WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON

Population (1994): 5,343,000 (up 9.8% from 1990); 2.1% of U.S. total

Voting-age population: 4,000,000; 1994 turnout, 37%

Median age: 33.1 years

Median household income: $33,533 ($1,269 above U.S. median)

Unemployment: 6.1% (0.5% above U.S. average, March 1996)

Last presidential election: Clinton (D): 43% Bush (R): 32% Perot (I): 24%

Congressional delegation: Three Democrats, eight Republicans

In recent decades Washington's manufacturing industry has been overtaken by high-tech companies like Nintendo and Microsoft, plus a thriving import-export sector. The Seattle area also gave birth to two major '90s trends: gourmet coffee shops, like Starbucks, and grunge music, via bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana. The shifting economy and an influx of newcomers has led to political instability: in 1994 Washington's House delegation shifted more than any other state's, with six of nine seats moving from Democrat to Republican. This year, an electorate that's leaning leftward could bring some of those seats back to the Democratic side of the House Chamber.

JEFF COOPERSMITH (D) District 1 (Puget Sound--north Seattle suburbs; Kitsap Peninsula)

BORN: Nov. 21, 1959, Washington, D.C. EDUCATION: Princeton U, B.A., 1982; U of Wisconsin, J.D., 1989 FAMILY: Wife, Karen O'Leary RELIGION: Jewish MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Jobs-program coordinator; deputy county prosecutor; congressional aide POLITICAL CAREER: Sought Democratic nomination for Washington House, 1994 ADDRESS: 22933 Highway 99, Edmonds 98026. Tel.: 206-771-5333

Coopersmith is a temperate liberal--he's pro-environment, wants a bigger budget for Superfund hazardous-waste cleanups and improved habitat for Pacific salmon; and he's strongly pro-choice. But he favors the death penalty and supported a labor-union decertification, which has made it harder for him to win union support.

THE ISSUES

Budget NO Medicare NO Defense YES Abortion NO Guns YES Gays NO Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare NO Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "Sexuality education encourages responsible behavior--saying that sex education leads to promiscuity is like saying driver's education leads to accidents."

RICK WHITE (R) District 1

BORN: Nov. 6, 1953, Bloomington, Ind. EDUCATION: Dartmouth College, A.B., 1975; Georgetown U, J.D., 1980 FAMILY: Wife, Vikki; four children RELIGION: Presbyterian MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Lawyer POLITICAL CAREER: U.S. House, 1994- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 8156, Kirkland 98034. Tel.: 206-822-9306

A social moderate and a deficit hawk, White usually votes pro-choice and gets higher ratings from civil-liberties and environmental groups than any other G.O.P. Representative from his state. However, he's strongly committed to a balanced budget and opposes all tax cuts until then. White was a come-from-behind winner against Democrat Maria Cantwell in the 1994 election, but now he has to worry that his opponent, Jeff Coopersmith, will do the same to him.

The Issues Budget YES Medicare YES Defense YES Abortion YES Guns YES Gays NR Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare YES Medical Leave NO (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "I'd hate to see us eat our dessert before we go on a diet...Nobody in the world would like to cut taxes more than me...But we've got to make sure we are operating responsibly."

JACK METCALF (R) District 2 (Puget Sound--Everett; Bellingham)

BORN: Nov. 30, 1927, Marysville EDUCATION: Pacific Lutheran U, B.A., 1951 FAMILY: Wife, Norma Grant; four children RELIGION: Christian MILITARY: Army, 1946-47 OCCUPATION: Teacher; bed-and- breakfast owner POLITICAL CAREER: Washington House, 1961-65, Senate, 1967-75, 1981-93; U.S. House, 1994- ADDRESS: P.O Box 3371, Everett 98203. Tel.: 206-258-9698

At 67, Metcalf was the oldest member of the 1994 G.O.P. freshman class. He has campaigned on his support for term limits and timber interests, emphasizing that his work for Medicare reform is only to save it from bankruptcy. Recent campaign visits from House majority leader Dick Armey and California Congressman Sonny Bono reflect how serious the G.O.P. is about this historically Democratic district.

