Fifth District Congressional Endorsements

Compare and contrast the endorsements for the fifth congressional district.

From the Spokesman Review.

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers] also has the confidence of Mitt Romney, who appointed her his liaison with the House, in part as a reward for her early endorsement. What benefit that might have for McMorris Rodgers and the district will be unknown until the votes are counted next month.  

Her ascendance comes with its drawbacks. Too often she appears the ideologue in her solidarity with House leadership more intent on solidifying its conservative bona fides than solving problems in tandem with the Democrat-controlled Senate.  

McMorris Rodgers proudly notes her votes against Obamacare, the stimulus package, and the bank bailout – the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which she argues was a failure – without acknowledging that it saved Spokane’s biggest home-grown financial institution.

From the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

The Democrat-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House are so entrenched in their partisan views that compromise is seen as evil.  

As a result, the two political parties have brought the country to the edge of fiscal disaster as they bicker over budget cuts and taxes.

...

Incumbent Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, has done a solid job in her 10 years in office.  

But McMorris Rodgers is a rigid conservative and highly partisan. She has worked across the political aisle on district issues like keeping the VA Medical Center in Walla Walla, but she isn’t willing to compromise on major national issues.  

When the nation was on the brink of a financial disaster when the housing bubble burst and banks were at risk, McMorris Rodgers would not vote for the bank bailout or the economic stimulus package. Nor did she offer any alternative. Her lack of action made it clear she was willing to accept economic collapse.  

We have great respect for McMorris Rodgers and the hard work she has done. If America was not in such dire fiscal shape, we might think it reasonable for McMorris Rodgers to remain in Congress.

The Union-Bulletin had more kind words for Cathy McMorris Rodgers than the Spokesman Review did yet endorsed Rich Cowan. The Spokesman Review had kind words for Rich Cowan but said he should find another outlet for his values and talents. Even more interesting, the comments posted on each paper's endorsement disagree with the paper's choice.