Political officials and candidates met with Kirkland residents to gather votes, share their rhetoric and discuss issues on women’s health and small business during a Democratic rally Friday at Marina Park Pavilion.
“I want you to know, Kirkland is the only two-time-stop on our 26-city bus tour,” said U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, who also came to Kirkland on Oct. 29 to visit small businesses. “This is the second time we’ve come to Kirkland because you’ve heard ‘as Ohio goes, so goes the nation’ and you know that people say you can see all the votes from the Space Needle? Not quite. But if you do really well in those areas, as Kirkland goes, so goes King County – so goes this election.”
There were more than 100 people at the event.
Kirkland city officials, Mayor Joan McBride and 45th and 48th District Legislative candidates Rep. Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland), Rep. Larry Springer (D-Kirkland) and Cyrus Habib, a Democrat from Kirkland, joined Cantwell, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee and 1st Congressional District candidate Suzan DelBene at their Kirkland stop during their “Jobs for Washington Tour.”
Kathleen Drew, candidate for Secretary of State and Bob Ferguson, candidate for Attorney General also joined Democrats at the rally.
The job tour started in Yakima and reached cities across the state. The tour is geared around supporting job growth, educational opportunities, veteran job training and will run until Nov. 4.
“We are a team that will not allow Rob McKenna to take us backwards and take away the right of women to get access to health coverage for mammographies, for contraception and other services. We’re going forward in the state of Washington,” said Inslee. “We’re going forward to protect women’s right of choice. We’re going forward to pass the Reproductive Parity Act.”
Krista Warnock, owner of a growing small business, Spa Krista, shared with Kirklanders that her business has continued to grow since its infancy and she praised state senators for their support of Cantwell’s Small Businesses Lending Fund, which has given more than $21 million to small business owners in the past. She says she wants to bring more opportunity and jobs to Kirkland.
Other speakers emphasized the importance of supporting the Affordable Care Act so that all women could have access to health care. Many joked that being a woman is not a “pre-existing condition” and Habib also mentioned his concern that his multiple cancer diagnosis has caused trouble in the past with insurance companies.
While job growth was a big topic among DelBene, and Inslee spoke of clean energy, Murray’s striking example of gender inequality hit home with many Kirklanders.
“I walk into this negotiation, all men except me,” said Murray, after she was called back to a budget meeting. “They wanted to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood.
“They said, ‘Patty if you just agree to this, tomorrow morning government will stay open, everything will be good,’” she continued. “I looked around that room and I said ‘not on my watch.’”
Both Cantwell and Murray urged voters to vote for DelBene so that she could help lead Congress to protect women’s reproductive health rights.
Voters can drop off their ballots to a van at City Hall, which will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 5 and on election day, Nov. 6, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
