Here’s why the Herald says Newhouse deserves a return trip to Congress
While challenger Christine Brown is one of the most impressive Democratic candidates we have ever seen in the 4th Congressional District, we recommend giving Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse another shot representing our district’s voters.
The choice between the two is complicated by a third face in the race – and that’s President Donald Trump.
Love him or hate him, Trump is not a traditional lawmaker and, while the prospect of having a Tri-Citian on our congressional team is appealing, we think Newhouse will have a better chance than Brown of protecting Eastern Washington interests under the current administration.
Brown is passionate. Newhouse is poised.
Brown would be loud and forceful in her opposition to Trump’s agenda.
Newhouse, by nature, is quiet and careful.
We may not agree with his voting record on many national issues, but Newhouse has been effective in standing up to the Trump administration when it mattered locally, and for that reason we’d like to see him return to office.
On trade issues, Newhouse said he has spoken to the president personally and was the only farmer in the room at the time.
Working with our two Democratic senators, Newhouse has fought hard to keep Hanford cleanup money steady, which is a tough battle that must be won every budget cycle.
He helped protect the status of the Hanford National Reach Monument when it was in jeopardy, and he pushed back when the Trump administration wanted to privatize the Bonneville Power Administration. If that happened, private investors surely would want to make a profit, and then our relatively low energy rates likely would disappear.
We’ve no doubt that Brown also would work hard to represent regional interests. However, Newhouse already has experience navigating these uncharted waters under Trump, and that’s in his favor.
Brown is clearly frustrated with the direction the country is headed under the president’s leadership, and there is a fervor behind her convictions that is inspiring.
In her campaign material, she said there is very little check on the executive branch by the legislative branch, and that worries her.
Brown has had 30 years in the television news business – first at Yakima and 25 in the Tri-Cities. She shouldn’t be considered a rookie when it comes to politics, even though she has not run for office before.
We believe her years as a journalist give her an ability to listen to all sides and consider different views and ask probing questions. We also know a lot of people would agree with many of her positions on national issues.
But here is an example of why we are recommending Newhouse. At our editorial board meeting, Brown criticized him for not signing the discharge petition that would have forced a House vote on immigration reform.
If approved, the document would have approved a program to help those who came to this country illegally as children through no fault of their own.
Newhouse countered that Trump had said he would veto the measure, so signing the document would have been an empty move.
He added that if he had signed it, he wouldn’t be invited to work on new immigration proposals that actually have a chance of getting the president’s signature. Now he can be part of that team.
That made sense to us.
We, like everyone else in the country, are frustrated by the lack of progress on immigration issues – Newhouse is too.
He thinks, though, that progress is being made, and we hope he’s right.
This is a tough time to be working in Washington, D.C., but Newhouse seems to be managing the line between party loyalty and local needs.
That’s why we are giving this Sunnyside farmer another chance.
The Tri-City Herald recommends incumbent Dan Newhouse in the race for 4th Congressional District.