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Brad Shannon maintains this blog. He is political editor at The Olympian and can be reached at 360-753-1688 or bshannon@theolympian.com.

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UPDATE: Pridemore answers NRCC attacks on health reform

• Published March 05, 2010

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UPDATE: State Sen. Craig Pridemore lashed back at National Republican Campaign Committee calls in the 3rd Congressional District that attack him for not taking a position against national health reform. Here is a statement the Democrat put out this morning:

"The Republicans are making automated "robo-calls" to local voters about health care reform, suggesting that I'm undecided. Let me be clear: I believe that Democrats in Congress should pass the bill, include a public option, and if necessary, use the reconciliation process to get it done."

ORIGINAL POST ON MARCH 4: The move toward acting on health care in Congress is opening up a new vein of attack for national Republicans: candidates and how they might vote on health reform if they were in office today.

The National Republican Campaign Committee said Thursday it is launching automated or recorded "robo" calls to attack two Democrats running in Washington's 3rd Congressional District � Denny Heck and state Sen. Craig Pridemore.

Go here for a National Journal look at what is in store for 25 Democrats who voted for the House reform bill, 10 who voted against it last year and four candidates. (Thanks to Jon at Horsesass.com for the link.)

Heck and Pridemore � the leading Democrats in a field of four against three Republicans � are two of four candidates the NRCC nationwide is attacking with its Code Red campaign. U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, holds the 3rd and is retiring after six terms.

Baird voted against the House reform bill last year and has sounded equivocal this time around; Heck also has expressed misgivings about last year's bill.

The telephone calls go this way, according to an NRCC announcement:

"Hello, I'm calling from the NRCC with a code red alert about an impending healthcare vote in Congress. Even though a majority of the country wants them to scrap it, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Obama are planning to ram their dangerous, out-of-control healthcare spending bill through Congress anyway. But [Craig Pridemore/Denny Heck] won't tell us how he would vote on the bill if he was in Congress. Is it because he would support the Obama/Pelosi healthcare takeover bill? �"

It goes on to call the bill a jobs killer and make other assertions.

By contrast, none of the Republicans in the race � including state Rep. Jaime Herrera and financial adviser David Castillo of Olympia � has offered a plan that demonstrably increases the number of insured Americans.