Friends,
Dennis has repeatedly said he would not run against another Democrat – even a conservative Democrat. I have had lots of people emailing me saying Dennis should run against all three of our incumbent Democrats here in Western Washington. In my opinion, he would never do that. The only reason he ran against Marcy Kaptur was that about one third of this new Congressional District was his old Congressional District. Dennis felt he needed to run there even though the deck was stacked against him. But he did not move to Marcy’s district to run against her – and the Republican Party put Dennis in an unwinnable position.
Dennis has said many times that he is only considering running against a Republican or for an open seat. He and his wife also have a strong desire to live in Western Washington. So in my opinion, the only CDs he is considering are the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 8th, and 10th. This is still quite a lot of Congressional Districts and I have gotten emails from folks living in all of those CDs urging Dennis to run there this year.
So as much as some of you may have a problem with Adam Smith or Rick Larson or Jim McDermott, it would be better to stick to the options Dennis is likely considering. I have done a math analysis of all 5 CDs and it appears to me that Dennis’s odds of staying in Congress are highest in the new 1st CD. But a case can be made for each of the other 4. Dennis has said he is interested in your feedback and so am I. But I would like some carefully thought out reasons with actual evidence to support the reasons for whatever option you want to advocate for.
Thanks for your help in this important matter. My understanding is that Dennis himself is carefully reading and considering every one of your emails you send him.
Regards, David Spring M. Ed.