Washington’s rising red wave: Meet the GOP’s challengers for U.S. Congress

With Washington state’s August primary ballots already in the mail, KTTH’s Jason Rantz brings you the voter’s guide you won’t get anywhere else: one-on-one interviews with Republican candidates vying for hotly contested spots in Congress.

Rantz: Ignore baseless conspiracy theories and vote early in Washington

Washington’s 3rd Congressional District

Representing Battle Ground and Vancouver, the 3rd Congressional District is an intensely contested race. A number of Republicans and a Democrat have stepped up to replace Jaime Herrera Beutler, the incumbent Republican.

Joe Kent

“Inflation is obviously one of the biggest issues that’s inescapable for most folks in the district and throughout the country, as well as the erosion of law and order we’ve had throughout our district throughout Washington State. These are the really big issues that people are facing every day,” Kent said.

Heidi St. John

“The Democrats are using the Jan. 6th hearings like a human shield because they want the American people to be diverted from inflation, from these vaccine mandates, from the absolute joke that’s happening over in the Middle East right now. I don’t think most of the American people are buying it. If you hated the president, you still hate him. And this didn’t change your mind,” St. John said.

Washington’s 8th Congressional District

Washington’s eighth congressional district is massive. Voters have an important decision to make: who will take on Kim Schrier, the incumbent Democrat.

Reagan Dunn

“I think people are sick and tired of the defunding, disarming, and disparaging of the police as an approach to public safety. We’ve seen record homicides last year in Washington state. I think people are sick and tired of just slapping criminals on the wrist with the revolving door of justice. They want to see the laws enforced. They want to see violent criminals put behind bars where they can’t re-offend,” Dunn said.

Matt Larkin

“People are hurting right now. And it’s not because of a warming environment. It’s because they can’t fill their gas tanks, they can’t afford groceries, and they don’t feel safe going into their local park. These are the issues people care about it as much as the Democrats want to make the environment and climate change the top issue. It’s just not among voters, especially voters in the eighth,” Larkin said.

Jesse Jensen

“We need to make sure that we’re fighting this runaway inflation and that you have confidence in the conservative that you send is actually going to be conservative once they get to Washington,” Jensen said.

Listen to the Jason Rantz Show weekday afternoons from 3 – 6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (or HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here.