New 10th Congressional District:
The Councilman vs. the Crony Capitalist
The proposed new 10th Congressional District will create a showdown between retired Lt. Colonel and Pierce County Councilman Dick Muri and Real Networks millionaire and Gregoire ally Denny Heck.
Steilacoom, WA — 10th Congressional District candidate Dick Muri welcomed the news that the Washington State Redistricting Commission has drawn the new congressional district map, placing him at the heart of the Pierce County centered 10th district.
Dick Muri said, “The proposed map is good news for my campaign for the United States House of Representatives. I am looking forward to challenging an entrenched insider like Denny Heck, in a district that knows me and my record of leadership in local government.”
Campaign Chair Alex Hays reacted to the new district, “We know that this is a district that Governor Gregoire asked to be drawn just for Denny Heck, but despite this, it is also the best imaginable district for Dick Muri.”
Muri explained the optimism, “This new district is centered on Pierce County, where I won in 2010. It includes what may be the largest number of military voters in the entire country, another key constituency for me. I also have a great network of grassroots supporters in Thurston County. All together, I could not have asked for a better district.”
Hays noted a difficulty for the only currently announced Democrat in the race, “I predict that voters left, right and center will have difficulty trusting a politician like Heck, who parlayed his political connections into a large personal fortune. This is exactly the kind of conduct that both the Occupy Movement and the Tea Party find offensive.”
Dick Muri is a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel, former Steilacoom School Board member and current Pierce County Councilmember. As a member of the county council Muri led the effort to adopt a bi-partisan budget that avoided tax increases while preserving vital county services.
To date the Muri Campaign has raised nearly $100,000. They have secured the endorsements of prominent state leaders like Secretary of State Sam Reed, Representative JT Wilcox, and over 20 local officials including both Democrats and Republicans. Dick Muri for Congress has a substantial network of grassroots supporters in both Thurston and Pierce County.
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(Lakewood-WA) Pierce County Councilman Dick Muri, a Lakewood area Republican, will formally announce his campaign for Congress tomorrow. Muri, who challenged long-time incumbent Congressman Adam Smith in 2010, said, “Tomorrow, with the support of my wife and family, I will begin my second campaign for Congress. I have been a public servant my entire adult life, from flying for the United States Air Force, to serving on a school board, and representing the people of Pierce County on their county council. Congress needs leaders who can repair our broken federal government. With the vote of the people I will be that leader.”
Muri pledged to focus on a commonsense reform agenda: job creation, protecting our natural environment and restoring federalism. “The federal government today all but dominates the budget and policy decisions of our state government. I believe in local control and the simple truth that state and local government will do a better job dealing with local issues.” Muri used an example of shifting away from bureaucratic federal education funding to simple per pupil block grants.
Muri currently serves on the Pierce County Council, is a retired USAF Lt. Colonel and former school board member. Dick and his wife Mary live in Steilacoom, they have four grown children and four grandchildren. In 2010 Muri lost a close election to incumbent Adam Smith after being out spent five to one.
Muri will file without specifying which district he will be running in. Campaign Chairman Alex Hays explained, “The redistricting process could substantially alter the political landscape of the South Sound and we don’t know which district Councilman Muri will be living in – but demographic realities mean Muri will either be running in an open seat or a much improved 9th Congressional District.”
