On Monday, November 29th, 2021 the Seattle Times reported that Councilmember Reagan Dunn is seeking to challenge Representative Kim Schrier for the House of Representatives in Washington’s District 8. This came with little surprise to many in the region, but still brings great concern for Washington’s representation in DC. Reagan has in the past been touted as a moderate Republican and he shook Washington politics with his progressive stance on gay marriage in the early 2010s as Attorney General. But in the era of QAnon and Trump insurrectionists it is a very fine line to walk for those wanting to maintain their careers without changing parties, and Reagan hasn’t managed to stay on the right side of history.
Shortly after the Seattle Times released their article, Jim Brunner, political reporter for the times, stated that Reagan Dunn would not have voted for Trump’s impeachment on January 13th following the January 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol. Even in his own region, this year while running for county council he promoted the endorsement of III% extremist leader Chris Wisnoski. The III% in his district have showed up armed to public libraries and other areas protesting LGBTQIA+ events and counter-protesting demonstrations focused on justice for Black communities. His campaign even deployed polarizing language meant to make national problems look Seattle-centric, referring to himself as “the last line of defense” against police reforms and accountability. He has even on occasion been the lone vote against proven-to-work policies.
Updated story with more from Reagan Dunn, who told me he would not have voted to impeach Trump for Jan. 6 riot – unlike fellow Republicans @HerreraBeutler & @RepNewhouse #waelex https://t.co/oVFi4rcuCz
— Jim Brunner (@Jim_Brunner) November 30, 2021
For Reagan, partisan politics comes before the people of King County and would likely be reflected in his leadership in Congress. He has shown little ability to work effectively across the aisle in today’s era of politics, and has even contributed to vaccine hesitancy by implying he would protect liberties (actually meaning he opposes temporary health mandates meant to protect communities from disease and death). Voters should ask if they are willing to give far-right extremist sympathizers more representation in Congress, and how Reagan Dunn would represent the diverse politics and backgrounds which make up D8’s communities as a federally elected official. It would be a tragedy to lose Kim Schrier in Congress to a partisan hack with close ties to extremists.
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