Peter Harrison is no longer giving Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, a run for her money.
Harrison announced Monday evening that he is withdrawing from the race for the 3rd Congressional District seat. He announced in October he would run as a Democrat, the third at the time to challenge Herrera Beutler.
“I want to see her out of office so we can have somebody in office who can actually represent our community,” Harrison said.
He instead throws his support behind Carolyn Long, who joined the race in late November. Dorothy Gasque and David McDevitt are also running as Democrats to unseat Herrera Beutler.
“From where I’m sitting, (Carolyn is) much better positioned to accomplish the goal of replacing Jaime Herrera Beutler in Congress,” he said. “If I continue in the race, I detract from that. Any money I raise will likely not be money she raises, and I don’t want to see that happen.”
Long has reported contributions topping $34,000, whereas Harrison has only raised $2,300. In contrast, Herrera Beutler has reported nearly $610,000 in contributions for this election cycle. In 2016, her contributions topped $1.4 million.
“If we want somebody who listens, if we want somebody who’s not in the pocket of big money interests in Washington, I think (Carolyn is) our best bet right now because I can’t run fast enough to catch up,” Harrison added.
He attributes his delayed start to a medley of factors, including hernia surgery and the death of his father last month.
“I have not been able to run an effective campaign at this point,” he said.
Harrison isn’t ready to leave the political scene completely behind, however. He said he intends to help local candidates, including Long, if they want to bring him on.
“I’ll continue to be involved in the community,” Harrison said.
