Lisa Brown campaign visits WSU campus

Democratic congressional candidate Lisa Brown says a "failure of leadership" has kept Congress from tackling some of the most pressing problems facing the country today.

Whether it's campaign finance reform or immigration, student loan debt or gun violence, Brown said the current session of Congress "is possibly the least effective Congress we've ever had, in terms of getting things done that really matter to people."

But there's an easy fix for that, she believes: Just vote out the incumbents - starting with her opponent, House Republican Conference Chair and seven-term Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

"She's one of the leaders in Congress (and) she's very wedded to the status quo," said Brown, speaking to a packed house at Washington State University's Foley Institute on Monday. "If we want to change Congress, we have to change who we send to Congress. It's that straightforward."

Brown, 61, is hoping to become the first Democrat to serve in Washington's 5th Congressional District since former House Speaker Tom Foley was defeated in 1994.

She previously served 20 years in the Washington Legislature, including more than a decade as Senate Democratic leader. She later served five years as chancellor of Washington State University's Spokane campus before resigning last year to run for Congress.

"This isn't a career move for me," Brown said, noting that when she resigned from WSU she gave up tenure as well as her salary. "I did this to have another chapter of public service."

One reason she's running, she said, is because she disagrees with President Donald Trump's values and priorities. She feels the country is "backing up" on such issues as civil rights, environmental protections and a woman's right to control what happens with her own body.

The Republican majority in Congress is doing little to combat that, she said.

"It isn't standing up to the administration when it comes to rolling back the Clean Energy Plan or separating families at the border. That's becoming the No. 1 issue for me: The American people deserve members of Congress who will truly stand up and advocate for our values and what's in the law, rather than pandering to the president."

The university audience generally was supportive of Brown, asking her opinion on such issues as higher education funding, women's rights and voting rights.

Regarding the increasing prevalence of "dark money" in political campaigns and the ability of wealthy donors to set the policy agenda, Brown said campaign finance reform should be a major priority.

"Congress is increasingly being perceived as a pay-to-play system," she said. "I think with a new Congress and Democratic leadership, campaign finance reform needs to be at the top of the agenda."

At a bare minimum, she said, there needs to be transparency in the system, so people can see who's financing an election or independent expenditures and evaluate their motives.

On immigration reform, Brown said Congress must challenge the Trump administration's practice of separating families at the U.S.-Mexico border. Passing the Dream Act - which would allow illegal aliens who arrived in the United States as young children to remain here without threat of deportation - is another priority for Washington State, she said.

Brown criticized McMorris Rodgers for failing to push harder on immigration reform, saying "it's not enough to say you're for something. You actually have to work to bring it about."

During her time in the Washington Legislature, she said, lawmakers would try to reach consensus on a major bill - but if they couldn't get there, "we'd break it apart and pass the parts that were urgently needed."

"That's where we're at with the Dream Act," Brown said. "I think we have to have a change in leadership if we want a path forward."

Brown and McMorris Rodgers are scheduled to hold their first debate Wednesday. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Spokesman-Review newspaper and KHQ-TV, takes place at the Spokane Civic Theatre. It will be televised on KHQ, beginning at 6 p.m.

William L. Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.