Washington - U.S. Senate and House Candidate Endorsements based on drug war policy reform Note: This is an old Voting Guide. Go to the New Drug WarRant.net Voting Guide Make a difference in Washington state Drug WarRant is providing information to help you make decisions on voting and supporting candidates. Be aware that the information provided here ONLY relates to drug policy reform, and there are other reasons to vote for a candidate. However, drug policy reform is a critical issue, and one that is too often neglected by candidates, unless the voters make it critical. Below each candidate, you will see information about their drug policy reform views and/or voting record. (see the criteria at right for definitions). A red check mark is a Drug WarRant endorsement. A vote for them will be a vote for drug policy reform. In some cases there may be multiple good options. In other cases, there just isn't a good candidate. More endorsements will come as the election nears. If you have additional information about a candidate's drug policy positions, please contact Drug WarRant. If you don't know your district, go to Project Vote Smart and enter your zip code to find out your district and detailed information on all the candidates. Note: For information on State Leglislature races in Washington State, visit Blog Reload's Voting Guide. Criteria 1. The National Political Awareness Test (NPAT) asks candidates which items they will support if elected. Not all candidates have answered the questionaire. For the purposes of Drug WarRant's endorsements, we have focused on the following specific items from the NPAT: NPAT Drugs: Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding drugs. Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs. Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs. Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes. Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs." Other or expanded principles For the purposes of endorsement, clearly the most important areas are "c, d, and f." A candidate with all three is gold. Selection "a" is a negative factor (although some consider this only for violent or major drug dealers). Selection "e" should be negative, but is confusing. There are some candidates who have an enlightened view of drug policy, who still choose "e" simply because of the heightened border concerns since 9/11, so there may be more involved in that response. At a minimum, a candidate should have chosen "d." The choice of "c" and/or "f" add greatly to their attractiveness. NPAT Colombia funding: Should the United States increase its financial support to Colombia to combat "the war on drugs"? "No" is the preferred answer here (at a minimum -- in fact, the answer should be to reduce funding, rather than just not increasing it). It is possible that someone could claim they are for increased funding to Colombia, but not for spraying or military purposes, but rather humanitarian purposes -- this seems a stretch, however, so I am looking for a solid "No" here. 2. The Hinchey Amendment. The incumbents have had two opportunities (2003/2004) to vote on an amendment that would stop the federal government from interfering with medical marijuana in states where it is legal. There was no legitimate reason to vote against this (and it was a bipartisan amendment), so a "no" vote is generally an indication of ignorance, or being in the pocket of the drug warriors. The proper response is: "Hinchey: Yes/Yes." 3. Other criteria. Where there is useful information from campaign web sites or news reports, those details are added here. If you have additional information (preferably with links), please let me know. Senate Patty Murray (D) Incumbent No NPAT J. Mills (L) NPAT Drugs:  c, d, f; NPAT Colombia funding:  No George R. Nethercutt (R) No NPAT; Hinchey:  No/No Mark B. Wilson (G) NPAT Drugs:  b, c, d, f, g; Taking Profit OUT of Drugs will limit their SALE; NPAT Colombia funding:  No Both Murray and Nethercutt are drug war cheerleaders. It's definitely time to vote 3rd party here and send a strong message. Mills says "we don't always have to have all the neighborhood problems that are inevitable when the federal government goes to war against Americans." and he's right. Give him your vote. US House 1 Randy Eastwood (R) No NPAT Jay Inslee (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey:  Yes/Yes   Charles Moore (L) NPAT Drugs: c,d,f,g Legalize all drugs; NPAT Colombia funding: No Inslee, as the incumbent, gets the nod on the strength of a positive Hinchey vote to block Eastwood, although Moore has the better overall position. If the race isn't close between Inslee and Eastwood, vote for Moore. US House 2 Bruce M. Guthrie (L) NPAT Drugs:  c, d, f; NPAT Colombia funding:  No Rick Larsen (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey:  Yes/Yes Suzanne Sinclair (R) No NPAT Larsen, as the incumbent, gets the nod on the strength of a positive Hinchey vote to block Sinclair, although Guthrie has the better overall position. If the race isn't close between Larsen and Sinclair, vote Guthrie. US House 3 Brian Baird (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey:  Yes/Yes Thomas A. 'Tom' Crowson (R) No NPAT US House 4 Doc Hastings (R) Incumbent NPAT Drugs:  a, e; NPAT Colombia funding: No answer; Hinchey: No/No Sandra J. 'Sandy' Matheson (D) No NPAT US House 5 Donald K. 'Don' Barbieri (D) No NPAT Cathy McMorris (R) No NPAT I got nothing. Neither one impresses me, and there's next to know information I've found regarding their drug policy views. If you know anything, contact me. US House 6 Norman D. 'Norm' Dicks (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey:  Yes/Yes Doug Cloud (R) No NPAT US House 7 Carol Cassady (R) NPAT Drugs: a,e,g We've been invaded by drugs for 40 years. According to Constitution, Congress must defend us from invasion!; NPAT Colombia funding: Undecided. James A. 'Jim' McDermott (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey:  Yes/Yes Cassady is a moron. Someone should check to see if she received a High School diploma and, if so, investigate the school. US House 8 Spencer Garrett (L) NPAT Drugs:  c, d, f; NPAT Colombia funding:  No David George 'Dave' Reichert (R) No NPAT David 'Dave' Ross (D) No NPAT US House 9 Paul J. Lord (R) NPAT Drugs:  e; NPAT Colombia funding:  Yes Robert F. Losey (G) NPAT drugs: b,c,d,f; NPAT Colombia funding: No Adam Smith (D) Incumbent NPAT Drugs: b,d; NPAT Colombia funding: No Answer; Hinchey:  Yes/Yes Endorsement given to Adam Smith on the basis of Hinchey vote. If race is not close, feel free to vote for Losey Back to main voting guide page.