Jaime Herrera today officially filed to run for Southwest Washington’s open Third Congressional District seat to replace retiring Congressman Brian Baird.

Herrera, a State Representative and the leading Republican candidate in the race, has been running on a platform of controlling federal spending and restoring jobs to Southwest Washington.  Her filing comes a week after her official campaign kickoff where nearly 400 supporters packed a Vancouver hotel room in support of Jaime’s campaign.

“This is not a typical year and I am not a typical candidate.  Our economy is suffering today and our future is at risk because of overspending,” said Herrera.  “I’m ready to go to DC and break the federal government’s addiction to spending.  Our national debt is now over $13 trillion, and yet our government keeps pulling out the credit card.  That’s putting our future at risk.

“Just as I’ve done as a State Legislator, I’m going to stand up and fight against reckless spending and promote the growth of permanent, private sector jobs.  It’s time for my generation to say ‘enough is enough’ and step forward to do something about the mistakes being made in the ‘other’ Washington.  In Congress, I’ll never hesitate to put Southwest Washington’s priorities first.  Right now, the number one priority is jobs, and I’m ready to get folks back to work.”

The Jaime Herrera for Congress campaign today announced State Representative Herrera’s bottom-ranking on the “Big Spender” list of Washington legislators.  The list is issued by the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, and ranks Washington state legislators according to the amount of tax and fee increases they sponsored in the 2010 Legislative Session.  The list shows that Herrera sponsored $0 in tax and fee increases in 2010.

Despite Olympia’s $2.8 billion deficit in the 2010 Legislative Session, the state’s Democratic majority voted for new spending and imposed the largest tax increase in state history to pay for it.  Representative Herrera’s consistent pledge throughout her campaign for Congress in Southwest Washington has been to vote against tax increases and runaway spending in Congress, just as she’s done at the state level.

“This is one of the few times in my life I’ll say that I’m honored to rank dead last,” Herrera said.  “Voters want someone who ‘walks the talk’ when it comes to their fiscally conservative credentials.  Our federal government is like an out of control train, headed down the tracks toward the same fate as countries like Greece if it doesn’t cease its wild spending habits.  Our country needs a new group of leaders willing to apply the brakes and get government back under control.  This ranking shows that I’ve stood against reckless spending before, and I can do it again.”

Jaime Herrera announced today that she raised more than $140,000 in the first quarter of 2010 for her Congressional campaign, more than doubling the quarterly total of any Republican in the race.  Since entering the race in mid-December, Herrera has raised more than $197,000.  Despite her late entry into the race, her fundraising total for the campaign is now the highest among Republican candidates, with nearly triple the cash on hand of her closest party competitor.

“I am humbled by the amount of support we’ve received,” said Herrera.  “What Southwest Washington is asking for is clear: an independent leader who will put DC on the right track.  They know we can’t have Congress continue to grow the deficit and expect families and businesses to pay for it.  My focus has been on saving money and helping our employers create jobs here once again, and people are responding.  Thanks to their support, I’m confident we will have the resources we need to win in November.”

Herrera, who serves the 18th Legislative District in the Washington State House of Representatives, has built remarkable financial support while continuing a dedicated battle during the legislative session against skyrocketing taxes on businesses and families. The state House was in session for virtually the entire fundraising quarter.

“This is a very impressive first full fundraising quarter for Jaime," said Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Representative from Washington’s 5th Congressional District.   “Her numbers are just as strong at this point as any recent first-time Republican candidate for Congress in Washington. From someone who’s been there, I commend how she’s balanced campaigning with her commitment as a State Representative.  She’s showing us why she’ll be an excellent Member of Congress.”

Herrera reported $197,000.98 raised and $140,069.49 cash on hand in documents filed with the Federal Election Commission yesterday.

Who knew that Washington’s 3^rd Congressional Seat belonged to Denny Heck and one political party, and not the people of Southwest Washington?

During last Saturday’s Clark County Democratic Convention, Heck declared to delegates that Washington’s 3rd Congressional seat “is our seat, and we’re going to keep it in November!”

“That’s a basic problem with Washington DC today.  We have members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who are so wrapped up in their partisanship that they believe the seats belong to their political party,” said 3rd District Republican Candidate, State Representative Jaime Herrera.  “This seat in Congress belongs to the people – not a political party.  My mission is to serve in Washington DC as the voice for the families and communities here regardless of political party.

“We saw this one-way partisanship on full display in passage of the health care legislation.  Good bipartisan ideas were pushed to the side by the majority party strictly because of partisan politics.   Listening to Denny Heck declare that this seat belongs to the Democratic Party just shows that he will be ‘more of the same.’  Right now America can’t afford more of the same.  We need a new direction if we are going to save the American dream for our families.”