SPOKANE, Wash. — KREM 2's Chief Journalist Amanda Roley sits down with 5th Congressional District Candidate Michael Baumgartner to discuss his election campaign.
Amanda Roley (AR): Well, Michael, thank you for joining us for the tea with Amanda Roley so you can spill the tea on who you are happy to have you here.
Michael Baumgartner (MB): Well, thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.
AR: So you are running for Washington's Fifth Congressional District. Right out the gate, we want to know, why are you deciding to run in this race?
MB: Well, it's a great question. You know, my wife and I, we have five little kids, and not just for our kids, but for everyone's children, we're just very concerned about the future of our country.
AR: Now, really tough question for you, though, what's what type of tea did you decide to sip on?
MB: Well, I am having a Bigelow green tea.
AR: And then kind of looking at your experience in your career-wise, [you are] currently serving as Spokane County's treasurer and spent eight years as a Washington State Senator, what is your proudest accomplishment over the years as an elected official?
MB: Probably my favorite bill that we ever worked on was when we created the new WSU Medical School. So it was kind of a strange deal.
AR: It was a big deal for the community.
MB: It was. If you look at between the two schools, there are more graduates of medical education here in Spokane than there are out of Seattle. And boy, we need them.
AR: So Michael, what is the number one thing you would want to address as a congressman?
MB: Well, I think the top issue facing our country right now is securing the southern border. What we need to do is kind of three key things. One, we need to physically finish the border. Secondly, we need to return to the policy of what's called "Remain in Mexico," or other countries where before someone steps foot in the U.S., if they claim to be a refugee, that is determined before they get to the U.S., and then here in the U.S., we need to implement something called E Verify, which is a documentation to prove that you have legal status to work.
AR: So, there's a study found this year that nearly one-third or 31% of Gen Z are living with their parents because they can't afford to buy or rent a home. So what steps would you take in Congress to help these young adults who are struggling to leave the nest?
MB: That's a great point. You know? I mean, when we talk about the American dream, I mean, I want my kids to be able to afford their own home. We need to make [an] increased housing supply. So here in Washington State, we constrict housing supply where houses can be built. Planning is important, but you need to have that availability in that supply.
AR: I understand you are pro-life. Would you support a nationwide abortion ban?
MB: Yeah, so I don't plan on changing any abortion laws when I get to Congress, you know, when I read the Constitution and I've sworn an oath to the Constitution in the past, it says clearly that issues that are not in the Constitution are reserved for the states.
AR: I want to get you to spill the tea here, getting into piping hot tea territory. So, what do you say to your opponent calling you a career politician?
MB: Well, I'm not a career politician. I was in the private sector after I left Harvard and worked overseas. I actually left my private sector career to voluntarily go to Iraq. So that's OK. But you know, one of the longest career politicians in Eastern Washington was Tom Foley and had a pretty good legacy.
AR: Well, thank you so much. Michael Baumgartner for joining me and spilling the tea on who you are and give voters a chance to get to know you better.
MB: I appreciate it. Hopefully [I can] come back and have some more tea in the future.