[October 15th, 2008]

Laurie Monnes Anderson

Laurie Monnes Anderson is a bit of a plodder. A nurse, Monnes Anderson has worked on everything from expanding the state’s prescription drug program to TriMet safety to gang-prevention programs. She chairs the Senate’s Health Policy Committee, which covers healthcare-related bills. She’s earnest and dedicated but has failed to distinguish herself during her one term in the Senate and two in the House.

So we might have been willing to listen if the Republicans had fielded a strong alternative in this district, which leans more right than most in the metro area. But Republican Dave Kim, an accountant and financial adviser who got on the November ballot after winning the primary as a write-in candidate, is a political novice. He has neither bothered to study his opponent’s record nor to formulate specific proposals for how he would do the job better.

Monnes Anderson may not be a high-flyer, but she brings industry-specific knowledge to one of the Legislature’s key areas of focus. And her legislative experience means she can do more for her constituents than Kim.

Video of WW endorsement interview (thanks to Portland Community Media)