Herrera Plays Insider, Outsider Cards
WA state Rep. Jaime Herrera (R) is casting herself as an independent as she seeks one of the more centrist districts in the country.
"Quite frankly, the Republicans let me down, too," she said in a roundtable with reporters in DC today. "I was a staffer here when we had control of the House, the Senate and the White House," referring to her time as a senior legislative aide for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), for whom she handled health care issues. "And you know the across state lines bill? Awesome bill. Tremendous. We didn't pass it when we had control of all 3. We had the authority to do it, and it was not high enough on our radar screen to make it happen."
"There are a lot of things that I think Republicans drop the ball on, and I'm hopeful, as things come closer to a balance this year, that we'll put our money where our mouth is when it comes to health care or energy policy," she added.
Gesturing out into the larger RNC headquarters, where she met reporters, "I'm not sure where we're going yet when it comes to this side." Indeed, she said the book of talking points she's been given by DC GOPers is not something she's planning on using much.
Herrera, 31, is a favorite of the NRCC in the race to replace retiring Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA). She considers herself a commonsense conservative, but the word she uses most is "independent." In fact, her Web site is stamped with the three words, "Independent. Hardworking. Effective."
She agrees with the bulk of the GOP that the stimulus was the wrong thing to do, but of her ideology, she said, "My perspectives were shaped by my region."
Although Herrera sees her outlook as anti-establishment, not anti-Dem, she didn't bash DC (Before becoming a staffer, Herrera interned at the WH office of political affairs during George W. Bush's '04 campaign). She touted several legislative accomplishments made at the state level in her first few years as a state rep., including passing a bill for business tax relief and protecting a transportation project.
"All of that was able to happen in my first session. I think it was because of my time here in DC, understanding the legislative process, having the experience, having moved pieces of legislation at the federal level, I was able to hit the ground running and use that to reach out to voters in my district, and they said, 'Sure, we're not afraid of a young person, or a woman, or someone who is a minority,'" she said.
Herrera will face ex-Vets Affairs Dep Asst. Sec. David Castillo (R) and accountant David Hedrick (R) in the GOP primary. But she has raised money at a much faster clip since getting in the race, and national GOPers believe she would be the strongest candidate in Nov.
Her husband, Daniel Beutler, was on his way to law school this August but changed his plans when Herrera decided to run for Congress.
"My husband and I rent," she said. "We both drive used cars. We're not your typical Republican conservative."
She grew up in the southern WA district and joked about losing votes in the part of the district that houses Washington State University - Vancouver, because she graduated from the University of Washington.
"This is an awesome year to be a new face," she said, explaining that her likely Democratic opponent, ex-state Rep./ex-Gov. Gardner Cos Denny Heck, has been part of the state establishment for 30 years. "I'm excited about the contrast."
Herrera may want to think Denny Heck is her likely Democratic opponent, but she well knows that Democratic state Sen. Craig Pridemore has a huge base of support right here in Clark County, where she is from.
Why isn't she back in Olympia DOING HER JOB?
Hope you enjoyed your breakfast while taking all that PAC money. "Independent", uh huh.
While Pridemore has precisely zero chance due to corruption and massive waste issues, Aneurin does ask the cogent question.
Our legislative session is only 60 days long. Couldn't her political prostitution waited a few days? Didn't Coakley's special interest sell out a few days before she lost the Mass. election teach her anything?
As a constituent, I find Herrera ditching us in the middle of her job as our representative during our short session (60 days, due to be up in mid-March) as despicable as the idea that someone who has only lived in the district 2 out of the last 13 years should be "representing" us in any capacity, let alone in Congress.
"My husband and I rent," she said. "We both drive used cars. We're not your typical Republican conservative."
What kind of comment is that? Just what does Jaime think a "typical Republican conservative" is?
Is she parroting the liberal talking point of Republicans being "rich fat cats?"
As I consider myself to be a "typical Republican conservative," I am buying a home after years of renting. I drive a 12 year old truck and my wife a 10 year old car, both kept in good order by me.
Is Jaime so out of touch with voters that she thinks renting and having a used car makes her "not your typical Republican conservative?"
She evidently has no idea what a conservative is.
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