Isabel Vander Stoep / For The Reflector
Calling Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, who has served within the U.S. House of Representatives for over a decade, one might expect the background droll of congressional staff or the muttering of corporate lobbyists.
This was not the case recently. As an alternative, background — sometimes foreground — noise consisted of kids singing.
“They simply watched The Lion King for the primary time and so they’re singing those songs, on and on, at the highest of their lungs,” Herrera Beutler told The Reflector with amusing.
A 44-year-old Battle Ground resident, Herrera Beutler’s journey to motherhood is a story itself, a battle she fought as hard as any in Congress. But, while motherhood lasts, the loss in her most up-to-date bid for reelection meant the Republican congresswoman had just days remaining in her role. As the brand new 12 months approached, she reflected on her profession up to now: wins at home, lessons learned and the “fierce” independent spirit she loves within the people of Southwest Washington — the identical independence she admits got her into trouble at times.
A pollster’s equation
After the events of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Herrera Beutler was certainly one of just 10 House Republicans who voted to question then-president Donald Trump. She released an announcement on the time recognizing the impeachment vote could “alienate Republican voters,” but finished saying the party can be best served “when those amongst us select truth.”
While the vote endeared her to some, it also gave rise to the candidate who would oust her from the first in August: Joe Kent, R-Yacolt, who described himself as not minding being called “far-right” in a previous interview with The Reflector.
Despite Trump’s stamp of approval, Kent lost to Skamania County Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, much to the surprise of pollsters and news outlets. Even The Recent York Times called Kent “likely” to win.
But when you ask Herrera Beutler, the district is nuanced beyond what polling equations can fathom.
She was raised in the realm after being born in California. Asked why she stayed, Herrera Beutler said it was partly resulting from the region’s wealth of natural beauty, including the Pacific Ocean and Cascades. Moreso, though, it was a passionate community.
“That pioneering spirit may be very much alive and well here,” Herrera Beutler said.
For example, she illustrated a memory from the 2007 Chehalis River flood: “FEMA had come and arrange these tents and desired to serve food and deal with everybody. And the FEMA people were beside themselves like, ‘No one’s coming to the tents.’ And all of us chuckled. … We’re like, ‘Yeah, because they’re all helping their neighbors muck out their homes. No one goes to take a seat there and wait for the federal government to serve them.’”
After moving from the state Legislature to Congress in 2011, the Washington Republican said her principal goal as a representative was to resolve problems for constituents, whether that meant flexing her title with the correct agency or connecting residents to the following one that could help.
“I never began a gathering in my office or with a constituent like, ‘I’m Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler.’ The one time I’ve ever done that’s with bureaucrats. … It’s vital not for your individual self-promotion, it’s vital in order that they understand that you simply understand you’re not speaking for yourself. You’re speaking for 750,000 people, and you may do every part you possibly can to attract attention to this issue.”
Herrera Beutler recounted at times using her title “as a hammer,” including when fighting to extend Veterans Affairs (VA) services in Southwest Washington.
“The most important challenge, it gave the look of, was connecting the dots for the veterans, which generally meant helping them jump through hoops and check off boxes that the VA was putting in front of them,” she said.
Through months of letters and emails forwards and backwards, the congresswoman helped establish Mobile Medical Units in Lewis and Pacific counties through the VA Puget Sound. One day, Herrera Beutler said she received an accidentally-forwarded email from VA staff pleading for help to “get the congresswoman off our backs.”
She felt this was paying homage to her goal when first being elected to Congress.
“Don’t take ‘no’ for a solution. So when a constituent involves us and so they need assistance with something, it seems like oftentimes an agency’s first response is ‘no.’ So our job is to get people to ‘yes,’” Herrera Beutler said, later adding, “99% of the time you possibly can get to ‘yes’ when you’re willing to follow up and follow up again.”
What’s next?
Asked where the district has room for growth and issues she hopes her successor will concentrate on, Herrera Beutler keyed in on crime, border security and forest health.
Lambasting police reform laws passed by the state Legislature in 2021, she referred to law enforcement officers in Washington as being essentially handcuffed.
She spoke a couple of recent visit to the country’s southern border, calling it a “humanitarian crisis” that she said has allowed drugs, namely fentanyl, to travel up the Interstate 5 corridor. With those police reform laws in place and a recent state Supreme Court decision on drug possession, Herrera Beutler said she felt the region’s rules have attracted more crime.
Herrera Beutler said she based her opinions on the problem from a “listening tour” with the Joint Narcotics Task Force, based in Centralia, and the same group based in Vancouver together with other law enforcement departments across her district. She added hope that Gluesenkamp Perez can be willing to do the identical once sworn in.
“I’m certainly one of those that believes in fair, legal immigration. … I support that. The issue is it’s not being enforced in any respect,” Herrera Beutler said.
She also expressed hope Gluesenkamp Perez would concentrate on finding a balance between economic and environmental health related to forests in rural counties. Supporting a conscientious logging industry, navigable forest service roads and stopping wildfires were all issues Herrera Beutler named as challenges facing the district. Up to now, the congresswoman said she was encouraged by her successor’s motion on this issue.
Between the 2, with the assistance of U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, laws recently passed to shift acreage from the possession of the U.S. Forest Service to Skamania County, which Herrera Beutler called her “cherry on top” of her term.
“I’m hopeful (because) our latest representative and I talked about a few of this. I believe she’s going to turn her attention to getting our forests healthy again,” she said.
As for private opportunities, Herrera Beutler said she’s unsure of what’s going to come next.
For the third District’s future, she tempered her concerns with hope. By way of growth potential, wealth of natural resources, trade ability and collaborative communities, Herrera Beutler said, “I truthfully see nothing but opportunity. We do must take the chance and make something of it.”