Vancouver man running for Congress

Michael Delavar, a commercial pilot and Republican candidate for Washington’s Third Congressional District spoke to 15-20 people at the Puget Island fire station on May 14 about why he decided to run for office against incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler.

“She said she was going to go to DC and cut up the credit cards and then voted to increase the debt limit,” Delavar said. “I think the only way I could see myself voting to increase the debt limit would be if there was a plan in place to phase out our borrowing of money in the future.”

It was her vote on the NDAA Act of 2012 that motivated him to run.

“One of the rules that got thrown in there in 2012 is that the President could have the say so to detain someone indefinitely if he accused them of being associated with or materially helping Al Qaeda. There was no definition about how you know you fall into that category. With that passage you ask the question: Aren’t you innocent until proven guilty? Generally yes, but now we don’t know. There is no more due process. There’s no more argument or appeal. That is inappropriate.”

Delavar disagreed with Herrera Beutler's vote to increase aid to Ukraine. He disagreed with her vote for the Electrify Africa Act, which “establishes the pathway to increasing foreign aid for Africa.”

“That’s just a handful of votes, but they are inconsistent with the duties of a congressman,” Delavar said.

“I’ve had people ask if I’m a Tea Party member,” he said. “Can you define a Tea Party member? Taxed enough already? You want government to get off your back? That’s what Tea Party means? Then by all means, I’m Tea Party. It’s been really nice to see that we have a resurgence of people that know that the constitution as a limit on federal government is so important. I’m really liking that.”

He believes in returning to the process of town hall in order to keep lines open between himself and those he would represent.