THE ISSUES

Budget YES Medicare YES Defense NO Abortion YES Guns NR Gays NR Bosnia YES NAFTA NO Welfare YES Medical Leave NR (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "Not only do I qualify for Medicare, my wife qualifies for Medicare, my brother is on Medicare,...three older sisters are. I am absolutely dedicated to seeing that this program is not damaged."

KEVIN QUIGLEY (D) District 2

BORN: Feb. 23, 1961, Lake Stevens EDUCATION: George Washington U, B.A., 1983; New York U, J.D., 1986; Harvard U, M.L., 1992 FAMILY: Wife, Suzanne; two children RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Lawyer; congressional aide POLITICAL CAREER: Washington Senate, 1993- ADDRESS: 1029 Springbrook Road, Lake Stevens 98258. Tel.: 206-397-7415

Quigley, a former congressional aide, hopes to return to Washington with a moderate agenda of support for the environment, education, Medicare--and a balanced budget. He has also suggested a "watershed-by-watershed" look at logging to alleviate flooding. Despite early charges of improper campaign financing, Quigley looks strong in a race the Democrats call a "must-win."

THE ISSUES

Budget NO Medicare NO Defense YES Abortion NO Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare YES Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "I do not believe national forests should be permanently closed to logging, but...we should require that logging be conducted in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner."

BRIAN BAIRD (D) District 3 (Southwest--Olympia; Vancouver)

BORN: March 7, 1956, Chama, N. Mex. EDUCATION: U of Utah, B.S., 1977; U of Wyoming, M.S., 1980, Ph.D., 1984 FAMILY: Wife, Mary; two children RELIGION: NR MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Clinical psychologist; educator POLITICAL CAREER: None ADDRESS: P.O. Box 11189, Olympia 98508. Tel.: 360-956-9175

Baird, a political unknown, came from nowhere to finish within two percentage points of high-profile incumbent Linda Smith in this year's combined primary. A moderate Democrat running against one of the more conservative House freshmen, he is pro-choice and wants to cut defense spending, though he would have voted against the Brady Bill. On Smith's favorite cause, campaign-finance reform, Baird proposes free television airtime for candidates and opening libraries to disseminate campaign information.

THE ISSUES

Budget NO Medicare NO Defense YES Abortion NO Guns NO Gays NO Bosnia NO NAFTA NO Welfare NR Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "I always knew this was a winnable race, but it's been a real challenge to get other people to understand that."

LINDA SMITH (R) District 3 BORN: July 16, 1950, La Junta, Colo. EDUCATION: Hudson's Bay High School, diploma, 1968 FAMILY: Husband, Vern; two children RELIGION: Assembly of God MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Tax-preparation-center manager; tax consultant POLITICAL CAREER: Washington House, 1983-87, Senate, 1987-94; U.S. House, 1994- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 65117, Vancouver 98665. Tel.: 360-604-2715

Smith's trip to Congress began with a last-minute write-in campaign in the 1994 primary, the first time a Washington candidate had won a primary in such a fashion. On Capitol Hill, she has relegated her incendiary social conservatism, which earned her a perfect 100 rating from the Christian Coalition, to the back burner while she concentrates on the issue of campaign-finance reform.

THE ISSUES

Budget YES Medicare YES Defense YES Abortion YES Guns NR Gays NR Bosnia YES NAFTA NR Welfare YES Medical Leave NR (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "I don't like living in the East. But I don't want to say years from now that I had the chance to make a difference and I didn't have the guts to do something."

RICHARD HASTINGS (R) District 4 (Central--Yakima and Tri-Cities)

BORN: Feb. 7, 1941, Spokane EDUCATION: Columbia Basin College, 1959-61; Central Washington U, 1964 FAMILY: Wife, Claire; three children RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: Army Reserve, 1964-69 OCCUPATION: Paper-company executive POLITICAL CAREER: Washington House, 1979-87; U.S. House, 1994- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 2926, Pasco 99302. Tel.: 509-736-1510

One of only seven members of Congress who voted with Newt Gingrich 99% of the time in the past two years, ("Doc") Hastings is among Capitol Hill's strictest conservatives. But in the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, cited by many as an example of federal waste, he put district services above ideology and fought for an extra $86 million on top of the more than $1 billion budgeted annually for the cleanup.

