ENDORSEMENTS: Smiley, Culp

Franklin County voters have several candidates to choose from in the Aug. 2 primary election.

While many candidates are busy trying to distinguish themselves for the right reasons, two congressional incumbents have made names for themselves for failing to represent the wishes of the Franklin County electorate. These same incumbents are career politicians – and it’s time for them to be swept aside.

Luckily, there are challengers who are vowing to listen to their rural constituents and represent their wishes in Washington, D.C.

In the race for U.S. Senate, 18 candidates are vying for a 6-year term in Washington, D.C., among them are career politician and incumbent Patty Murray, D-Shoreline, and political newcomer Tiffany Smiley, a Republican from Pasco.

Given Murray’s track record, Smiley is the easy choice.

Smiley has a great story to tell about growing up on a Franklin County farm outside of Pasco, earning her nursing degree in Spokane and ultimately being pushed to take on big government after her husband Scotty Smiley was injured while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq.

She supports local agriculture, preserving Snake River Dams and combating out-of-control inflation and sky-rocketing gas prices. As a mother of three school-age boys, she also supports putting parental rights above school administrators and teachers when it comes to what’s taught, transgender decisions and more.

In recent years, Sen. Murray has shown she won’t represent the interest of Eastern Washington. Moreover, she’s pushed an agenda that’s extremely detrimental to the culture, lifestyle and economy of rural Eastern Washington and Franklin County.

Throw in the fact that she was first elected to office when Smiley was entering elementary school, and you have a career politician whose only in Washington, D.C., for self-serving interests, rather than those of rural Washingtonians.

We endorse Tiffany Smiley as the next U.S. Senator from Washington state. Smiley will truly be a voice for rural Washingtonians and the state as a whole.

4th Congressional District

In the race for Washington’s 4th Congressional District seat, career politician and incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse is facing seven challengers, among them former gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp, state Rep. Brad Klippert, veteran Benancio “Benny” Garcia and NASCAR’s Jerrod Sessler.

Like, Murray, Newhouse is a career politician. His father was a 34-year lawmaker in Olympia. Newhouse himself was elected to his father’s former seat in 2003 and appointed by Democrat Gov. Christine Gregoire as the director for the state Department of Agriculture in 2019. When Gov. Jay Inslee didn’t reappoint him in 2013, he ran for the U.S. House.

Newhouse’s political career, however, is distinguished by his vote to impeach President Donald Trump on Jan. 13, 2021 – even though you cannot impeach someone who is no longer in office. He followed that up May 19, 2021, with a vote to support creation of a Jan. 6 commission, which led to the one-sided show trial under the direction of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California.

Those decisions are diametrically opposed to the wishes of the majority of Franklin County voters. Indeed, he’s been censured by most Republican committees in the 4th Congressional District.

It’s time for a new congressman who will listen to the majority of district voters.

An author, Culp is a former police chief and strong 2nd Amendment advocate. He is the only candidate in the field endorsed by President Trump.

Garcia, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, wants to see fiscal restraint return to D.C., as well as a renewed effort to restore America’s borders.

Sessler is calling for an end to burdensome over-regulation, protection of the Snake River dams and completion of the Columbia Basin Project.

And Rep. Klippert – a veteran, deputy and legislator – has established himself as a proponent of the Snake River dams, the 2nd Amendment, local agriculture and the Columbia Basin Project.

These four challengers stand out as strong alternatives. But with Democrat Doug White – the only Democrat running for the seat – likely to secure the liberal vote in the primary election, only one Republican will likely move on to the general election.

With President Trump in his corner and his experience and name recognition here in Eastern Washington, Culp is our choice.

We endorse Culp for the 4th Congressional District.