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EVERETT Calibrating a proper national response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a central concern of Snohomish Countys three Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

For their opponents, infrastructure, immigration, health care and the political direction of the country are issues, as well, leading up to the Nov. 3 election.

Congresswomen Suzan DelBene and Pramila Jayapalface rematches with their 2018 Republican foes, Jeffrey Beeler and Craig Keller, respectively. Rep. Rick Larsen is up against a first-time candidate in Republican Timothy Hazelo.

Each incumbent has spent more than a million dollars during this campaign, while none of their opponents has raised $100,000.

Though the challengers lack money needed to conduct aggressive campaigns, all brim with confidence in their chances come Election Day.

Here is a snapshot of the contests.

1st Congressional District

DelBene and Beeler are dueling to represent a district which stretches from suburbs in northeast King County to the Canadian border. It takes in parts of Snohomish County, including Darrington, Granite Falls, Lake Stevens, Mill Creek, Monroe, Snohomish and Sultan.

DelBene, 58, of Medina, is seeking a fifth term. She won two years ago with 59.3% of the vote.

The former Microsoft executive serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, giving her a voice in the majority partys drafting of economic policy and response to the coronavirus emergency.

With the nations first COVID case in Snohomish County, DelBene said, she worked to ensure that the first federal COVID relief package contained funding for Washingtons public health system.

The first priority in the next Congress, she said, is addressing the health care response to and economic recovery from the pandemic.

House Democrats have passed two versions of a second relief package. In addition, DelBene said, shes authored bills to expand tax credits for child care and building of affordable housing that are part of those efforts but can be acted on alone, as well.

Congress, she said, also must make sure there are resources to manufacture vaccines and criteria to get it to where it is needed the most. Getting vaccinated must be affordable and, for those who cant pay, the federal government must cover the costs, she said.

She said she will continue pushing for federal dollars to improve safety on U.S. 2; identifying and addressing gaps in broadband in rural areas; and enactment of stronger federal data-privacy protections.

We are behind in protecting customers in the digital age, said DelBene, a sponsor of a bill setting up a national standard for protecting consumer information.

Beeler, 51, serves on the Sultan City Council and owns a window-cleaning business. He views the 2018 campaign as a stepping stone to this year, a chance to introduce himself and his platform to voters. And the foundation of that platform is unchanged.

I literally could repeat everything I said two years ago and continue the campaign, he said. Congress doesnt get the peoples work done.

Immigration, for example. Beeler wants better border security but disagreed with President Donald Trumps policy of separating children from their parents.

Beeler, too, called for greater federal investment in making U.S. 2 safer. He has been part of the regions Highway 2 Safety Coalition, which has lobbied state and federal lawmakers for aid for years.

And the federal budget is out of balance and is growing worse under the weight of COVID relief. While Beeler recognizes the need for federal relief in the ongoing public health emergency, such spending is not sustainable, and Congress should be talking about how to address the imbalance, he said.

As in 2018, he trails the incumbent in fundraising. As of Sept. 30, DelBene reported raising $1.95 million to Beelers $52,394.

2nd Congressional District

Larsen and Hazelo are vying to lead a district which covers all of Island and San Juan counties, plus western Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties. It includes Everett, Marysville, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Arlington, Stanwood and Tulalip.

Larsen, 55, of Everett, is seeking an 11th term to extend his status as the districts longest-serving congressman.

The Arlington native serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and is chairman of the aviation subcommittee. This term, he helped pass a five-year, $500 billion infrastructure package that awaits action in the Senate. Also, he helped push through a bipartisan bill reforming the Federal Aviation Administrations process for certifying aircraft, such as the 737 Max, which has been grounded since early 2019 after two deadly crashes.

The biggest change, Larsen said, is that Congress will require the FAA to have more involvement in certifying the safety of airplanes and not delegate as much as it has to the private sector.

Larsen reiterated his disappointment with Boeings plan to move 787 production out of Everett, though he said he understood it was a COVID-19 decision. And he said he will look to bolster emerging technologies of the regions aerospace industry, such as development of drones, commercial space vehicles and electric aircraft.

We need to be part of the next big thing in aviation and continue to earn the nickname that were the aerospace capital of the world, Larsen said.

Hazelo, 52, of Oak Harbor, is a retired air crewman with the U.S. Navy and has worked in the private sector as an investment adviser.

He decided to run largely due to frustration with Congress failure to rein in federal spending, reform immigration laws and bring greater accountability to government.

Career politicians on both sides worry more about re-election than long-term policy and continue kicking the can down the road, Hazelo said in an email. We keep electing the same people with the same mindset year after year and expect different results. That is crazy. Its time for term limits!

Another reason was the House Democrats impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Hearing these Democrat lemmings calling for impeachment without a crime was a huge influence, he said.

If elected, he said, hell focus on improving the economy.

The COVID overreaction has cost us in a drastic way, he said. Add to that the already disastrous Democrat business practices that have dominated (Washington) state and our country and you can see why we are in such trouble.

Hazelo says Larsen has lost touch with constituents, since he does not live full-time in the district when the House is not in session.

