The Mirror’s Editorial Board researched and interviewed candidates in a host of races important to Federal Way so it could make informed voting recommendations in important elections. Each candidate who met with the board was afforded no less than 45 minutes to talk about themselves, their positions and their goals if elected, as well as to answer a variety of questions posed by the seven-member panel.

Having completed that process with candidates for U.S. Representative for Congressional District 9, the Mirror recommends Federal Way residents cast their votes for incumbent Adam Smith.

Smith, if elected, will mark his 20th year representing Federal Way’s congressional district in November, and his political acumen and understanding of the complex issues our district and country are facing reflect that experience.

The boundaries of Congressional District 9 have changed since Smith first took office, taking Joint Base Lewis-McChord out of a district that sprawls from northeast Tacoma to Bellevue, but Smith still has a solid record of voting for bills that support veterans, try and improve the Veterans Department, and boost homeland security while safeguarding personal rights. Smith also remains a powerful representative, chairing the Armed Services Committee and using his clout to support JBLM, Boeing, and other projects that boost the economy of the region.

More locally, Smith has secured funding for municipal police, assisted the Lakehaven Utility District, and worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to look at the flight paths that produce frequent, deafening engine roars over Federal Way.

Smith has also reliably reflected the diversity of the district, now comprised of about 51 percent non-white voters, by being a stalwart champion of civil rights, and the moderate Democrats’ votes have reflected a more progressive focus that reflects his constituencies’ shifting demographics.

Smith’s extensive experience, service to his constituents, and ability to get tangible results for all of Washington state would pale in comparison to only a truly impressive challenger.

This year, as in 2014, his challenger instead is Kent businessman Doug Basler. Basler, a Republican, has a commendable sense of civic duty, pointing out to the board that, while he may be an imperfect candidate, he felt obligated to run against Smith since no one else would.

Aside from that, however, Basler’s understanding of many national issues is tenuous at best, the “facts” he uses to form opinions are think-tank fabrications, and his aggressive disdain for differing viewpoints makes it clear that congressional compromise is not a talent he will soon develop.

Smith has repeatedly earned the vote of his constituents over the last two decades, and Smith has earned that vote again in 2016.

The Mirror recommends voters cast their vote for Adam Smith in the race for U.S. Representative for Congressional District 9.

The Mirror’s Editorial Board is a seven-member panel made up of the Mirror’s publisher, its editor, and five residents from the community. The positions expressed in editorials produced by the board are the Mirror’s official positions, and those positions are decided following a simple majority vote taken after extensive consideration, discussion, and a preponderance of information.