I’m Dr. Kim Schrier and I am excited to talk about my candidacy for Washington's 8th Congressional District with the Daily Kos community and progressives across the country.
For the last 16 years, I’ve had the honor of serving thousands of families in Issaquah as a pediatrician. I love my practice, my patients, and my work. A year ago, if you had told me that I’d give all that up to run for Congress, I would have laughed out loud. But the world changed when Donald Trump was elected, and I’ve watched as Congressman Reichert stood in lockstep with President Trump instead of looking out for the families and small businesses of our district.
So, I decided to run for Congress and I announced my campaign with a short video, calling out Congressman Reichert for not even bothering to show up for a town hall. The video was quickly reported on by CNN, King 5, the Stranger, and the Issaquah Reporter.
Almost a month after my campaign launched, Congressman Reichert announced his retirement. I guess he agrees that people deserve more than an empty chair.
I'm stepping up, and unlike Congressman Reichert, I'll use this seat to listen and fight for working people instead of special interests and President Trump's reckless agenda.
I’m not a career politician — I’m a pediatrician, a wife, and a mom — and I know the 8th District. I fly fish in the Cedar River in the west and Yakima River the east. I backpack in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest with my husband and eight-year-old son.
As a former astrophysicist and as a doctor, I can say without a doubt that the data and the science show we must tackle climate change immediately to protect both our planet and our health.
As someone with type-1 diabetes, I know personally what it's like to worry about losing coverage due to a pre-existing condition. TrumpCare would take away health insurance for over 70,000 people in my district.
I worry about the children I see in my practice whose parents wouldn’t have insurance without the Affordable Care Act and I’m concerned about what life might hold for them if President Trump and Speaker Ryan get their way in repealing it.
I support a living wage for workers and I take pride in how we're raising the wage in Washington State — incremental and phased in so businesses have time to adjust. I want to make college affordable — and provide help for those who can’t afford it — but I also want to strengthen our K-12 schools and better prepare our children for the workforce, even if college isn't the right fit for them.
I've been a lifelong advocate for women's rights and Planned Parenthood. I debated in favor of abortion rights all when I was in middle school. Later on, I protested Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court in 1987. It angers and saddens me that this is even a debate in 2017. I am 100 percent pro-choice and will always be an advocate for women and their families.
Since Congressman Reichert's retirement, the political talking heads and pundits have rated Washington’s 8th Congressional District a "toss-up" or "lean Democrat." Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama won this district and we've come close to taking this seat before.
So if we're serious about taking back the majority and holding President Trump accountable, this is a seat we need to win — and with your help, I think we can do it.
I welcome your questions, ideas, comments or suggestions and hope to hear from you soon. I'll be checking back on this post at 4:00 p.m. PT to answer a few questions and I plan on blogging here regularly as the campaign moves forward.
Please my website at DrKimSchrier.com and if you're willing to make a contribution, chip in $3 or more on ActBlue.