Brad Shannon:
The Politics Blog

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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Jon Russell is 2nd GOP challenger to US. Rep. Baird

• Published June 27, 2009

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A Republican city councilman from Washougal with a history of opposing gay rights has stepped into the ring to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Brian Baird.

Jon Russell serves on the Washougal council and operates a medical business with his wife, which is a big piece of his reform-oriented campaign image. He also is a former leader with the evangelical Faith & Freedom Network, and he lobbied hard a couple of years ago against a state domestic partnership registry for same-sex couples (his former colleagues are now trying to turn the latest installment of those gay rights into a Nov. 3 ballot issue with Referendum 71).

Russell joins David Castillo, as the GOP challengers in the 3rd district, which runs from Olympia to Vancouver. Castillo is a financial adviser in Olympia, formerly served as state House Republican Caucus staff director, worked for the federal Department of Homeland Security and once was deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Russell also worked for state House Republicans' political committee in 2004 as southwest Washington campaign director. He is wrapping his campaign with themes from his latest work, which is as a small business owner interested in providing affordable health care. You can read Russell�s announcement on Facebook, which includes this statement:

"This is a day that has taken a lifetime of preparation and months of planning. I look forward to meeting voters on the campaign trail and making the case for new representation for Southwest Washington. I represent a new generation of reformers who are fed up with career politicians in Congress because they suffer from a lack of vision and the will to do the right thing for the people. I am running for congress to represent the ideas and hard work of everyday people; I believe we can balance the federal budget, American companies should be allowed to develop alternative and independent energy sources, we can find a way to make healthcare work for everyone through non-profit and private sector solutions."

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