Washington 7th District Congressman Jim McDermott had been called “Seattle’s congressman for life,” and with 14 terms in office, it seemed like he would be, up until he made his announcement on Monday, Jan. 4. He will finish one more session in Washington, D.C., before retiring. After more than two decades in Congress and having just celebrated his 79th birthday, we’re sure he will enjoy having some time off.
43rd District Rep. Brady Walkinshaw was one of two people to announce his candidacy to fill McDermott’s seat, so far, but there will likely be many more to throw their hats in the ring before this year’s filing deadline.
McDermott said during his announcement he has not made plans to endorse any current or future candidates, but it seems safe to assume he will eventually, and someone who had the people’s confidence 14 times in a row is exactly the person you want in your corner. He said he does hope the person who replaces him will be progressive, which Walkinshaw is. But then the 7th is one of the most liberal districts in the country, so that likely can be said for most anyone else who steps up to the plate — if they have any hope of actually winning, that is.
Walkinshaw said when he first announced his bid for the 7th District that while he respects McDermott, he felt it was time for the region to elect its next progressive leader.
McDermott said Monday his decision was not easy and he doesn’t like to quit. Among his goals for the 114th Congress will be to pass mental health legislation, which would be a welcome reaction to dealing with the issues of gun violence in this country that almost always seems to be related.
McDermott said during his press conference he was confident he could have ran again and won. That tends to be the advantage longtime incumbents have, as many voters are apt to avoid change unless it appears warranted.
There are many positives to having seniority in Congress, such as knowing how to work within the system to achieve goals and where to look for project funding, but there is also the negative effect of lawmakers becoming too comfortable in their ability to win reelections and, therefore, losing ambition to fight as hard as they may have when they were just starting out.
It’s unlikely that this Congress — filled with plenty of lawmakers with even lengthier tenures than McDermott — will ever agree there needs to be term limits, but there are plenty of good arguments for it.
Right now, Congress is fractured and — by McDermott’s own accounts — many Americans don’t trust the legislative body to do its job anymore.
Someone who’s done the same job for decades is likely to be set in their ways and often inflexible when it comes to new ideas, and we find ourselves facing new challenges every day that may just need new ideas to overcome them.
While McDermott steps away from the chaos of a Congress that is divided even within its own parties, he said he’s certain Americans won’t stand for it forever. We like to believe he’s right when he says Congress will eventually start really listening to the demands of the people or voters will make the change for them.