Kim Schrier

Kimberly Merle Schrier (born August 23, 1968)[1] is an American politician and physician who is the U.S. Representative from Washington's 8th congressional district since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Kim Schrier
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Washington's 8th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byDave Reichert
Personal details
Born (1968-08-23) August 23, 1968
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)David Gowing
Children1
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley (BS)
University of California, Davis (MD)
WebsiteHouse website

Early life and career

Schrier was born and raised in Los Angeles, California,[1] and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in astrophysics. She attended the University of California Davis School of Medicine, where she earned her Doctor of Medicine. She continued on to a residency at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Schrier's professional career as a pediatrician began in Ashland, Oregon where she worked for one year before joining Virginia Mason Medical Center in Issaquah, Washington in 2001. While working at Virginia Mason, Schrier became politically active, particularly regarding healthcare issues. In 2017, Schrier was dissatisfied with Congressman Dave Reichert's handling of the efforts to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and this, coupled with her frustration with the results of the 2016 elections, led to her decision to enter politics.[2][3]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

Schrier announced her intention to run to represent Washington's 8th congressional district in the 2018 elections in August 2017, a year before the jungle primary. Initially intending to challenge Republican incumbent Dave Reichert, it became an open seat in September 2017 when Reichert announced he was retiring. She had decided to run after the 2016 election, making the expansion of Medicare and the Affordable Care Act the centerpiece of her campaign.[2][4][5][6]

Whereas no Democrat had ever been elected to represent the district and Reichert had been seen as a relatively safe incumbent, his decision to retire left the swing seat as a potential Democratic pickup in an election year already leaning toward the Democratic Party.[7]

Schrier advanced from the top-two primary, narrowly defeating attorney Jason Rittereiser, and advancing to face Republican nominee Dino Rossi in the general election.[8] The 8th district campaign attracted $25 million in spending, making it the most expensive in state history and one of the costliest nationally for the 2018 election, and included controversial attack ads from the Rossi campaign.[9][10] One such ad, paid for by the Washington State Republican Party, nicknamed Schrier "Dr. Tax" and depicted her holding a large stack of $20 bills. The ad was perceived as Antisemitic, fulfilling stereotypes about Jewish greed.[11]

In the November general election, Schrier received 52 percent of the vote and won the seat.[12][13]

Committee assignments

Kim Schrier speaking with Bill Northey during a House Agriculture Committee event in 2019.

Caucus memberships

Electoral history

Nonpartisan blanket primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dino Rossi[lower-alpha 1] 73,288 43.1
Democratic Kim Schrier 31,837 18.7
Democratic Jason Rittereiser 30,708 18.1
Democratic Shannon Hader 21,317 12.5
Republican Jack Hughes-Hageman 4,270 2.5
Republican Gordon Allen Pross 2,081 1.2
Democratic Tom Cramer 1,468 0.9
Independent Bill Grassie[lower-alpha 2] 1,163 0.7
Libertarian Richard Travis Reyes 1,154 0.7
Independent Keith Arnold 1,090 0.6
Independent Patrick Dillon[lower-alpha 3] 898 0.5
No party preference Todd Mahaffey 673 0.4
Total votes 169,947 100.0
Washington's 8th congressional district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kim Schrier 164,089 52.4
Republican Dino Rossi 148,968 47.6
Total votes 313,057 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

Personal life

Schrier and her husband, David Gowing, have a son and live in Sammamish, Washington.[14][4] Her grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Europe who arrived in the U.S. prior to World War II.[15] Schrier has Type 1 diabetes.[2]

See also

References

  1. "Candidate Conversation - Kim Schrier (D)". Inside Elections. April 20, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  2. Brunner, Jim (July 26, 2018). "Kim Schrier, a doctor, makes health care a centerpiece of her 8th District campaign for Congress". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  3. Parks, Maryalice; Scott, Rachel; Berkowitz, Brittany (October 19, 2018). "Why Kim Schrier left medicine to run for Congress". ABC News. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  4. Parks, Maryalice; Scott, Rachel; Berkowitz, Brittany (October 19, 2018). "Why Kim Schrier left medicine to run for Congress". ABC News. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  5. "Washington doctor brings personal touch to health care message in House campaign". NBC News. Associated Press. November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  6. Goodell, Emily (August 24, 2017). "More Democrats to challenge Reichert for 8th District seat". Daily Record. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  7. Weigel, David (September 6, 2017). "Dave Reichert, a swing seat Republican, will retire from the House". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  8. Brunner, Jim (August 13, 2018). "Kim Schrier edges out Jason Rittereiser to face Dino Rossi in 8th Congressional District". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  9. Brunner, Jim (October 28, 2018). "A record-setting flood of outside money pushes Dino Rossi-Kim Schrier congressional race over $25M mark". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  10. Brunner, Jim (November 6, 2018). "Kim Schrier leads Dino Rossi in 8th Congressional District". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  11. Rosenberg, Eli (November 6, 2018). "Republicans attack Jewish candidates across the U.S. with an age-old caricature: Fistfuls of cash". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  12. Brunner, Jim (November 7, 2018). "Dino Rossi concedes 8th District race to Kim Schrier as new votes widen her lead". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  13. "November 6, 2018 General Election: Congressional District 8". Washington Secretary of State. November 21, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  14. "UC Davis Medicine Alumni: Fall 2018". UC Davis Medicine. September 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  15. Daniels, Chris (August 17, 2018). "Did Democratic candidate Schrier compare campaign to WWII service?". KING 5. Retrieved November 7, 2018.

Footnotes

  1. Listed on ballot as "GOP Party."
  2. Listed on ballot as "Independent Centrist."
  3. Listed on ballot as "Neither Major Party."
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Dave Reichert
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Washington's 8th congressional district

2019–present
Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Chip Roy
United States Representatives by seniority
403rd
Succeeded by
Donna Shalala
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