THE ISSUES

Budget YES Medicare YES Defense NO Abortion YES Guns NR Gays NR Bosnia YES NAFTA NR Welfare YES Medical Leave NR (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "The Endangered Species Act is having a devastating impact on our local economy throughout the Pacific Northwest."

RICK LOCKE (D) District 4

BORN: March 5, 1948, Charlottesville, Va. EDUCATION: U of Washington, B.A., 1970; Harvard U, M.P.A., 1993 FAMILY: Wife, Tracey; two children RELIGION: Protestant MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: CEO of environmental-products company POLITICAL CAREER: None ADDRESS: P.O. Box 900, Richland 99352. Tel.: 509-943-9250

Locke, who spent two years as a manager at the Hanford Reservation's Pacific Northwest National Lab, has alleged that opponent Richard Hastings didn't object forcefully enough to an implicit threat by presidential candidate Bob Dole to cut funding for the Lab if he is elected. But in a district that generally leans Republican, it remains to be seen if he can break Hastings' hold.

THE ISSUES

Budget NO Medicare NO Defense YES Abortion NO Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare YES Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "Any strategy we have for diversifying our economy has to be built around the [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory]...It's a huge, wonderful $70 million complex, and to threaten the resources there would be wasteful."

GEORGE NETHERCUTT (R) District 5 (East--Spokane)

BORN: Oct. 7, 1944, Spokane EDUCATION: Washington State U, B.A., 1967; Gonzaga U, J.D., 1971 FAMILY: Wife, Mary Beth; two children RELIGION: Protestant MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Lawyer; congressional aide POLITICAL CAREER: U.S. House, 1994- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1925, Spokane 99210. Tel.: 509-747-7737

Nethercutt will go down in history as the giant slayer of the Republican revolution--the man who unseated Tom Foley, the first House Speaker in 132 years to lose an election. Rewarded with a seat on the Appropriations Committee, he has voted conservatively and authored a term-limits amendment. But thanks to a barrage of Democratic attacks, he's in a tight race with political newcomer Judy Olson. With constituents questioning Nethercutt's zero rating from the League of Conservation Voters, this election just might give the Democrats a chance to steal Foley's seat back.

THE ISSUES

Budget YES Medicare YES Defense NO Abortion YES Guns NR Gays NR Bosnia YES NAFTA NR Welfare YES Medical Leave NR (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "You can't just let the forest deteriorate in its natural state."

JUDY OLSON (D) District 5

BORN: April 14, 1946, Colfax EDUCATION: Washington State U, 1964-66; U of Idaho, 1966-67 FAMILY: Husband, Richard; three children RELIGION: Protestant MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Farmer POLITICAL CAREER: None ADDRESS: S. 164 Washington Street, Suite 300, Spokane 99204. Tel.: 509-744-3360

Known as "the mom in overalls," Olson is making a strong run at freshman incumbent George Nethercutt, hoping to recapture former Speaker Tom Foley's old seat for the Democrats. Olson is basing her campaign on protecting education, Social Security, Medicare and abortion rights. A fourth-generation farmer and a recent President of the National Association of Wheat Growers, Olson wants a seat on the Agriculture Committee to help her fight for agricultural-research dollars.

THE ISSUES

Budget NO Medicare NO Defense NO Abortion NO Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare YES Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "Most reasonable gun owners understand that assault weapons have nothing to do with hunting and that law-abiding gun owners have nothing to fear from a waiting period."

