstering renewable energy sources like wind farms. But Nealey says he doesn't think a democrat will do.

Terry Nealey: "Well my biggest concern about sending another democrat over to Olympia, is that the democrat will just get swallowed up in democratic caucus and their Puget Sound–based issues. And we will have a hard time in representing our true needs and values from Eastern Washington."

As Election Day nears, both Nealey and Grant are campaigning hard. They both look slightly fatigued. They've both been raising money. Grant has about $147,000, while Nealey has about $162,000. In Olympia, the Legislature is still dominated by democrats. But in this election, voters in this corner of southeast Washington will decide whether to keep an island of blue in a sea of red.

I'm Anna King in Walla Walla.

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