Carmela Conroy is a former Spokane County deputy prosecutor and career Foreign Service officer. She’s also a Democrat running to challenge incumbent Michael Baumgartner for Washington’s 5th District Congressional seat this fall.
As part of Spokane Public Radio’s election coverage, Audrey Nelson sat down with Conroy to talk through how she’s approaching issues in the district.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
CARMELA CONROY: I've spent the last almost three years getting to know this district better myself, talking to people from all different walks of life in lots of different industries. And what I'm hearing really consistently is: Life is increasingly unaffordable. As somebody who spent most of my professional life promoting accountable governments through democracies and open and inclusive economies with a level playing field for everybody, that's the very least we should want for ourselves here.
AUDREY NELSON: If you are elected, what will you do to address those concerns and bring not just gas and grocery prices down in Eastern Washington, but also make healthcare more affordable here as well?
CC: Well, a couple of things that we could do right off the top. I would reset our tariff and trade schedules to where we were in January 2025, restore fully the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Act that was established during the first Trump administration, to re-establish the predictability that businesses rely on as well as consumers.
The Iran war — our war on Iran — is also really expensive. We're seeing that at the gas pump. I believe it is up to the Congress to exercise its power over whether or not we go to war. Five times Michael Baumgartner has voted not to have that discussion in Congress. We've got to have that discussion and we've got to bring that war to a close.
AN: As Spokane continues recovering from wildfires — as Eastern Washington in general does — this summer, Governor Bob Ferguson recently submitted a formal request for a federal major disaster declaration. And recovery will almost certainly be a long haul process. Given all of this, if you're elected, how will you continue to advocate for federal aid and for Spokane's recovery?
CC: FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] has to have funding restored for its emergency services. I hate to say it, but Mr. Baumgartner voted twice to divert FEMA emergency funding to ICE [Immigrations and Customs Enforcement] so that it could expand for-profit detention facilities to hold immigrants. I think that was a really bad use of funds.
AN: A big focus of these upcoming midterms has been mail-in voting.
President Trump has attempted to overhaul the mail-in voting system across the U.S., including in Washington. In recent weeks, of course, the Supreme Court has rebuffed many of those efforts. Most recently, they ruled that Washington doesn't have to turn over its voter rolls to the federal government. What's your response to these rulings?
CC: Well, I'm glad the court is ruling as it is. I can remember as a kid going with my parents to Progress Elementary School while they voted. I get it.
Some people have nostalgia for that sort of community event. But I've also spoken with Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton, with the auditor up in Stevens County. What they tell me is that in their experience, our system is faster and more accurate than it ever was in the past, that mail-in voting or voting from home has proved to give better access to the ballot for American citizens and residents of Washington state than previous systems did.
AN: How can business and AI competitiveness goals be balanced with safety and affordability, especially in the region?
CC: The analogy that that reminds me of is when people involved in the early nuclear weapons program came out and said, “We've got to stop. We could destroy all of humanity if these were misused.” And we now know that to be true.
I really think that the government, the Congress, has got to get involved and figure out a good way to keep these things in the sandbox to make sure that they do not become a threat.
AN: I want to give you a chance here at the end to just tell me, if you're elected to Congress, boil down for me what will be your two or three highest priorities over the next two years?
CC: Bringing down costs by restoring a predictable trade regime. And ending the war against Iran.
