Elections for the House of Representatives in Washington’s Congressional Districts 9 and 8 are coming up and the candidates discuss global issues.

This is the second article in a multi-part series covering the election season this fall.

In the first article, we examined the King County Prosecuting Attorney race between Jim Ferrell and Leesa Manion, Highline students’ thoughts on the policial season thus far, and information on how you can register to vote and where to return your ballot. 

Since last week, your ballot and Local Voters’ Pamphlet should have arrived in your mailbox by now.

For those unfamiliar with these regions, District 9 covers Seattle’s Central District and Rainier Valley neighborhoods, Bellevue and Mercer Island. The south end lines up with the King-Pierce Counties border with cities including Federal Way, Kent, and Auburn.

Running for the 14th time, incumbent Adam Smith (D, Bellevue) is facing Doug Basler (R, Kent) again. Smith has served this district since elected in 1996 and is Chair of the House Armed Services Committee. 

This will be Basler’s fifth attempt for the seat, calling himself the “perennial candidate” against Smith. As of writing, OpenSecrets notes that Smith has raised $1.21 million in comparison to Basler’s $123,000. 

On Tuesday, the two candidates had their sole debate at Seattle University where they debated on issues of: crime; climate change and ways government can lead to a green energy transition; whether energy efficiency policies should be state or federal jurisdiction; gas prices and helping citizens fight back on inflation; top priorities while in office; stances on the war in Ukraine; and ways to increase civic and political engagement.

For many voters, the main issue this election season is inflation. During their debate, Basler argued that the high cost of the “multi-trillion dollar budgets that are not funded” is causing higher prices. 

Smith retorted that the high rate of inflation was not from helping people (preventing them from losing their homes/businesses or assisting them in feeding themselves) but from “the global pandemic and disruption of the supply chain” and “helping Ukraine stop Russia” regarding the current war in eastern Europe.

What was missing from either candidate’s statements were arguments that 53% of inflation is caused by “corporate profits,” as noted by the Economic Policy Institute last April. 

Additionally, this is unlikely to change by the White House or Congress before the upcoming elections, in the lame duck session, nor in the next session of Congress starting next year. 

As noted by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in his nomination hearing with the Senate Banking Committee this past January, Powell argued that corporations “are raising their prices because they can” (see 1:40:50 timestamp).

Despite all the issues with inflation, the candidates continue to focus on other ongoing global issues.

“The accountability is that you can see what’s happening on the ground in Ukraine. If Ukraine wasn’t using the weapons, they wouldn’t be winning. Let me assure you of that,” said Smith when questioned about accountability and the Russo-Ukrainian War.

However, it has been reported by CBS News that only 30-40% of U.S. weapons have actually made it to their designated final destinations along the Ukrainian frontlines.

An argument can be made that while Highline voters can have an impact on the results for Congressional District 9, whoever will be elected for Congressional District 8 will have a greater impact on the Highline community.

Congressional District 8 between incumbent Kim Schrier (D, Samammish) and Matt Larkin (R, Woodinville) is one of a handful of swing districts that will decide if the House flips from Democrat control to Republican majority. 

The latter would not be surprising, given that it has been the norm that whichever party controls both the White House and Congress, the voters decide in the next midterm elections to switch Congress to the opposing party.

As of their last fundraising reports on Sept. 30 from OpenSecrets, Schrier has raised $8.16 million in comparison to Larkin’s $1.94 million. A clear sign of this race’s importance for this election cycle is the amount raised outside each candidate’s campaigns by other individuals or Political Action Committees in comparison to other congressional races within Washington.

Originally a pediatrician in Issaquah, Schrier has served this seat for two terms since elected in 2018. Being a doctor, Schrier has really been focusing her attacks against Larkin, not on pandemic or general healthcare affordability issues, but rather his pro-life stance on abortion. 

Larkin has doubled down his attacks on higher incidents of crime as a reason for voters to switch this seat. If you have driven on any of the main arterial roads throughout the district, you’ve likely seen one of Larkin’s many campaign signs sloganeering “Make Crime Illegal Again.”

In comparison to Congressional District 9, the region encompassing Congressional District 8 is far larger, sitting right in the middle of the state. Starting to the west, it includes many of the outer suburbs of Puget Sound’s larger cities, including Duvall, Issaquah, and Bonney Lake. 

Its northern edge includes the majority of central and eastern Snohomish County, the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and part of the Chelan Mountains. 

The eastern border reaches as far east as the Chelan-Douglas Counties and Kittitas-Grant borders. To the south, it includes Mt. Rainier and most of Pierce County, following the Pierce-Cowlitz Counties border and the Nisqually River.

These two districts share more than just their neighboring borders. Issues regarding crime and public safety to questions on whether the US should adjust its policy regarding the war in Ukraine mirror each other in the districts as well. 

The Democrat candidates’ messages seem to be more of the status quo while the insurgent energy is continuing from the Republican candidates, calling for change.

 “It’s difficult to incite change and it’s necessary [when discussing these races],” said professor Salma Silva-Licon of Highline’s Political Science department.

She recommended voters not focus solely on the candidates themselves in elections, but rather their ideologies and the ideologies of the movements behind them and whether that is more aligned with voters’ priorities than what is said or committed on the campaign trail.

You can judge for yourself Friday, Oct. 28, during the sole debate between Schrier and Larkin in Ellensburg at CWU’s McConnell Auditorium at 7 p.m. 

The debate will be free for anyone to attend after you RSVP here. It will also be broadcasted on major local TV news stations and live-streamed here.

Next week, we will review a few campaigns for the Washington State Legislature for southwest King County districts.