State Rep. Kevin Van De Wege and Steve Tharinger will begin to answer a question a day Monday for at least five days on their shared blog, the 24th District Eagle.
The two Sequim Democrats will be on the Nov. 2 general election ballot for two separate seats in the state House of Representatives, representing the 24th District, which covers Clallam and Jefferson counties, and part of Grays Harbor County.
Van De Wege, a firefighter and paramedic, seeks a second term in office for Position 1, while Tharinger, a Clallam County commissioner, hopes to replace Democrat Rep. Lynn Kessler, who is retiring this year, in Position 2.
Van De Wege, 35, is opposed by Republican Dan Gase, 56, of Port Angeles, who is a real estate managing broker and consultant.
Tharinger, 61, is running against Republican Jim McEntire, 60, of Sequim, a Port of Port Angeles commissioner and a retired Coast Guard captain.
Questions on blog
The candidates plan to answer one question daily, Monday through Friday, but “if there’s a lot of response, we could go beyond that,” Van De Wege said.
Questions will be posted on the blog, and the two candidates may answer some together and some separately, he said.
“We could do it either way, depending on what folks are asking,” Van De Wege said.
Both candidates “have endorsed The 24th District Eagle as their official campaign blog,” said a prepared statement released by the Van De Wege campaign Friday.
Van De Wege said he views “us more as a team than a slate.
“We’d be a good team, a good match for the 24th District,” he said.
“We share a lot of the same philosophies, a lot of the same ideas.”
Both he and Tharinger “have a real concern about the recession and firmly believe the best way out of this is through the creation of jobs,” said Van De Wege, adding that the primary issue this year “is the economy.”
Origin of name
And why have the two named the blog “The 24th District Eagle?”
The blog displays a photograph of Van De Wege during a visit to the Northwest Raptor & Wildlife Center in Sequim during the release of a rescued juvenile bald eagle.
“Considering Kevin’s considerable record as a life-saving firefighter and defender of local environmental causes, you couldn’t find a more symbolic photo for his re-election campaign,” the blog says.
“How about we name that eagle, now residing in the wild in the Sequim-Dungeness area, the official mascot of this blog? After all, he is literally a 24th District eagle.”
Said Van De Wege in the prepared statement: “I think hosting an online Q & A where the public can submit questions is a fantastic chance to let my constituents know that I care about hearing and addressing their concerns in these extremely tough times for the 24th District.”
Said Tharinger: “I’m very excited to directly interact with my constituents online as I’ve been doing face-to-face during my extensive travels across the 24th District over the past few months.
“Partnering with the 24th District Eagle for online outreach and public Q & As is my way of signaling my commitment to staying directly in-touch with the needs and concerns of our community.”
The public can post questions to the 24th District Eagle’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/24thdistricteagle or to the comments section on the blog site at www.The24thDistrictEagle.blogspot.com.
