18th District race catches parties’ attention

A lively race  is shaping up in the 18th District between Republican Jaime Herrera, the appointed incumbent in House Position 1, and Democrat VaNessa Duplessie, the public relations manager who is challenging her.  Both political parties are putting money into the race, an indication that they consider the seat competitive.

When Duplessie filed for the seat last year, she thought she would be challenging Rep. Richard Curtis, a La Center Republican. “I had already filed for the seat. Then things changed,” she said.  After Curtis resigned last October in the midst of a sex scandal, Clark and Cowlitz county commissioners appointed Herrera, former legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, to fill out his term and represent the 18th District in the 2008 Legislature.

Now Herrera, 29, and Duplessie, 36, are competing for a full two-year term representing the 18th, which includes Ridgefield, La Center, Camas, most of Washougal and unincorporated areas of north Clark County and south Cowlitz County.  Under Washington’s top two primary, both will advance to the general election regardless of the outcome of the Aug. 19 primary.

In the 2008 session, Herrera quickly aligned herself with the House Republican Caucus and her fellow 18th District Republicans, Sen. Joe Zarelli and Rep. Ed Orcutt.  She voted the party line on budget and social issues while learning the ropes as a member of the House Transportation, Education Appropriations and Technology, Energy and Communications committees.  She hopes to win a seat on the Health Care and Wellness Committee if voters send her to Olympia for a full two-year term.

Herrera has raised $79,000 to date, including $2,500 from the House Republican Organizing Committee and $1,000 from 18th District Republicans — an impressive number for a candidate running her first campaign.  That may reflect the advantage of incumbency.  “I’ve had tremendous reception on the doorstep,” she said. “People say, ‘I saw you on TV. ‘That’s been a bit of a surprise. I feel like I’m running my first race.”

What she’s hearing on those doorsteps, she said, is that homeowners feel overburdened by taxes.  “I continue to hear that the number one issue is property taxes, and I’m in affluent neighborhoods that have been around for a long time,” she said.

The 2009 Legislature will face significant challenges, Herrera said. “Sometimes I think there’s nothing but challenges ahead of us. We have a deficit to deal with. But I have already said I won’t raise taxes to get us out of it.”

Herrera’s endorsements include the Human Life PAC, the Washington Farm Bureau PAC and the National Federation of Independent Business.  Duplessie, the  mother of two young children, says she’s running in part to advance children’s issues in the Legislature. “I’m passionate about children’s issues,” she said.

A resident of Clark County since 2001, she ran for the Ridgefield school board in 2005 but was disqualified after it was determined that she was not a resident of the school district. In 2006, she won the George C. Marshall Public Leadership Award for her work as a youth advocate. She continues to volunteer at her son’s school while telecommuting to her job with a Bellevue software development company.  A district in flux

It’s been 14 years since a Democrat was elected in the conservative 18th. But Duplessie said the district is changing with an influx of new residents, and she believes they would benefit from having a representative who is a member of the party in power in Olympia.

“I think the 18th needs balanced representation and someone who is able to provide information from the inside,” she said. “I want to help the 18th by being in the room.”

Duplessie  touts her background in the private sector and as a wife and mother.  “I have spent my life in small business,” she said. “My grandparents owned a business. I bring to the table a great knowledge of building coalitions. I’ve done that in my career and in my volunteer work.  I feel that as a parent and a property owner, all my experience in life will help me.”

In contrast, Herrera is single and spent a good share of her 20s working in the Bush White House and as a congressional staffer.  That prepared her to be an effective legislator, she said.  “I think my federal experience helps. I worked on policies that affect Washington.”  Herrera noted that she grew up in Clark County and graduated from Prairie High School, while Duplessie has lived in the county for only seven years.

Dealing with the state’s projected $2.7 billion deficit will require “prioritizing the dollars that are spent, making sure we fund essential state services,” and providing a supportive environment for small businesses, Duplessie said.

At the same time, she supports Gov. Chris Gregoire’s decision to invest the state budget surplus of the past three years in roads and schools. “The residents of this state have benefited,” she said.

Duplessie has received $2,000 from the Washington State Democratic Central Committee, $3,500 from 18th District Democrats and $500 from Cowlitz County Democrats. She’s been endorsed by Washington Conservation Voters, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and several elected officials, including Washougal Mayor Stacee Sellers and  Vancouver City Councilman Tim Leavitt.