Candidates vow for change during forum

MOSES LAKE - Five 4th Congressional District candidates faced off in a forum Wednesday in Moses Lake, discussing the key issues of Obamacare and immigration reform while laying out their priorities if elected.

Current state Sen. Janéa Holmquist Newbry, Eltopia farmer Clint Didier, Kennewick attorney George Cicotte, Ephrata resident Gavin Seim and Pasco resident Josh Ramirez, the only Independent candidate in the race, took part in the candidate forum, hosted by the Young Professionals of the Columbia Basin.

"The parties are so caught up in victory for their party, they forget that they should be fighting for the victory of the people," Ramirez said, who is an analyst at Hanford. "The two national political parties are outdated and irrelevant. I am running as an Independent because I want to do something different."

Cicotte, who was part of the discussion via Skype video, said he has spent his 20-year career as an attorney helping employers deal with the federal laws governing healthcare.

"I understand these laws inside and out," he said. "I know the one or two good things about healthcare and I know many of the bad things that nobody else running this race even realizes are coming down the pike."

While the candidates were in agreement Obamacare needs to be repealed or replaced, few offered possible solutions.

"There is one thing for Obamacare and it's the chopping block," Seim said. "We throw it in the trash, we do not replace it, we do not fix it. We throw it away because this is America and we do not have Socialist, lawless healthcare rammed down our throats."

"I would like to know what we're going to replace the Affordable Care Act with," Ramirez said. "It's not necessarily that I agree 100 percent because I don't. And the individual mandate makes me nervous. It is unconstitutional. But I would love to see what's going to replace it because I haven't seen very many ideas."

Other candidates offered some ideas, including Holmquist Newbry, who said Obamacare is a tax increase on several levels and attacks citizen's personal liberties.

"Bottom line, we've got to replace it," she said. "We need to restore the private insurance market with the consumer driven common sense solution so you guys are back in the driver's seat. Every citizen should be able to buy health insurance with pre-tax dollars and it should follow them, portability. You shouldn't have to go look for new health insurance just because you quit your job or you move. It should be able to follow you across state lines similar to life insurance. There are some great common sense solutions out there."

Didier, who said he and his wife had their insurance plan canceled because of Obamacare, said allowing insurance companies to offer policies across state lines would drive down the cost of insurance. Cicotte also echoed allowing insurance policies across state lines, adding the demand for health insurance has grown as the population ages and the supply needs to keep up to keep prices low, something he said Obamacare has failed to do.

While immigration reform will be a key topic during the campaigns, the candidates agreed the first step to take is controlling the country's borders.

"It all hinges on our federal government securing our borders," Holmquist Newbry said.

Both Didier and Seim said they believe amnesty should not be an option for illegal immigrants.

"We're a nation of immigrants but we're not going to fix our problems with amnesty," Seim said.

During closing comments, Holmquist Newbry stressed her legislative experience, adding she is the only current sitting senator in the state who has never voted for a tax increase.

"While we have a great group of conservatives in this race, what you gain with me is a proven track record to back up my promises and my commitments, my principles and my ideas," she said. "I've been working hard on your behalf in Olympia to protect you, your wallets and your rights."

Didier also pledged no new taxes if he is elected, calling for a smaller federal government.

"In the Didier campaign, we have a simple equation: more government equals less freedom, less government equals more freedom," he said. "I pledged no new taxes. Any increase in existing taxes, I will vote no. Anything that grows to the size of the federal government, regardless of party, I will vote no, so help me God. I'm going to go back to push a constitutional conservative agenda from the grassroots."

Seim, a filmmaker and portraitist from Ephrata, said he is running because the country is losing its freedom.

"I am focused on restoring that by consistent 100 percent Constitutional voting," he said. "We have a lot of spending. We have a lot of debt and what America needs is to reign in their federal government. We have to focus on limiting the government with pure Constitutional voting."