Absent Rick is no longer of this District. We deserve a representative that not only lives here, but also works here, has run a business here, raised his family here, served his nation and protected democracy here and plans on continuing to do so HERE! he wrote.

With a 2,500-mile commute from the district, Larsen said, he and his wife decided 20 years ago to raise their sons on the East Coast so he would be able to see them grow up. In this term, he said, hes held 30 town halls and made more than 630 visits to businesses and organizations, and logged more than 150,000 miles in travel between this state and the nations capital. He and his wife own a condo in Everett.

I think the measure of this job is one of service to the district, he said.

As of Sept. 30, Larsen had raised $1.2 million and spent $1 million in this election cycle. Hazelo totaled $19,635 in contributions and $14,039 in expenditures.

7th Congressional District

Jayapal and Keller are again competing in this district, which covers communities in south Snohomish County and King County, including much of Seattle. It takes in Edmonds, Woodway and Shoreline.

Jayapal, 55, of Seattle, is seeking a second term after receiving 83.6% of the vote two years ago.

She is a former state senator and the first South Asian American woman elected to the U.S. House. Prior to elected office, she founded and led OneAmerica, one of Washingtons largest political advocacy groups for immigrants.

Jayapal is a senior whip of the Democratic caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, giving her a voice in crafting her partys legislation on pharmaceutical drug prices, protections for undocumented immigrants and democracy reform.

And, as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, she took part in the hearings which led to the House vote to impeach the president.

I think we did incredible work in a very difficult circumstance, she said.

If re-elected, her focus will be passing another COVID relief package to support the financial needs of unemployed and under-employed workers, and small businesses, as well as aid for providers of health care, child care and a range of human services. A major focus will be how to bring back jobs and how to get people whole again, she said.

Protecting the Affordable Care Act, achieving comprehensive immigration reform and enacting a domestic worker bill of rights are on her to-do list, as well.

Keller, 57, of Seattle, a longtime Republican precinct committee officer, also ran for this seat in 2014 and 2016.

Like those races, hes made immigration the centerpiece. Keller wants better enforcement of existing laws and backs efforts to prevent cities from becoming sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants. He also wants to require employers to enroll in and use the federal E-verify program for hiring new workers.

My platform fully supports legal immigration including the presently unlimited H-2A agriculture work visas which requires housing and transportation expenses be covered by the employer, he wrote in an email. What I reject is the Democrat artifice of sanctuaries and mendacious non-enforcement of immigration laws to grow the Socialist/Democrat plantation.

Keller also endorses Trumps robust tariff response to Chinas trade practices, seeks to outlaw robocalls and urges residents to invest in gold and own a firearm.

Still, no one congressman can save you from this financial calamity unleashed by deceitful communists, he wrote in his online candidate statement. Our heroes in law enforcement simply cannot replace you taking maximum responsibility for your familys safety during these trying times.

As of Sept. 30, Jayapal reported $2.4 million in contributions to Kellers $2,655.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dospueblos.

Gallery

Suzan DelBene (left) and Jeffrey Beeler.

Rick Larsen (left) and Tim Hazelo.

Pramila Jayapal (left) and Craig Keller.

The rest is here:
COVID isn't the only issue in contests for three House seats - The Daily Herald

DELAWARE In Delaware, Republican Lauren Witzke, Independent Mark Turley, and Libertarian Nadine Frost are vying for a seat in the U.S. Senate currently held by incumbent Democrat Chris Coons.

Witzke says some key issues shes focusing on are restoring family values and addressing the opioid epidemic.

It is something Im really passionate about, and yes its the reason I decided to run. It was really important to me to address the opioid epidemic, said Witzke.

Her platform consists of a full ten-year moratorium on all immigration adding that immigration reform will help end the opioid epidemic.

If we can reform our immigration system, we can secure our southern border, restore our families, we can end the opioid epidemic, said Witzke.

Meanwhile, businessman and independent Mark Turley says hes pledged to provide affordable health care for all and to push for a balanced federal budget.

At the end of the day, youre seeing a lot of balanced federal budget conversations going in Washington D.C., but nothing firmly being done about it, said Turley.

He says hes able to come up with solutions without having ties to the Democrat or Republican parties or even large businesses.

I have no ties to either party, said Turley.

I have no ties to big business, said Turley, When I walk in the floors of the Senate as your elected senator its going to be me and you solving problems together.

Former federal law enforcement officer and libertarian Nadine Frost says shes looking to restructure the education system by removing power from the federal department of education and return it to school districts.

We need to send the education back to the local districts or better yet to the parents themselves, said Frost, Let their parents decide where their children are going to attend.

She adds representatives and senators need to focus on working from their homes so that theyre more accessible to people.

Theyre supposed to stay home, said Frost, They can operate their business from their home office or from their living room.

Click here for more information about incumbent Democrat Chris Coons platform.

Click here for more information about Republican Lauren Witzkes platform.

Click here for more information about Independent Mark Turleys platform.

Click here for more information about Libertarian Nadine Frosts platform.

