Washington: Second District

Rep. Rick Larsen (D)

Rick Larsen (D) Elected 2000, 4th term up
Born:	06-15-1965, Arlington
Home:	Lake Stevens
Education:	Pacific Lutheran U., B.A. 1987, U. of MN, M.P.A. 1990
Religion:	Methodist
Marital Status:	married (Tiia)
Elected  Office:	Snohomish City Cncl., 1998-2000, Pres., 1999-2000.
Professional Career:	Econ. Dev. Ofcl., Port of Everett, 1990-91; Dir., Pub. Affairs, WA St. Dental Assn., 1991-98.
DC Office	107 CHOB, 20515 202-225-2605 Fax: 202-225-4420 Website: www.house.gov/larsen
State Offices	Bellingham:360-733-4500; Everett:425-252-3188;
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The 172 San Juan Islands, in the waters of Puget Sound at the far northwest corner of Washington, were the last part of the continental United States to be turned over to this country; these waters were great whaling grounds and not until 1860 did the British relinquish them. Today, ferryboats ply the waters of the Sound, connecting the islands to mainland Washington, and to British Columbia directly to the west; the publicly operated Washington State Ferries system has more than 25 million passengers annually. Whale watching is popular not only with tourists, but also among scientists on both sides of the border. This is some of the most beautiful land and water of North America, the steely blue Sound with green forested hills rising behind; shielded from the full force of Pacific rains by the Olympic Mountains, but still seldom dry. The little towns, on bits of level land between the water and mountains, have the look of pristine New England villages or Midwestern historic towns, but are better preserved than the originals; the stores are full of fresh produce and local seafood. Here the Seattle metropolitan area has marched north along the shore of Puget Sound, beyond the old lumber port and railroad terminus of Everett, with the huge Boeing plant—the largest building in the world—where 747s, 777s and the new long-range twin-engine 787s are built; amid intense competition with French-based Airbus, sales of 787 Dreamliners have been especially strong. To the north are the small city of Bellingham and the town of Blaine (named for the House Speaker and 1884 presidential nominee) on the 49th parallel, with America’s most attractively landscaped border crossing and International Peace Arch, just south of British Columbia. Local studies have raised fears that global warming will raise the water level of the Sound higher than in most areas because of ocean wind patterns. But for now, the area’s deepwater ports are booming with container cargo, as they benefit from a sail that is two days closer to Asia than are southern California ports.

The 2d Congressional District of Washington includes the San Juan Islands, 45-mile long Whidbey Island and Puget Sound from Everett north, plus most of the margin of mainland along the Sound and the huge Cascade mountains, topped by snow-capped Mount Baker in northeast King County. The district has several military installations, including a relatively new and high-tech navy base at Everett and naval air station on Whidbey Island. The political tradition in most of the lumbering and fishing areas here is Democratic, while the rich agricultural areas, like the flower-bulb-growing Skagit Valley, are more Republican. Everett tends to be Democratic, some of the nearby new suburban towns Republican. Overall, this is a nearly evenly balanced district that tends to vote close to the state average. George W. Bush lost here 51%-47% in 2004, and 48%-46% in 2000.

The congressman from the 2d District is Rick Larsen, a Democrat first elected in 2000. He grew up in Arlington, in Snohomish County, graduated from Pacific Lutheran University and got a masters degree at the University of Minnesota. He spent a year doing research on economic development for the Port of Everett. For six years he was director of public affairs for the Washington State Dental Association. In 1998 he won a seat on the Snohomish County Council and he later became its president. In 2000, Republican Jack Metcalf kept his promise to retire after three terms. The Democratic field was cleared for Larsen when a state legislator unpopular with labor leaders withdrew. The Republican field was cleared for conservative state Representative John Koster when a moderate legislator failed to raise much money and dropped out. In the September all-party primary, Koster unexpectedly led 49%-46%. The election became a battleground for political action committees and one of the premier contests in the nation: anti-abortion groups and the National Rifle Association backed Koster, and unions and abortion rights groups fought for Larsen. Larsen said that the contest offered “a clear choice” on abortion, and he criticized Koster for referring to “our American holocaust.” He won 50%-46%, improving his performance in each major county from the primary.

In the House, Larsen joined the New Democrat Coalition and leans toward the center in his voting record. He voted for the Bush tax cuts in 2001. He voted against trade promotion authority in December 2001 but he was one of five Democrats who switched to vote for the conference agreement in July 2002. He has pushed to secure funds for upgraded border security at Bellingham and, on the highway bill, for increased support for the Puget Sound ferries; he worked with the state congressional delegation in its successful effort to preserve the Everett and Whidbey Island naval stations during the 2005 base closing reviews. He is a cofounder of the Methamphetamines Caucus; trafficking in meth has been a big problem in his district. With Mark Kirk, he organized the U.S.-China Working Group in the House to focus on a long-term diplomatic strategy. After voting against the Iraq war resolution in 2002, Larsen became a staunch supporter of the military effort but the 2006 election results led him to oppose George W. Bush’s military surge. “The president does not understand the meaning of the election in 2006,” he said in January 2007.

In 2002 Larsen was opposed by Norma Smith, a former top aide to Metcalf. Smith criticized Larsen’s vote on Iraq and his vote against creation of the Homeland Security Department. She ran an ad that morphed the face of liberal Seattle Congressman Jim McDermott, who traveled to Baghdad that September and said that he believed Saddam Hussein more than George W. Bush, into Larsen’s. Larsen spent three times as much money as Smith, who received no money from the national party. He won 50%-46%, almost exactly the same as his margin in 2000. In April 2006, Vice President Cheney attended a fundraiser in Everett for retired Navy Captain Doug Roulstone, but Roulstone turned out to be a weaker than expected candidate, and Larsen won 64%-36%.

Committees

• Armed Services (15th of 34 D)
  Seapower & Expeditionary Forces; Strategic Forces.
• Small Business (4th of 18 D)
  Rural & Urban Entrepreneurship; Regulations, Healthcare & Trade.
• Transportation & Infrastructure (16th of 41 D)
  Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation; Aviation.

Presidential Vote

District Demographics (More Info)

• Cook Partisan Voting Index: D + 3
• Area size: 7,976 square miles
• Urban Population: 69.4%
• Rural Population: 30.6%
• Population 2000: 654,903
• Population 2005 (est): 706,427
• Median Income: $45,441
• Poverty Status: 10.0%
• Military Veterans: 16.3%
• Race/Ethnic Origin: 85.6% White; 1.1% Black; 2.8% Asian; 1.9% Native Am.; 0.2% Hawaiian; 2.4% Two+ races; 0.2% Other; 5.8% Hispanic Origin;
• Ancestry: 13.7% German%; 9.2% English%; 8.4% Irish%;
• Occupation: Blue collar 27.6%; White collar 55.1%; Gray collar 17.3%;