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Baird, a political unknown, came from nowhere to finish within two percentage points of high-profile incumbent Linda Smith in this year's combined primary. A moderate Democrat running against one of the more conservative House freshmen, he is pro-choice and wants to cut defense spending, though he would have voted against the Brady Bill. On Smith's favorite cause, campaign-finance reform, Baird proposes free television airtime for candidates and opening libraries to disseminate campaign information.
THE ISSUES
Budget NO Medicare NO Defense YES Abortion NO Guns NO Gays NO Bosnia NO NAFTA NO Welfare NR Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)
QUOTE OF NOTE: "I always knew this was a winnable race, but it's been a real challenge to get other people to understand that."
LINDA SMITH (R) District 3 BORN: July 16, 1950, La Junta, Colo. EDUCATION: Hudson's Bay High School, diploma, 1968 FAMILY: Husband, Vern; two children RELIGION: Assembly of God MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Tax-preparation-center manager; tax consultant POLITICAL CAREER: Washington House, 1983-87, Senate, 1987-94; U.S. House, 1994- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 65117, Vancouver 98665. Tel.: 360-604-2715
Smith's trip to Congress began with a last-minute write-in campaign in the 1994 primary, the first time a Washington candidate had won a primary in such a fashion. On Capitol Hill, she has relegated her incendiary social conservatism, which earned her a perfect 100 rating from the Christian Coalition, to the back burner while she concentrates on the issue of campaign-finance reform.
THE ISSUES
Budget YES Medicare YES Defense YES Abortion YES Guns NR Gays NR Bosnia YES NAFTA NR Welfare YES Medical Leave NR (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)
QUOTE OF NOTE: "I don't like living in the East. But I don't want to say years from now that I had the chance to make a difference and I didn't have the guts to do something."
RICHARD HASTINGS (R) District 4 (Central--Yakima and Tri-Cities)
BORN: Feb. 7, 1941, Spokane EDUCATION: Columbia Basin College, 1959-61; Central Washington U, 1964 FAMILY: Wife, Claire; three children RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: Army Reserve, 1964-69 OCCUPATION: Paper-company executive POLITICAL CAREER: Washington House, 1979-87; U.S. House, 1994- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 2926, Pasco 99302. Tel.: 509-736-1510
One of only seven members of Congress who voted with Newt Gingrich 99% of the time in the past two years, ("Doc") Hastings is among Capitol Hill's strictest conservatives. But in the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, cited by many as an example of federal waste, he put district services above ideology and fought for an extra $86 million on top of the more than $1 billion budgeted annually for the cleanup.
THE ISSUES
Budget YES Medicare YES Defense NO Abortion YES Guns NR Gays NR Bosnia YES NAFTA NR Welfare YES Medical Leave NR (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)
QUOTE OF NOTE: "The Endangered Species Act is having a devastating impact on our local economy throughout the Pacific Northwest."
RICK LOCKE (D) District 4