Gubernatorial candidate visits March 6
Dave Reichert
TEKOA - The effort to bring candidates for public office to town to interact with area voters and present their platforms has landed a gubernatorial candidate.
The Event Center on Crosby Street will host a meet-and-greet for former Congressman Dave Reichert, R-Auburn, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 6. Food and beverages will be available from C&Ds Tekoa Bar and Grill.
Following the relaxed event, the 73-year-old Reichert will head down the street to Empire Theater, 126 S. Crosby St., to present his gubernatorial platform. Organizers expect him to touch on a number of topics including Snake River dams, farming and water issues, carbon taxes and crime. The candidate is also expected to take questions from the audience, as well as meet with event-goers again after stumping.
The congressman is among the leading candidates vying to be the next governor of the state.
His rise in politics stems from his beginnings as a King County Sheriff's Office deputy. He became a member of the Green River Task Force, formed to help hunt down the Green River killer. The task force's work led to the arrest of Gary Ridgway, who remains in prison in Walla Walla today.
The recipient of two Medals of Valor, he was appointed King County sheriff in 1997 and ran for re-election successfully in 2001. In 2004, he ran for congress and was elected as a representative in Washington's 8th Congressional District, a post he held until 2019.
While Mayor Roy Schulz acknowledged the candidate is stopping in town as a fundraiser, he also noted the importance of the visit of a state-level political hopeful.
"I'm not so sure there's been a gubernatorial candidate come," Schulz said, noting he'd like to see more candidates add Tekoa to their campaign trails. "We don't get these opportunities very often."
Organizers believe the last major candidate to campaign in Tekoa may be Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, who visited and gave a speech here May 26, 1903. People from throughout the region attended that event.
Schulz hopes this event, too, draws people from across the region to his town.
"Anybody can come," he said.
Reichert's visit is the second election-based event at the theater in less than a year. Prior to the November 2023 general election, the venue hosted a forum for local City Council, School Board and mayoral candidates.
Going forward, community leaders would like to host more political hopefuls, regardless of party affiliation, Schulz said.
So far, more than a dozen political hopefuls and established politicians have enter the race to replace Gov. Jay Inslee, who is not seeking re-election.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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