Reichert says his experience, name will benefit 8th District [Washington]

Sheriff Dave Reichert is a devout Christian and a true Republican who opposes gay marriages and abortion.

He would bring a cop's perspective and national name recognition to Washington, D.C., all of which he says will benefit the 8th Congressional District.

Standing between Reichert and that prize -- Jennifer Dunn's seat in Congress -- are at least two Republican foes in the primary election, then a Democrat in November.

``I know we are going to win,'' he said. He was busy attending several Republican caucuses Tuesday night on the Eastside and in south King County.

Reichert said he's driven to run for Congress for the same reason he has been a cop for nearly 33 years.

So far, his Republican challengers are Diane Tibelius, a retired U.S. Attorney and Republican national committeewoman; and State Sen. Luke Esser, a veteran state lawmaker. Two Democrats are in the race -- Alex Alben of Mercer Island and Heidi Behrens-Benedict of Bellevue.

Reichert, 53, is well-known as a lawman, especially since the Green River killer, Gary Ridgway, was caught and convicted.

But he is virtually unknown as a politician -- the Sheriff's Office, which he has held for seven years, is nonpartisan -- and just a few months ago many people didn't know if Reichert was a Republican or a Democrat.

That changed just days after Dunn's surprise announcement that she was giving up the congressional seat she's held for 12 years. Suddenly Reichert, who had already rejected GOP entreaties to run for governor, became the first Republican candidate to announce for the position.

Reichert is now speaking about his beliefs -- and the Green River killer case -- on radio and in the national media. It's a far cry from the reticence he showed with reporters after his congressional announcement in early February.

Since then, he has opened his campaign office in a small business complex in Bellevue and has started assembling a campaign staff.

Underlying his desire to serve is a political profile that seems to closely mirror Dunn's. But Reichert, of rural Auburn, is quick to say he doesn't want to be judged against Dunn, whom he deeply admires.

Reichert can exude confidence, but Democrats point out that Al Gore carried the 8th District in his 2000 presidential campaign.

Now, the 8th District is critical to Republican hopes to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

``The first rule is protect your own seats,'' said Chris Vance, chairman of the state Republican Party. ``It's going to be a very hotly contested and interesting race.''

One hot issue is gay marriage, an issue that clearly defines the social schism between liberals and conservatives and Seattle and its suburbs.

Reichert supports federal and state laws that define marriage as the union of a man and a woman, and President Bush's call for a constitutional amendment that would write that principle into one of the nation's bedrock documents.

Sometimes, he said, opposition to gay marriage gets twisted into a hatred or dislike for someone who lives an alternative lifestyle. It's a lifestyle he doesn't personally accept, but ``it's not my right to judge people.''

His personal values are deeply rooted in his Christian faith. He's a member of the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church, which he said is ``moderately conservative.''

Those beliefs ground his opposition to abortion and the federal funding of abortions. ``I believe in the sanctity of life,'' he said.

In his own personal life, Reichert sees the gift of life coming in a profound way. His daughter and her husband are adopting two drug-affected young children. If their mothers had aborted them, he said, ``they would not be looking forward to the life they are about to lead.''

Reichert chooses to set his political agenda around three core issues -- homeland security, jobs and transportation. He puts them in no particular order.

As the sheriff of one of the largest counties in the nation, Reichert brings ``a certain expertise'' to the field of homeland security, he said. He expects that congressional leadership would want to tap that expertise when it names freshmen to House committees.

``If our homeland isn't safe from terrorist attack, then what happens to our economy?'' he said.

Reichert knows firsthand what the Sept. 11 attacks did to the local economy. He had his house for sale that fall. It didn't move. He waited for several months to try again.

He might get the chance to do something about the slow pace at which federal homeland security dollars have flowed to local agencies. He and other top cops also are waiting for a new computer system that will allow them to share ``real-time'' information about criminals -- and potential terrorists.

Like Dunn, he supports the war in Iraq and spending billions of dollars on reconstruction in that county and Afghanistan.

He think that federal policy-makers need to look at why the national economy added only 21,000 jobs in February, all of which were created in the public sector. In Olympia, state officials can help by ``providing an environment that will create more jobs.''

Too many regulations have been placed on small businesses, he said. ``We need to strengthen family-owned businesses to get the economy going,'' he said.

He supports an extension of President Bush's tax cuts because they, too, ``energize small business.''

Transportation improvements are another economic engine, he said. He favors building roads and highways to get the region's goods moving. He supports expansion of the bus system, because it's flexible. He opposes a light-rail system.

Reichert doesn't think his budget battles with the County Council will hurt his chances. The criticism leveled against him about his handling of federal grants for the Green River killer case and spending more than budgeted last year on the case is not about managing his budget, he said.

``It has everything to do with the political environment we are living in,'' he said. ``This is typical politics. People are sick and tired of it,'' he said.

