KIRO 7's Essex Porter interviews candidates for the 8th Congressional District

Interview with Democratic candidate Jason Rittereiser

“A passion for people who need a voice.” That’s why Jason Rittereiser is sounding the alarm as ballots begin arriving in voters' mailboxes later this week.

Democrat Rittereiser is a former King County prosecutor, now a labor lawyer. He grew up in Ellensburg and lives in Issaquah.

That’s a unique qualification he says, because the 8th Congressional District covers both sides of the Cascades from Issaquah to Wenatchee and Ellensburg.

Before we could ask, Rittereiser shared his reaction to President Donald Trump siding with the president of Russia in Helsinki.

“I think things shifted in our country just a few days ago,” he said. “Now this election, this mid-term election, is about putting a check on the Trump administration.”

His first broadcast TV ad begins airing Thursday. And he calls the president's actions "treason".

“Where I come from, he would have been hauled off that stage and thrown in a cell.”

Still, Rittereiser hesitates to call for impeaching President Trump.

“I think we need to protect and allow the Mueller investigation to conclude and if there is evidence sufficient that I'm presented with in Congress, I'll be the most dogged prosecutor in that fight.”

Rittereiser says he responded to family separations on the southern border by organizing lawyers to offer free legal help for government whistleblowers. But he's not joined the call to abolish ICE.

“I think to put the blame on ICE, on the agency that's forced to carry out those directives, I think is slightly misplaced. To me, we’ve got to focus on where these directives are coming from and that's the Trump administration.:

And among the three leading Democrats in the race, only Rittereiser calls for moving to "Medicare for All," now.

“To come up short, to say that we are not going to pursue 'Medicare for All' or universal coverage because it's too big a job, that to me is irresponsible.”

Interview with Democratic candidate Shannon Hader 

Roughly 80 percent of the land and 20 percent of the voters are on the east side of the mountains in the 8th District. That's why we found House of Representatives candidate Shannon Hader here in Wenatchee.

“We are going to go meet some voters,” Hader said as she began door knocking in a Wenatchee neighborhood.

Hader tells voters she is from Auburn and a medical doctor with a specialty in public health. Most recently, she was at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, running the $2 billion global program to fight HIV and tuberculosis.

“I've sort of spent my professional life time learning how to make federal people and policy work for us.”

The 8th District stretches from Issaquah to Wenatchee and Ellensburg.

Hader promises to work for universal health care, but is not yet embracing "Medicare for All."

“I am interested in not waiting for the perfect, but making sure we're sort of firing on all points to get us to that universal goal as quickly as possible. Lowering drug prices is going to help everyone.”

She's against the separation of children and parents at the southern border-- but is not calling to abolish ICE, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is known.

“You know, I'm not sure that abolishing ICE or not abolishing ICE is really the crux of the situation or the solution," she said. “I am concerned with the culture of ICE. I'm concerned with the authorities and how [the policies] are being implemented. I'm concerned with the direction they're getting in priorities from the executive.”

She's says President Donald Trump is wrong to side with Russia's Vladimir Putin but despite that and the other allegations against Trump, she's hesitant about impeachment.

“We're going to have a lot of really important issues address, health care, taxes, the environment -- and I want to make sure that those remain at the forefront of some of the issues we're addressing.”

Interview with Democratic candidate Kim Schrier 

“It comes down to really American values,” Kim Schrier said as she walked down Front Street in Issaquah, discussing why she is running for Congress. “These are not left values, right values, these are just plain old American values with how we respect each other and welcome immigrants.”

Kim Schrier introduces herself as a pediatrician and says protecting access to health care is one of her primary reasons for running for Congress.

“So, what I've proposed in my health care plan is that every person in this country can buy into Medicare as a public option.” She sees that as a significant first step toward "Medicare for All."

And Monday's Trump-Putin news conference, where the president of the United States sided with the president of Russia, is an example of another key reason she is running.

“We need checks and balances on this president. And if we have evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors, then it is our responsibility to raise articles of impeachment.” Asked if she sees evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors, Schrier responded, “I think today was a pretty good example of siding with a foreign leader -- a foreign dictator -- over our own intelligence agencies.

She's horrified by the separations of parents and children at the border-- but is not joining calls to “Abolish ICE,” as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is known.

“Fundamentally, I don't think ICE is the problem; the problem [is] the directive that's coming from above and there will always be people who take orders too far. There will always be rogue agents, but fundamentally, what we need to do is change the orders coming from the top.”

Schrier is among three strong Democratic candidates competing in the 8th District.

She wants to use the unique platform given to Congressional representatives.

Schrier says she would “be a fierce advocate for woman's reproductive rights, health care, and matters of interest to families and children.”

Cox Media Group