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Delaware US Senate candidates share their platforms ahead of November election - 47abc - WMDT

An illegal alien who's been in the U.S. since 1989 is now charged with capital murder of a beloved Houston police sergeant, and attempted capital murder against a second officer.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against 51-year-old Elmer Manzano, a longtime criminal who gunned down Sgt. Harold Preston and Officer Courtney Waller during a domestic violence call.

Ira Mehlman with the Federation for American Immigration Reform says this the result of sanctuary city policies.

The mayor has to be accountable, the county officials, the chiefs of police, they have to explain to the people in Houston and elsewhere around the country why they chose to protect people who are in the country illegally over the safety of the community, he says.

Chief Art Acevedo disputed that claim.

This is the state of Texas, where there is no sanctuary here for anyone who is hurting people. We come after people really hard, he said Wednesday. Elmer Rolando Manzano, 51-years of age, is solely the person responsible for our capital murder of a police officer.

When you stop someone for a tail light out and you have no other information, we don't expect you to be asking about immigration status. We're not the immigration police.

Manzano has had previous interactions with police and spent time in jail in both Harris County in 2002 and Dallas County in 2000. Manzano's estranged wife called police Sunday to report he pulled a gun on her and their children.

However, the chief said officers reported the incident as No crime occurred, and Manzano did nothing to prompt them to check his immigration status.

Based on what I've seen so far in our review, we did our best to deal with what we knew at the time and so did the DA's office, said Acevedo. The DA's office is ultimately the one that accepts charges, and we didn't have enough for them to accept charges.

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HPD Chief Pressed on Immigration Status of Cop Killer | NewsRadio 740 KTRH - KFI AM 640

American families is one of six topics to be addressed during the final presidential debate on Oct. 22. As the final 2020 presidential debate approaches, experts with the USC Center for the Changing Family based at USC Dornsife share the questions theyd most like the candidates to address. [3min read]

USC experts exploring the changing family hope to learn what the presidential candidates will reveal about their values at the final debate. (Image Source: Pixabay/Gordon Johnson.)

American families is one ofsix topicsto be addressed during the final presidential debate on Oct. 22. It will be the first time during the campaign that both candidates will speak to family issues.

Experts in law, social work and psychology with theUSC Center for the Changing Familybased at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences share the questions theyd most like the moderator to ask.

1. What values are you communicating?

When parents watch this debate, or your past town halls, debates and rallies, with their children, what are the core values that you hope will stand out to them and how do you live by these values?

Gayla Margolinis a professor ofpsychologyat USC Dornsife. Her research identifies how couple and family relationships can be sources of both risk and resilience for children and young adults.

2. What family-friendly policies do you support?

What family-friendly policies do you plan to implement at the national level?

Policies that offer paid family leave and the option for new mothers to work part time have the potential to minimize gender imbalances in the workplace, which helps to minimize them in the household. To successfully implement or expand such policies, labor market and workplace regulations to prevent discrimination against women are necessary.

Mara Pradosis a research scientist at theUSC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research. She studies the determinants of different dimensions of inequality and her research interests have to do with health, gender, labor economics and intra-household decisions.

3. What will you do to fix the social safety net?

Why is the U.S. social safety net so much weaker than those in peer nations and what can we do about it?

Many ideas have been put on the table, including: minimum wage hikes; a child allowance or baby bonds; child support guarantees so the government rather than noncustodial parent takes the risk of nonpayment; universal basic income; eliminating time limits on TANF (welfare) benefits or raising the federal contribution to TANF, which has remained at $16.5 billion since 1996. Which solutions would you support?

Clare Pastoreis a professor of the practice of law at theUSC Gould School of Lawand an expert on poverty, social welfare programs, access to justice, legal ethics, and civil rights. She is the co-author of the leading poverty law textbook and has litigated many cases in the areas of poverty and civil rights.

4. How will you protect the children of immigrants?

Will you ensure that families of mixed immigration status are able to remain together? What forms of immigration reform would you offer to protect immigrant families, especially the children of immigrants?

Blanca Ramirezis a doctoral candidate in theDepartment of Sociologyat USC Dornsife. She is researching the broader consequences of a deportation regime including the implications of immigration detention and deportation on the immigrant Latino family.

5. What will you do to support working mothers?

What plans do you have to support mothers in the workforce and ensure the strength of the early childhood sector?

Last week the Labor Department reported that 865,000 women left the workforce in September, nearly four times more than the number of men who left. Many of the jobs that women left were in sectors vital for American economic prosperity, including early childhood education and childcare.

Dorian Traubeis an associate professor at theUSC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Her research focuses on early childhood education and development. She specifically examines the role of technology and social programs to assist families in need who are parenting children ages 05.

About the Center for the Changing Family

Comprising an interdisciplinary group of faculty members from throughout the university, the USC Center for the Changing Family supports and promotes the study of family systems, close relationships, and mental and physical health across the lifespan.

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Debating the American family: 5 important questions for Trump and Biden > News > USC Dornsife - USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and...

Online reputation management is an important aspect of internet marketing for local business owners. Even when promoting a business to a local market, customers and potential customers search online for information. What they see about a business online affects whether they choose to do business with it.

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Why Online Reputation Management is More Important Than Ever for Local Businesses - mySanAntonio.com