Election 2022: Candidates for 6th District Congress
The race for the 6th District congressional seat in 2022 looks similar to the race in 2020: challenger Elizabeth Kreiselmaier, a Republican, hoping to unseat the incumbent, five-term Democrat Rep. Derek Kilmer of Gig Harbor.
While six candidates appeared on the Aug. 2 primary ballot, Kilmer and Kreiselmaier once again received the most votes, setting up a re-match of the 2020 race, in which Kilmer garnered 59.3% of the vote to Kreiselmaier's 40.45%.
The 6th District covers the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas.
The Kitsap Sun asked the candidates to answer five questions. Here are their answers.
Derek Kilmer
Age: 48
Current occupation: Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Member of Appropriations Committee; Chair, Select Committee on Modernization of Congress; Cochair, Bipartisan Working Group;
Previous elected experience: State House: 2005-2007; State Senate: 2007-2012
Party: Democratic
Q: What is your top priority for the residents of the 6th District if you are elected?
A: I’m focused on helping people in our area being squeezed by inflation and rising costs. That’s why I voted to crack down on price gouging by oil companies and lower gas prices. I helped write legislation to boost manufacturing in America and reduce dependence on China. I voted to make prescription drugs more affordable and am pushing to expand Social Security to provide relief from rising prices. Unfortunately, Mitch McConnell and Trump Republicans in Congress are blocking all of these things from becoming law. I’ll keep working to get these things across the finish line.
Additionally, my job is to champion our region’s priorities. This year, I secured record funding for Puget Sound restoration and for downtown revitalization in Bremerton. I’m working to secure new investments in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to help the Navy execute its mission and to ensure generations of work for the residents of our region.
Q: In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, what do you think Congress’ next step should be, if any, when it comes to regulating abortion in the United States?
A: I believe decisions about women’s health care are best made by women in consultation with their doctors – not by politicians.
That’s why I’ve voted to support the Women's Health Protection Act to provide statutory protections for the right to choose and ensure reproductive freedom in every state. Congress should pass that into law and codify the protections that existed under Roe v Wade. In contrast, Trump Republicans in Congress have made clear that they intend to pursue a nationwide abortion ban. I will continue to stand up for women’s reproductive freedom—and oppose legislation that impedes those rights.
Additionally, the Court decision also puts other rights into jeopardy – including access to birth control and marriage equality. Congress should take action to make sure that the next generation doesn’t have fewer rights than our generation.
Q: Should Congress approve more spending to support schools, infrastructure and COVID-19 response as it has at other points in the pandemic?
A: When the pandemic was at its worst, it was critical for the federal government to step in and support health care providers, local businesses, and schools. Thankfully, those interventions did a lot of good. More than 220 million Americans are vaccinated. Our kids and educators are back in school safely. We avoided a massive recession by helping small businesses keep their lights on.
Some further targeted interventions may make sense – for example, to ensure that testing and treatments can still be provided without cost to the American people.
As for infrastructure funding, Congress passed a bipartisan infrastructure law that will provide funding for several years. That new law will help fix some of the traffic mess at Gorst, support Kitsap Transit, replace failed culverts to help with salmon recovery, and – importantly – bridge the digital divide so people can have internet access. Let’s focus on implementing that successfully.
Q: Congress recently passed the Safer Communities Act to reduce gun violence. Is it enough, too much, or should Congress pursue legislation that further aims to restrict access to guns?
A: Over the years, Congress has seen far too many moments of silence following mass shootings in America – and far too few moments of action.
I supported the Safer Communities Act. It includes funding for states to enact Red Flag Laws to keep guns out of the hands of people determined to be a danger to themselves and others. It bans gun trafficking and cracks down on straw purchases. And it includes important investments to strengthen mental health and enhance school safety. I believe it’s an important step forward.
There are additional common sense steps Congress should take that could reduce the likelihood of tragedies while protecting the 2nd Amendment rights of responsible gun owners.
I sponsored the Protecting Our Kids Act which would raise the age for purchasing a semiautomatic centerfire rifle, limit sales of large-capacity magazines, and encourage safe storage. I’ve also sponsored a universal background check bill.
Q: Who won the 2020 presidential election and is Joe Biden the legitimately elected president of the U.S.?
A: Joe Biden won the 2020 election and is the legitimately elected president. The voters voted, secretaries of state certified the elections, and more than 60 lawsuits challenging the results were determined to lack merit.
