By CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA | Reporter
When the young Kim Schrier sat in classrooms at Palisades Charter High School listening to beloved teachers such as Rose Gilbert, she had no idea how they would inspire her.
That one day she would be campaigning for a national Congressional seat in the city of Issaquah, a town in the 8th district of Washington.
She is leading fellow-democrats in fund-raising in the open-seat race to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Dave Reichert, a race that could help determine control of the US House of Congress in Nov. 2018.
Growing up on West Cove Drive in The Riviera, educated at Paul Revere Charter Middle School and Pali High, she would even meet her husband, David, at her 10-year high school reunion.
But she didn’t develop an interest in politics until her college career at the politically-charged UC Berkeley.
Interests aside, Schrier was focused on becoming a pediatrician and went on to a residency at Stanford, and moved to the state of Washington where she has lived for the past 16 years, looking to make a difference with medicine.
“The 2016 election absolutely rocked my world,” now-Dr. Schrier said in an interview with the Palisadian-Post, describing where the shift in focus happened for her.
Shortly after, Schrier joined Indivisible, a group determined to resist President Trump’s agenda.
“I called my Republican congressman on a daily basis, and I rallied for Planned Parenthood,” said Schrier, who also marched alongside thousands at the 2017 Women’s March.
When her husband joked of her one day running for Congress, and her friend Tracy Dobmeier pointed out that she lived in a “flippable” district and could potentially make a political difference, she laughed them off.
It wasn’t until the U.S. Representative of the 8th Congressional District Dave Reichert voted for Trump’s healthcare bill, which Schrier strongly disapproved of, that she felt it was time to take matters into her own hands.
“I was ticked off and decided that we deserve better, so I decided to run for office,” said Schrier, who is now fighting to make a progressive difference in health care, immigration and gun laws.
While her biggest surprise was the “importance of fundraising,” her campaign has raised more than $1 million and has received endorsements from powerful entities throughout Washington.
She believes her relatable persona and her dedication to help her fellow Americans will resonate well with the voters come November.
“Just looking at the corruption and chaos of this administration, I think most people would agree that we need some checks and balances,” she said.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
