The New York Times is reporting sources close to Donald Trump say 5th district Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Eastern Washington will be selected to be the new US Secretary of the interior.
Even before the official announcement, the Spokane City Council President is announcing he will run for her seat. Democrat Ben Stuckart has served two terms as Spokane city council president. Friday, Stuckart announced he plans to run for the fifth congressional district , and said he had been considering the run since before the national election:
“We need a representative in Washington DC who is fighting for the economy of Eastern Washington, and if you’re just looking at national priorities and national party and power structure, you’re missing the boat on what we need.”
Stuckart says he fears what Congress may do to people who have finally been able to get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, and wants to protect other health and retirement programs:
“I absolutely believe the citizens of eastern Washington believe in and need Medicare, they believe in, need, and understand that Social Security is a good program. I think we have already started seeing that those are under attack in the next Congress, and we’re going to need somebody there fighting, to keep those programs in place.”
The Fifth District has not elected a Democrat since Tom Foley, the former House Speaker, was defeated by George Nethercutt in 1995.