NORM DICKS (D) District 6 (West--Bremerton)

BORN: Dec. 16, 1940, Bremerton EDUCATION: U of Washington, B.A., 1963, J.D., 1968 FAMILY: Wife, Suzanne Callison; two children RELIGION: Lutheran MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Congressional aide POLITICAL CAREER: U.S. House, 1976- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1663, Tacoma 98401. Tel.: 206-272-5884

Washington's most senior Congressman combines hawkishness on military issues--he is a big supporter of funding for the B-2 fighter--with mainstream Democratic positions on social and economic issues. In a district where magnificent forests pit environmentalists and loggers against each other, Dicks has found a way to address both concerns by securing funds for economic diversification and worker retraining--winning elections in the process.

THE ISSUES

Budget NO Medicare NO Defense NO Abortion NO Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare NO Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "What should American foreign policy and national security look like?...Until you have an answer to the... question, I think it's hard to say exactly what you want out of our intelligence apparatus."

WILLIAM TINSLEY (R) District 6

BORN: March 2, 1931, New Sharon, Iowa EDUCATION: Southern California Graduate School of Theology, Ph.D., 1993 FAMILY: Wife, Elaine; three children RELIGION: Christian MILITARY: Air Force, 1948-49 OCCUPATION: Television producer; Christian missionary POLITICAL CAREER: Sought Republican nomination for U.S. House, 1994 ADDRESS: 12918 194th Avenue KPN, Gig Harbor 98329. Tel.: 206-884-1067

After spending 20 years as a Christian missionary in Southeast Asia and seeing closed markets there, Tinsley is convinced that free-trade agreements such as NAFTA and GATT are a sham. Important to his forested district, Tinsley wants to loosen government prohibitions on logging, an idea in line with his general philosophy of small government.

THE ISSUES

Budget YES Medicare YES Defense NO Abortion YES Guns NO Gays YES Bosnia YES NAFTA NO Welfare YES Medical Leave NO (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "We've got so much old-growth forest out there, for God's sake, the trees are falling down."

FRANK KLESCHEN (R) District 7 (Seattle and suburbs)

BORN: Feb. 21, 1929, Rockford, Ill. EDUCATION: Northwestern U, B.S., 1955 FAMILY: Wife, Zeita; four children RELIGION: Episcopalian MILITARY: Army, 1946-48, 1951-53; National Guard, 1953-55; National Reserve, 1948-51, 1955-89 OCCUPATION: Real estate developer POLITICAL CAREER: Republican candidate for Washington House, 1990 ADDRESS: 5832 Northeast 75th Street, Suite E203, Seattle 98115. Tel.: 206-527-0460

A veteran of the Army Special Forces, Kleschen is using all his military bravery to run as a Republican in Democratic-leaning Seattle. He wants to accomplish three things: first, develop a plan to balance the budget; second, cover as many people as possible with affordable private-sector health insurance; and third, promote local goods and services to the rest of the country and the world.

THE ISSUES Budget YES Medicare YES Defense YES Abortion YES Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia YES NAFTA YES Welfare YES Medical Leave NO (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "Not many Republicans line up for the Seventh District seat."

JIM MCDERMOTT (D) District 7

BORN: Dec. 28, 1936, Chicago EDUCATION: Wheaton College, B.S., 1958; U of Illinois, M.D., 1963 FAMILY: Divorced; two children RELIGION: Episcopalian MILITARY: Navy Medical Corps, 1968-70 OCCUPATION: Psychiatrist POLITICAL CAREER: Washington House, 1971-73, Senate, 1975-87; U.S. House, 1988- ADDRESS: 1411 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1106, Seattle 98101. Tel.: 206-622-6701

A member of the Standards of Official Conduct Committee, McDermott was a leader of the House investigation into the propriety of Newt Gingrich's multimillion-dollar book deal. One of the most liberal Representatives, he voted against this summer's welfare-reform bill and last year offered a Democratic alternative to the G.O.P.'s proposal to reduce planned Medicare spending by $270 billion. In liberal Seattle, he remains a favorite to repeat.

THE ISSUES

Budget NO Medicare NO Defense YES Abortion NO Guns YES Gays NO Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare NO Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "Since the end of the cold war, this country has not figured out where it's going and what its role is going to be. We've fallen into fighting among ourselves. It has made people angry."