But it’s not enough to acknowledge the result. We need leaders willing to protect our democracy from the extremists who organized the violent January 6 insurrection at the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the presidential election. We need to strengthen democracy by combating voter suppression and reducing the role of big money in our politics.
We also must heal some of the divides in our nation. I co-chair the Bipartisan Working Group, a coalition of Democrats and Republicans working to set aside partisanship and solve problems. I’m proud to have been recognized as one of the most bipartisan folks in Congress. The Common Ground Scorecard lists me as the highest rated Democrat in Congress.
Elizabeth Kreiselmaier
Age: 62
Current occupation: Small business owner
Previous elected experience: Precinct Committee Officer
Party: Republican
Q: What is your top priority for the residents of the 6th District if you are elected?
A: Most of us sense that America’s headed in the wrong direction, so my top priority is turning this ship around while we still can, and getting us headed instead in the right direction. Inflation is the highest in 40 years. We all feel pain at the gas pump and the grocery store. Crime and homelessness are surging. Public safety is threatened. Businesses are suffering. Biden’s administration, which includes my Democrat opponent Derek Kilmer, isn’t solving the problem—it is the problem. Congress isn’t doing its job. 2022 is pivotal. I’m fighting for this District, to defend what we all love: Strong Families, Strong Communities, and a Strong Country. That means: Rebuilding our economy by lowering taxes and debt; Eradicating homelessness; Restoring public safety by supporting our police and military; Protecting America’s sovereignty and our workers’ livelihoods; Preserving Constitutional freedoms; and Reclaiming parental authority over our children’s education. Our District deserves better.
Q: In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, what do you think Congress’ next step should be, if any, when it comes to regulating abortion in the United States?
A: The overturning of Roe v. Wade simply returned complex and emotionally-laden decisions regarding abortion issues back to the States, where they rightfully belong. Individual states will wrestle with such decisions, as they should. Regardless of my views on abortion (personally, I am pro-life), I am of the mind that we need to address the most urgent issues relating to America’s security and prosperity first, before we can attend to anything else. Issues surrounding our economy and public safety simply must come first, because if we don’t survive economically or materially as a country, nothing else we might decide will matter. It’s a matter of triage.
Q: Should Congress approve more spending to support schools, infrastructure and COVID-19 response as it has at other points in the pandemic?
A: No, absolutely not. Congress has already mortgaged America’s future to the hilt with crushing debt, and done huge and untold damage to American children because of its ruinous COVID-19 policies and spending sprees. We must now act urgently and earnestly to dial back the spending, pull our economy back from the brink of destruction, and promote academic achievement in the form of true education, not indoctrination. Transparency, trust, and accountability must be restored. American workers’ livelihoods, and our children’s futures, depend on it, and we have no more time or money to waste on failed and bloated government policies and programs.
Q: Congress recently passed the Safer Communities Act to reduce gun violence. Is it enough, too much, or should Congress pursue legislation that further aims to restrict access to guns?
A: Interesting that Democrats’ positions too often bear no relation to reality. Facts are frequently redecorated to their liking. This is nowhere more evident than as pertains to the admirable goal of reducing gun violence. Whenever violent tragedy strikes, Democrats are ever ready with calls for more gun control laws. No matter that we have plenty of such laws on the books that might be helpful were they to be enforced. And no matter that the Second Amendment must be upheld in order to protect our Constitutional rights. Sadly, Democrats seem reluctant to do what works, if what works defies their narrative. Consider Brazil: the Wall Street Journal reported on June 26, 2022, that homicides in that country fell by 34% after President Bolsonaro made firearms permits easier and cheaper to obtain. “Give guns to good people,” he said. “Let people have a chance to defend themselves.” Works for me!
Q: Who won the 2020 presidential election and is Joe Biden the legitimately elected president of the U.S.?
A: I know a trick question when I see one, and I’m not taking the bait. We all saw 2020’s elections. Some were outraged by what they saw. Some were elated. Some were unfazed. No matter the lens worn, one thing is clear now and always: election integrity is of vital importance, regardless of party affiliation or political viewpoint. Why? Because if we fail to have free and fair elections, we fail to have a free and fair country. Regardless of the perceived outcomes of 2020, Americans are currently living with Joe Biden as the sitting president of the United States. And according to recent polling, Americans are none too happy with the direction that Joe Biden, as President, is taking us (along with his obedient footsoldiers such as my opponent Derek Kilmer who votes in lockstep with him). And that, my friends, is what elections are for!
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Election 2022: Primary candidates for 6th District Congress
