Klippert and Regev faced each other before. Here’s our pick in this election | Editorial

Managing the COVID-19 pandemic and the state’s economic recovery will be top priorities in the Legislature next year, and these are defining issues in the race between Republican Rep. Brad Klippert and Democratic challenger Shir Regev.

The two are on opposite ends of the political spectrum.

Klippert, who has served six terms, is an ultra-conservative who once co-sponsored a bill to divide Washington into two states — a harebrained scheme that cannot help our agricultural community.

He lacks influence in the Legislature. After serving that long in Olympia, he should hold a position of power, but he does not.

Regev, a Democrat who works as a health physics technician at the Hanford site, swings more to the left in her beliefs and does not fall completely in step with the conservative interests in our community.

That has been an obstacle for her.

This is not the first time the two have faced each other. In the 2018 election, Klippert received 66% of the vote to Regev’s 34%. In the August primary, the results were similar, with Klippert getting 67% of the votes and Regev getting 33%.

Our guess is that Klippert will win the general election by a similarly large margin. He is charming, and seems to always have a smile on his face and a kind word for others. The vast majority of his constituents like him.

But in the grand scheme of what is best for the Tri-Cities, Klippert is not the legislator we need.

And right now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, his views on this deadly disease are downright dangerous.

Klippert disagrees with the governor’s handling of the coronavirus, and recently led a worship protest where attendees did not always wear masks or socially distance from one another. The U.S. Constitution allows for freedom of religion and a virus doesn’t stop that right, he said.

His stance is alarming.

Lawmakers who don’t believe the citizens of Washington are in an emergency of incalculable danger from COVID-19 are, themselves, a danger to us all.

And Klippert is such a lawmaker.

He insists the number of cases of COVID-19 in Washington state don’t qualify as an emergency. Klippert does not seem to understand that our infection rate is where it’s at because of the governor’s restrictions. Without them, the numbers — and deaths — surely would be much higher.

Regev understands this concept.

She said people have the right to worship, but not to play God.

Regev, who was a lay Jewish leader when she was serving in the Navy, said, “I do value the freedom to worship very, very deeply and you can still congregate, but congregate safely and have online services.”

She added that Klippert — who is a Benton County Sheriff’s deputy — can’t pick and choose which laws to follow. That’s when society begins to crumble, she said.

But Klippert believes the state needs to get the government out of the picture and get businesses back on track, and educate people on how to protect themselves, and let them make their own decisions.

We know there are many in the community who agree with this position, but this attitude would further spread the disease and kill more people.

There is one point that Regev and Klippert show agreement. They both would have liked to have seen small businesses opened up sooner. We would have liked to have seen that too.

While Regev gives Gov. Jay Inslee a high grade for his handling of the pandemic, she says small shops provide the same essential services as the big box stores and should have been treated in the same way.

Both Klippert and Regev are military veterans who want to serve their community.

Regev is smart and thoughtful and shows promise. She says she will work across the aisle.

Klippert, who says he is the only school resource officer serving in the Legislature, has not evolved his focus in Olympia beyond law-enforcement related topics during his tenure.

The community needs more.

We are recommending Regev, hoping her intelligence and experience will serve us well.

In a race between a candidate who has proven he can’t gain influence and another who has yet to prove her potential, we would like to give her a chance.

The Tri-City Herald recommends Democrat Shir Regev for Legislative District 8, State Rep. Pos. 1.

This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 2:38 PM.