JENNIFER DUNN (R) District 8 (East Puget Sound--King County suburbs; Bellevue)

BORN: July 29, 1941, Seattle EDUCATION: Stanford U, A.B., 1963 FAMILY: Divorced; two children RELIGION: Episcopalian MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: State party official POLITICAL CAREER: Washington Republican Party chair, 1980-92; U.S. House, 1992- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 40110, Bellevue 98015. Tel.: 206-865-9841

Dunn, the very conservative representative of Washington's most affluent district, has pushed an agenda of tax and campaign-finance reform in her first two terms. She worked on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which, among other things, provides an advocate for taxpayers wrangling with the irs. The campaign bill she sponsored would have discouraged rich candidates from using their fortune as leverage to win office.

THE ISSUES

Budget YES Medicare YES Defense NO Abortion YES Guns NO Gays YES Bosnia YES NAFTA YES Welfare YES Medical Leave NO (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "By inviting a woman into a state of perpetual dependency, the welfare status quo discourages women from developing characteristics such as self-confidence, assertiveness or salesmanship, which are so critical to finding work."

DAVE LITTLE (D) District 8

BORN: Oct. 22, 1952, Highland Park, Mich. EDUCATION: U of California at Riverside, B.A., 1973; College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, D.O., 1976 FAMILY: Wife, Lisa; one child RELIGION: Methodist MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Physician POLITICAL CAREER: None ADDRESS: 6947 Coal Creek Parkway, S.E., No. 264, Newcastle 98059. Tel.: 206-401-1054

As a physician, Little sees physical health as a mirror of economic health, and he wants to go to Congress "to change the economic, social and environmental conditions that cause people to become ill." To him, that means fully funding Head Start and college loans and implementing social safety-net programs like universal health care and job training.

THE ISSUES Budget NO Medicare NO Defense NO Abortion NO Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare NO Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "Some [environmental] areas may require more protection than is currently provided, while others may require less. If...the study of environmental impact is incomplete, it is better to err on the side of environmental protection."

ADAM SMITH (D) District 9 (Puget Sound--Tacoma; parts of King, Pierce and Thurston counties)

BORN: June 15, 1965; Washington, D.C. EDUCATION: Fordham U, B.A., 1987; U of Washington, J.D., 1990 FAMILY: Wife, Sara RELIGION: Christian MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: City prosecutor POLITICAL CAREER: Washington Senate, 1990- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 5142, Redondo 98054. Tel.: 206-529-2460

Aided by his campaign strategy of knocking on every door in the district twice, Smith became a state Senator at age 25. A moderate, he worked for tougher penalties for drunk driving and domestic violence, but also supported traditionally liberal measures like gun control. He favors funding vocational programs and college loans and is against cuts in Head Start and school lunches. In a year of possibilities for Washington's Democrats, Smith has the best chance of all.

THE ISSUES

Budget NO Medicare NO Defense YES Abortion NO Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA NO Welfare YES Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "People say I'm too arrogant, I'm too confident. But you need that level of confidence to say no to the President."

RANDY TATE (R) District 9

BORN: Nov. 23, 1965, Puyallup EDUCATION: Tacoma Community College, A.A., 1986; Western Washington U, B.A., 1990 FAMILY: Wife, Julie; one child RELIGION: Baptist MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Mobile-home park owner POLITICAL CAREER: Washington House, 1989-94; U.S. House, 1994- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 4216, Federal Way 98063. Tel.: 206-874-4646

In 1994 Tate parlayed his state legislative experience into a seat in Congress. Though he was the youngest G.O.P. freshman in the House, his youth didn't soften his conservative agenda: he voted to ease the Clean Water Act and to relax a law excluding court evidence illegally obtained by police. His proposal to bar illegal immigrants from becoming U.S. citizens was passed in modified form this fall. In this centrist district, Tate is running a close race with Adam Smith.

THE ISSUES

Budget YES Medicare YES Defense NO Abortion YES Guns NR Gays NR Bosnia YES NAFTA NR Welfare YES Medical Leave NR (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "Illegal immigrants come to the United States at the expense of those who...play by the rules and come to America legally."