Matt Shea faces Democratic challenger Ted Cummings in race for Spokane Valley House seat
The so-called "right to work" proposal, which never passed out of committee, was anathema to Cummings, a longtime
It was the start of a habit of researching Shea that eventually motivated Cummings, 57, to run against the five-term
Cummings said he initially planned to campaign on a primarily economic platform: jobs, health care, education and infrastructure. "But the more I've become aware of
Shea, an attorney and Army veteran, did not respond to numerous requests for comment for this story, in keeping with his usual practice of ignoring media inquiries.
He has represented the
Shea ran unopposed in 2010, and since then no challenger has come close to unseating him. He topped Democrat
Cummings has run for office once before, mounting a long-shot challenge to unseat Democratic
According to
As a Catholic gun owner who raises cattle on a small ranch in
"I would love to debate
Shea has alienated some fellow
As chairman of the
Shea is also adept at spreading his message on social media and in his "Patriot Radio" podcast. On Facebook recently, he urged people to watch a film called "Revelation: Dawn of Global Government," featuring Infowars'
"Liberal policies are destroying America," Shea says in a video on his campaign website.
A link at the top of that site directs to another website touting plans to turn
At one point during his hourlong presentation in
"This is the network of socialist organizations in downtown
Cummings called Shea's rhetoric "fear-mongering," and he specifically took issue with the lawmaker's characterizations of Islam. "Our community is not an area where we should welcome or tolerate hate," Cummings said, "and I believe that's what this man is espousing."
Online, Shea routinely shares articles by
"The fact that 17 years after 9/11 we still have people saying Islam is peace and Islam doesn't tolerate
Cummings also criticized Shea for taking part in a "Liberty or Death" rally in August, where the lawmaker joined armed militia members and other activists to protest Washington Initiative 1639, which would raise the minimum purchase age for semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 and establish new training requirements and safe-storage rules.
"Don't get me wrong," Cummings said. "I own guns. I hunt. I fully respect the Second Amendment. I have no desire to infringe on anyone's right to bear arms."
But there was no reason, Cummings said, to carry so much weaponry in a city park.
"I think that you can have a gun rally without actually making people uncomfortable, without being next to kids playing soccer, and you have a semi-automatic rifle? I think that's irresponsible, at best," he said.
Asked if he would support raising the minimum purchase age for semi-automatic rifles, Cummings replied: "That's problematic. You can be drafted in the military at 18. It's something that I would look at. It's not initially something that I think I would support. I would much prefer maybe a requirement that you get gun training, you know, like hunter safety."
He said he's somewhat more amenable to a proposal to raise
Cummings has complicated feelings about abortion -- which Shea often describes as murder. Although he is a devout Catholic, Cummings said he would not impose his personal beliefs on constituents, and he has secured an endorsement from
"The choices that (women) make, as long as they're lawful, are between them and their conscience and their god, if they have one, and my job is to see that they're treated equally under the law," Cummings said. "And it really disturbs me that this person (Shea) is going out there and basically attacking women based on his personal beliefs."
On education, Cummings said he supports the increased teacher salaries and other spending mandated by the state
He added that kids from poor families should have better access to nutrition programs in schools, and that the state should invest in more training and apprenticeship programs. Not all high school graduates, he said, should go straight to four-year universities. "We need to get people back working with their hands," he said. "They need to have skilled trades, so we can string wire and plumb and weld and get our industry back."
On health care, Cummings said working-class people should organize and demand better insurance from their employers. "I would love to see an expansion of Medicare or Medicaid where everybody has some sort of health insurance," he added. "And I'm not saying we have to eliminate private insurance. We have a post office and we have
Cummings also disclosed that he generally likes the idea of a state income tax, though he acknowledged it would be "political suicide" to push that idea in
"An income tax, I think, helps lower-income people, and I think it's a more equitable system," he said. "But if the people don't want it, the people don't want it, and I got to live within what the voters support."
Ballots in
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