Republican U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler made her rounds through a packed room at Warehouse 23 in late May. She was the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Vancouver. Her handlers had her on a tight schedule between campaign events and meetings with constituents before she hopped back on a plane to Washington, D.C.
“I’m not going to lie,” she said. “I’m the oldest 39-year-old you’ll ever meet.”
Herrera Beutler is seeking her fifth term in Congress. She flipped southwest Washington’s 3rd Congressional District seat back in 2010, and is only the second Republican to represent the region in almost 60 years.
“I was representing basically my hometown,” said Herrera Beutler, who was raised in rural Brush Prairie after her family moved to Washington from Los Angeles.
“I grew up across the street from a chicken manure farm,” she said with a laugh. The congresswoman now lives in Battle Ground with her husband, Dan, and two young kids, Abigail and Ethan. “My family didn’t come from wealth or privilege and here I am representing this area in Congress.”
Growing up in southwest Washington is a big part of Herrera Beutler’s story. At candidate forums, she introduces herself as someone who understands rural Clark County. She played basketball at Prairie High School, showed her horse at the county fair and spent weekends fishing with her family at Battle Ground Lake.
That hometown girl image has helped Herrera Beutler get elected in this district four times. And often by wide margins. In her last two elections, she beat her Democratic challengers with more than 60 percent of the vote.
But 2018 is not a normal year for Republicans. And in Washington, Herrera Beutler is facing her first real challenge since she got elected. The 3rd District is gaining national attention after a strong August showing from Democrat Carolyn Long, who gained 35 percent of the vote while Herrera Beutler captured 42 percent, in the state’s top-two primary system.
The latest campaign filings show the race is also attracting a lot of money. The October quarterly report revealed Long is out-raising Herrera Beutler by nearly $1.2 million.
Long has also picked up national endorsements from Democratic groups like Emily’s List and is listed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as one of the candidates who could flip the U.S. House. Long has also received an endorsement from former President Barack Obama. And in a reversal from past elections, the editorial board at The Columbian announced they’re backing Long.
‘Where’s Jaime?’
On a recent Friday afternoon, Long drove 45 minutes east of Vancouver to Stevenson, a small town in Skamania County. The former timber town now relies on tourism to the Columbia River Gorge.
Before a scheduled town hall at the library, the first-time candidate met with Skamania County prosecuting attorney Adam Kick over iced tea. Kick went over a range of issues facing the region: from the area’s changing economy to opioid addiction and the challenges of funding opportunities for rural areas.
Long moved to Vancouver from Salem, Ore., only recently. But she’s worked for more than two decades as a political science professor at Washington State University’s Vancouver campus. In 2014, she started the initiative for public deliberation — a course on political civility in an era of partisan divide — where trained students facilitate community conversations on everything from homelessness to opioids.
“I think I bring a unique set of skills with my emphasis on bipartisanship and cooperation,” Long told OPB. “I’ll be a first-termer (if elected), but I won’t act like one.”
Long grew up in the coastal town of Brookings, Ore., and spent her youth helping out at her father’s produce stand.
“I grew up in a rural community, so I really feel an affinity to people who choose to live in very small communities,” Long said.
The pit stop in Stevenson was one of dozens across the district Long has made since she announced her run for Congress Nov. 30, 2017. So far, she has held 45 town halls, many with standing room only crowds, even in areas that have traditionally voted Republican.
“We probably had more than 100 people show up,” said Carol Brock, chair of the Lewis County Democrats, referring to a September town hall at the Veterans Memorial Museum. She said the last time Chehalis drew that kind of crowd was when the museum hosted the last World War II survivor of the USS Indianapolis.
“This is not exactly a bastion of Democrats out here,” Brock said. The county went for Trump by more than 30 points in 2016. But, she added, Long brings a fresh face that is gathering excitement for local Democrats — and even some independents and moderates.
“I’ve heard from people that have always voted for (Herrera Beutler), have always been a Republican. And this time, they’re saying, ‘I’m behind Long,'” she said.
Long’s campaign is quick to point out that her opponent hasn’t held a town hall in person since February 2017. Instead, Herrera Beutler has relied on telephone meetings where questions are screened in advance. The congresswoman argues that approach allows her to reach more people than in-person events, but Long doesn’t buy that.
“I cannot see how somebody can represent if they aren’t listening to those they’re supposed to represent,” Long said.
Brian Baird, the last Democrat to represent the 3rd District, agrees. He said he commonly hears the question, “Where’s Jaime?”
Baird stepped down after 12 years as a congressman, vacating the seat that ended up flipping for Herrera Beutler. He said Long is the best challenger the Democrats have ever put up against Herrera Beutler.
“People in the 3rd District are independent-minded,” Baird said. “They want to vote for a person who will listen to them, who will work hard for them, who will tell the truth and do things that are not always easy.”
