House - Dr. Kim Schrier - WA-8

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Democrat running for reelection in eastern exurbs of Seattle-Tacoma and areas across the Cascade Mountains to east and southeast of Seattle-Tacoma
Video clips:

"Every Day" (2018)

"Bench" (2022)

"Extreme" (2022)

Dr. Kim Schrier is a pediatrician, a wife, and a mom – and the first Democrat to be elected in WA 8th since its creation in 1983. The state’s 2022 redistricting map has added voters in the more conservative side of the district, so this is expected to be a very close race. Although Kim’s 2020 campaign vastly outspent her Republican opponent, he still won 48% of the vote. And the Republicans are unlikely to make that mistake again. In fact, the NRCC has placed Kim on its list of targeted Democratic incumbents, and the RNC co-chair has already headlined a fundraiser in the district.

Kim's background

Kim decided on a career in medicine after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was a teenager. An astrophysics Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UC Berkeley, Kim went on to UC Davis School of Medicine, where she was recognized by her peers as the classmate who “best exhibits a humanitarian, compassionate, and community-minded character.” She completed her residency at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University. In 2013 Kim was named Best Pediatrician in the Greater Seattle Area by Parents Map Magazine.

Kim left medicine to run for the House when Republican Congressman Dave Reichert failed to act in support of constituents who needed assistance with their healthcare. “I decided that if he wasn’t going to do the job right, I would step up and run myself,” Kim said. She defeated Reichert, who had held the seat since 2004, by 4.8%. Her victory made her the only woman physician serving in the House at that time; she remains the only Democratic woman physician in Congress.

Kim's priorities

Kim's priorities, which are detailed on her campaign website and reflected in her work in Congress, include:

Healthcare, including lowering the costs of care, strengthening the Affordable Care Act, improving rural healthcare access, and solving the health care issues of tomorrow.
Addressing the gun violence crisis: "Americans are 25 times more likely to die from gun violence than in any other developed nation, and guns are the third leading cause of death in American children. It doesn’t have to be this way – we have the tools to address our epidemic of gun violence, we just need to elect leaders with the courage to stand up to the gun lobby."
Women's health: "As a doctor and a woman, I trust women to make their own personal decisions about health and family planning. I have always supported a woman’s right to choose. Control over our own bodies and reproductive choices is a key measure of women’s equality."
Education: "My mother was a public elementary school teacher, my son is a public school student, and my entire education has been public, including college and medical school. I am grateful for that. Our children all deserve access to an excellent public education, regardless of zip code."
The environment: "As a person of science, I will apply evidence-based principles and methods to my evaluation of environmental policy and regulation and insist that our government agencies do the same. As a pediatrician who understands the negative impacts of polluted water and air on the health of our children, I will fight any effort to reduce or eliminate clean air and clean water protections."
Climate change: "Climate change is real and we need to take immediate action...We have the unique opportunity to champion policies that will create new, sustainable, clean energy jobs and grow our economy."

Kim's opponent

Kim’s Republican opponent is Matt Larkin, a far-right Trump supporter, who said while Trump was in office: “I love all the things that the President’s doing…It’s nice to see a president not care.” Larkin lives outside the district; he is legal counsel for his family business that manufactures components for water pipes. During the primary race in this district Larkin touted himself as the most conservative of all the Republicans running. He wrote “I am a Christian and faith plays a big role in my wife and I's lives.” He said: “Our state, our country, they’ve been hijacked…we need to get it back.”

Larkin refused to say whether he believes President Biden’s win over Trump was legitimate or whether he buys into Trump’s Big Lie. He said he doesn’t know how he would have voted on the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Larkin welcomed the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v Wade, and told his supporters that he can see in the future a strong conservative Congress putting forward a vote to ban abortion nationally. Larkin wants to outlaw abortion even in cases of rape and incest.

Praise for Kim

In the Seattle Times July 2022 editorial endorsing Kim for re-election, the editorial board wrote that Kim has “a scorecard of success” as a congresswoman. The editorial noted: “A Sammamish resident, Schrier worked hard to earn the trust and respect of her constituents, particularly those hardened skeptics in rural areas...Schrier should continue to represent the 8th District. In this difficult year for Democrats, her focus on constituent services and finding practical solutions are needed here, but especially so in the other Washington as well. Successful bills that Schrier introduced and were signed by the president include: helping farmers access critical research grants; joining U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, to ensure Central Washington has a reliable water supply; and speeding up production of generic drugs to bring down the cost of medications like insulin. Schrier helped Wenatchee receive federal roadway funds for a wildfire evacuation route. Earlier this year, when state money was needed to complete the project, she got involved in Olympia. It is budgeted and moving forward. “I give Kim Schrier a ton of credit for that,” said Wenatchee Mayor Frank Kuntz, a Republican. He didn’t vote for Schrier in 2018. He endorsed her this year...Schrier deserves reelection for representing her district well, putting political partisanship aside and helping people navigate federal bureaucracies. This editorial board has a record of endorsing Republican candidates, and has done so in several state legislative races this year. But the language and priorities of national GOP leaders prompt an imperative this November: Keep Democrats in charge of Congress. Vote for Kim Schrier.”

Kim has a rating of 100% by the following organizations: NARAL Pro Choice America, Planned Parenthood, End Citizens United, the NAACP, and the National Education Association. She also has a strong environmental record; her 2020 score from League of Conservation Voters was 100%. Her NRA rating is 0%.

Call to action

Donations now for Kim Schrier will help her communicate her record to voters added to the conservative part of her district, as well as energize her constituents for another close and hard-fought race.