For 10th CD: It’s Denny Heck in a heartbeat

U.S. Rep. Denny Heck has done a good job representing Olympia and the rest of the 10th Congressional District in Congress. Based on that performance, the Democrat has earned a fourth term.

The 66-year-old Democrat and businessman is well-positioned to advance our regional interests in a district that runs from Shelton to Olympia and back up north to Tacoma.

Heck is focused on fixing infrastructure such as highway bottlenecks, improving support for military staff and veterans at Joint Base Lewis McChord, and fighting to retain a health care system that actually functions as a social safety net.

His Republican opponent, Joseph Brumbles of Roy, emerged with Heck as a finalist in the August primary. Brumbles described himself as a drug-store manager with Walgreen’s for 13 years who left that job to run for office. Brumbles is a single father with two daughters.

Unfortunately, this race is a serious mismatch – both in the relative strength of the campaigns and candidates and in the direction each of the candidates would take.

“I’m running to stand up for liberty and protect our constitutional rights,” Brumbles told The News Tribune and The Olympian in a joint meeting of editorial boards on Friday.

Brumbles said he wants to work with veterans, favors clean and affordable energy, wants to get big money out of politics and cut taxes.

At the same time, he wants to improve school safety and health care for those who cannot afford it. But he wants to end the Affordable Care Act.

Though we praise Brumbles for being willing to step up and run for a very difficult position without strong party backing, he offered far too little details about his agenda – except that he would resist efforts to place limits on gun owners.

Some of his proposals – such as cutting income taxes yearly – are at odds with funding health care or supporting federal and state employees, who do vital work.

Transferring the Bureau of Land Management’s properties around the U.S. to state ownership and management does not solve the current problem of steeply escalating deficit spending by the federal government.

And Brumble’s idea of using investments to grow Social Security trust fund dollars a little faster sounds like a gimmick. But if it worked, it might – as he argued – generate extra money to help people pay for private health insurance coverage.

Heck is the known and proven quantity – a Clark County native who spent most of his adult life in the public arena. He cut his political teeth in the state Legislature, later moved to Olympia full-time as House chief clerk and chief of staff for a governor, and he co-founded the TVW public affairs network.

Later he started businesses and grew wealthy as an investor.

Heck has reliably, and forcefully, worked to actually solve problems with infrastructure. He shepherded a coalition to help get state support for completion of State Route 167 in his first term and also for an Interstate 5 expansion near Joint Base Lewis McChord, which he notes is the district’s largest employer.

Heck has also been an outstanding supporter of Puget Sound cleanup, of advocating help to bolster insurers that offer health coverage through the ACA, and in defending women’s health-care access and rights.

Though he never served in the military, Heck’s brother died in Vietnam and he has worked to promote the interests of veterans and families.

The incumbent has been smarter than his adversary on taxes – noting that last year’s GOP-engineered tax cuts sent most benefits to corporations and wealthy individuals rather than modest and low-income earners.

And the tax cuts came at a time the economy didn’t need the stimulus; Heck notes correctly that the problem is stagnation in wages.

In his role on the House intelligence committee, Heck has been a quiet but steady player in the congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. He aptly raises worry about the cyber-security threats our country faces.

Our incumbent supports mainstream national defense priorities, which target China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and the diffuse terror cells that are principally based in the Middle East.

In a reflection of the uneven nature of this race, Brumbles reported that he self-funded his campaign with $7,800 and does not live in the district (he now resides in Roy, just outside the district, which is permitted for congressional seats).

Heck has raised more than $1.1 million, according to the nonpartisan Open Secrets web site that collects and breaks down candidate spending records.

Heck can bristle with arrogance, and an incumbent like Heck always runs the risk of becoming “one of them,” or catching the “Potomac Fever” said to afflict politicians who stay too long in the District of Columbia.

Perhaps sensing this perception is a bad look for anyone seeking re-election, Heck wore shiny boots, jeans and a plaid shirt to his interview.

Whether he wears a suit or just likes casual Fridays, Heck is the one we need in Congress.

This story was originally published September 21, 2018 at 8:09 PM.