Cantwell rallies candidates and volunteers as Democrats work to get out the vote in Clark County

Columbian

VANCOUVER. Wash. – U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has a message for Democratic candidates heading out to knock on doors across Clark County.

“It’s a blessing when it’s raining and you’re doorbelling because people know you’re darn serious,” she said.

Cantwell was in Vancouver on Thursday for a Get Out The Vote event hosted by the Washington State Democratic Party at Laborers Local 335 hall. Joining Cantwell were 17th District candidate Terri Niles, 18th District candidates Deken Letinich and John Zingale and state Sen. Patty Kuderer, who is running for insurance commissioner, among dozens of volunteers and other candidates.

Cantwell said the eyes of the nation are on Clark County, and Vancouver in particular, this election season.

“We thought they already were because we’re going to have a close congressional race, but now they’re on this part of the United States because they want to know our response to people who are trying to intimidate us in this election,” Cantwell said.

The senator was referring to the arson attacks at ballot boxes in Vancouver and Portland earlier this week that damaged hundreds of ballots.

She said it was important that Democrats show Clark County voters they are here to support families and their needs.

Several of the candidates attending the event said support for Democrats has been on the rise in the once deeply red legislative areas, like the 17th and 18th districts, but Democrats need to vote to make their voices heard.

“This is now a blue-leaning district on paper,” Niles said. “What we’d like to see is Democrats step up to that.”

With just days to go before Tuesday’s election, Democratic candidates were making a final push to reach voters. Niles said she had been up since 6 a.m. and planned to be out knocking on doors and ringing doorbells until late.

“This is a critical race in the 17th Legislative District,” she said.

Cantwell said the increasing support for Democrats in red districts is due to significant investments made by Democratic leaders.

“We have over 21,000 new voters since the 2020 election,” Cantwell told the audience, adding that the CHIPS and Science Act, infrastructure investments, and other legislation has helped drive growth in Clark County.

Niles said voters are also tired of the partisanship, divisiveness and extremism that’s been on the rise in the last decade.

“You’re going to see Democrats that are pragmatic and common-sense legislators,” she said. “When I’m knocking on doors, it’s Republican doors and independent doors. The things I’m talking about really resonate with them, like protecting women’s right to choose, working for working families, taking care of the things that are really important to them.”

Kuderer thanked the candidates for their hard work, adding they are “doing the Lord’s work, especially because I know some of your opponents.”

She told the audience that Democrats do a good job developing policies but don’t talk about their successes.

“We’re always so focused on another problem that we don’t talk about what we’ve gotten done,” she said.

Thursday’s event isn’t the last Get Out The Vote rally to be hosted by Democrats before Tuesday’s election. That honor will fall to U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who will hold a similar rally from 1-2 p.m. today in Esther Short Park in Vancouver. The event, which is open to the public, will feature Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle as a guest speaker.

Ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day or returned to a drop box by 8 p.m. Tuesday. They can be mailed, dropped in one of the county’s 22 drop box locations or brought to Clark County Elections at 1408 Franklin St., in Vancouver. For hours, dates and drop box information, go to clark.wa.gov/elections.

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