A frequent critic, County Councilman Larry Phillips, praises Reichert for bringing home about $28 million in federal grants in his seven years as sheriff. Those grants, Reichert noted, have helped take pressure off the county's general fund.

But Phillips said Reichert ``needs to get the fiscal house in order for the Sheriff's Office. It's not politics.''

After more than three decades as a cop, it's no surprise that Reichert doesn't want guns to end up in the hands of the wrong people.

He supports the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to bear arms. ``But there is a responsibility that comes with that right,'' he said.

He has worked with such disparate groups as the NRA and Mothers Against Violence to protect children and others from accidental shootings. He favors lock boxes for guns and trigger locks.

He supports extending the ban on assault weapons and wants those who buy guns at gun shows to first undergo a background check.

``You have to focus your attention on people who are committing crimes with guns,'' he said.

It's too early to say whether his views will put him at odds with ardent gun-control advocates in the Republican Party. He's not worried about the heat from the insiders.

This is one of the key House races in the country. Dave Reichert is more conservative than the retiring Republican he seeks to replace, Jennifer Dunn. I think we should all get behind him. Local conservatives like talk host and gubernatorial nominee John Carlson have endorsed him.

this guy seems to be the real deal, I remember in the WTO riots when the Seattle Police Chief was behind 3 or 4 lines of Riot Police, Sheriff Dave Reichert was caught on camera nabbing rioters himself, in person. The chief lawman in one of the largest counties in the northwest personally catching troublemakers. I didn't know his politics then, but I suspected. Plus he's hard of cops who abuse their office. A good guy.

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"He supports extending the ban on assault weapons and wants those who buy guns at gun shows to first undergo a background check."

Not acceptable. Reichert is another one who "sounds good", but when it comes to key issues of REAL freedom and protecting the Constitution, turns out to be "just another RINO".

Anyone who has actually studied the above two issues knows that both are totally bogus--"assault weapons" (i.e. "nasty-looking" guns no different from many hunting rifles) are simply not a significant factor in gun crime, and REAL GUN DEALERS (as opposed to private citizens) selling at gun shows are ALREADY required to do background checks.

Not acceptable.

Yeah yeah, Jennifer Dunn supports the right of abortionists to slaughter children -- did you put up with that or was she not acceptable too?

Do you want a more conservative (though not 100%) replacement for Dunn or no?

"Yeah yeah, Jennifer Dunn supports the right of abortionists to slaughter children -- did you put up with that or was she not acceptable too?"

The RKBA is far more important in the long run than the abortion controversy. If we lose the RKBA, we lose it all, as that is what ultimately keeps the "public servants" (aka public MASTERS) in check.

Add to that, any "conservative" who supports the "assault weapons ban" and/or the "gun hole loophole" is a KNOWN LIAR. This is particulary damning in Reichert's case, because as a law enforcement officer, HE KNOWS BETTER.

"Do you want a more conservative (though not 100%) replacement for Dunn or no."

Not at the expense of sacrificing any more on the RKBA issue, no. I'd rather have someone I "know" is my enemy than one who pretends to be my "friend", but isn't.

The RKBA is far more important in the long run than the abortion controversy.

Frankly I think that's a sick, warped view. I guess we're just going to disagree on this one.

"Frankly I think that's a sick, warped view."

No, it's the historically correct one. If you think things are bad now, just let government become the sole possessor of deadly force. More than 150,000,000 fully functional adults were murdered in the last century by such governments. Abortion is bad, THAT is worse.

I think you will also find that the large majority of politicians who support the RKBA fully, also support RTL. The reverse is not true. A significant number of anti-abortion types are also anti-gun.

JohnnyZ, what do you have to say about Luke Esser?

"NO, LUKE, *I* AM YOUR FATHER"

Don't know anything about him.

Here are some links from a quick Google search:

http://www.leg.wa.gov/senate/members/senmem48.htm
http://www.awb.org/ga/voterecord.asp?RID=142
http://mathewpruitt.typepad.com/mathew_pruitt/2004/03/luke_esser_for_.html

I'm uncertain whether to throw support in for Reichert or Esser. Reichert's got lots of pluses -- but so does Esser, and Esser at least is an experienced campaigner. The downside is that Esser is known to be fairly conservative, but he's elected from what I think is now a swing district. Reichert seems also to be conservative, but his views are not generally known. Other than he has addressed Republican caucuses/conventions. Pruitt's blog captures my experience of Esser.

I worked for one of the campaigns in the first 8th District race (in 1982). It's a strange district -- it's basically defined by I-405 to the east and south of Seattle. I suppose a conservative Christian has a better chance of winning there than anyplace else in the area, but I think it's still an uphill fight. (Disclaimer -- it's been close to 20 years since I left the area, so I can't say I know it all that well. My take, though, is that the substantial population growth in that district is probably more moderate/liberal than conservative.)

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