For nearly a quarter-century, United States Sen. Maria Cantwell has worked for the people of Washington and for the American middle class. The Columbian’s Editorial Board recommends that the Democrat be reelected for a fifth term in Washington, D.C.
As always, this is merely a recommendation, designed to provide information and generate discussion. The Columbian trusts that voters will study the candidates and the issues before casting an informed ballot.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Cantwell has played a key role in passing significant legislation during the Biden administration. That work often has had a direct impact on Washington.
Cantwell helped develop the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, providing significant investments in clean energy that have bolstered Washington industries. Our state is a recognized leader in wind and solar energy and has a burgeoning sustainable aviation fuel industry.
She led negotiations with Republican House leaders to forge the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, creating new investment for the domestic semiconductor industry. That created a grant program that provided $10 million to the University of Washington.
And she helped influence the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, creating programs that aid salmon migration and support energy production.
Along the way, Cantwell has worked in a bipartisan fashion, an attribute that is distressingly rare in Congress. This year, she teamed with Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, to introduce the American Privacy Rights Act in an effort to govern data privacy rights. She also supported bipartisan immigration legislation that was killed by conservatives at the urging of Donald Trump.
During a debate with challenger Dr. Raul Garcia, Cantwell said: “A very constructive bipartisan bill that would have put more resources into protecting our border got killed by Republicans who would rather campaign on the issue than actually solve the issue.”
Garcia, an emergency room physician from Yakima, is a reasonable, thoughtful Republican who eschews the more extreme positions of his party.
During the debate sponsored by KIRO-TV of Seattle, he said: “The voters of Washington state have made it very clear that this is a pro-choice state, and as your next United States senator, I am going to protect and defend that choice. … I’m asking every woman in the state of Washington to trust who I am and what I have stood for.”
Cantwell also reaffirmed her support for abortion rights: “I would hope all Washingtonians would view this as an issue of our freedom. This should be a decision between a woman and her physician, not a politician, not somebody in government.”
That is just one example of how Cantwell effectively represents the beliefs of a majority of Washington residents. In the process, she consistently works to promote the middle class and support environmental and entrepreneurial programs that are particularly important to the people of our state.
The Editorial Board recommends that Cantwell be reelected.
