With the retirement of Congressman Dave Reichert after seven terms, two candidates have stepped up to compete for one of the biggest races of the election.

Republican Dino Rossi and Democrat Kim Schrier will face off this November for the 8th Congressional District’s open seat. The 8th District runs from Issaquah, Auburn, and Sammamish all the way East to Wenatchee and Ellensburg.

See more election coverage online at www.valleyrecord.com.

Please provide a brief biography

Rossi: I grew up in Snohomish County – the youngest of seven. My dad was a public school teacher and my mom was a beautician.

I worked my way through college, taking jobs in construction and as a janitor. I graduated from Seattle University with a business degree and went on to a successful career in real estate.

I was elected to the state Legislature, and served as chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. I crafted a bipartisan balanced budget that erased a massive deficit without raising taxes and while still protecting seniors, people with developmental disabilities, and the mentally ill. I also worked with Democrats and Republicans to require ignition locks for chronic drunk drivers, to keep child molesters in prison and away from children, and to save and rebuild the Issaquah salmon hatchery.

My wife Terry and I have four children, and live in Sammamish.

Schrier: I have spent my career as a pediatrician listening to and solving problems with thousands of families here in Issaquah. Since being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a teenager, I’ve understood what it means to worry about health insurance and rising costs. There are no women doctors in Congress, making mine a vital missing voice regarding women’s health care and reproductive rights.

I am the product of public education from elementary through medical school, including a degree in astrophysics from UC Berkeley. I send my son to public school here in Issaquah, and I am a strong believer in the importance of a strong education system that allows every child to succeed. My mother, a unionized teacher, taught me the importance of collective bargaining, and my father, an aerospace engineer, instilled in me a love for science. I live in Sammamish with my husband and 10-year-old son.

Threats of government shutdowns are becoming more common. If elected, what would your federal budget priorities be, and how would you work to keep the government running?

Rossi: In Olympia, I was proud to earn a reputation for being a fiscal conservative with a social conscience. After most recently being appointed to the state Senate I helped pass a bipartisan budget that raised teacher pay and increased funding for both special education and gifted programs, included the largest property tax cut in state history, expanded the Meals on Wheels program to thousands more clients, invested in improvements to the foster care system, and projects the largest ending fund balance and contribution to the state’s rainy day fund in history.

Controlling spending will always be important, but we should not balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable. I am the only candidate in this race with experience working through the budget process, and I plan to bring the same collaborative approach to Congress next year.

Schrier: Right now we have too many career politicians in Congress with no political courage to work together. They are more concerned with playing D.C.-style politics and getting re-elected than governing.

Well, I’m going to Congress to fight for our interests. I will work with anyone to pass a budget that protects Social Security and Medicare, strengthens the middle class, and supports our public schools and students.

One of the first projects we need to tackle is a federal infrastructure package. I’ll work with both sides to make sure we invest federal infrastructure dollars here in the 8th District to fix our roads and bridges, and create jobs here in the 8th.

How would you work across the aisle to address the health care and opioid crises in our country?

Rossi: The opioid crisis has had tragic impacts in countless communities across the country. In 2016 alone, over 1,100 Washingtonians died of an opioid overdose. Slowing and eliminating this scourge is an idea both parties can agree upon.

Just last month, the House passed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R.6). This bipartisan bill was designed to attack the opioid crisis from every angle; bolstering prevention, treatment and recovery, and law enforcement. This is the kind work that can get done when lawmakers care more about finding solutions than who gets credit at the end. That is how I always worked in Olympia, and how I intend to govern in Congress.

Schrier: I got into this race after Dave Reichert voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act and take health care away from 32,000 people in our district. I want to make sure every family in this district can afford the care they need, and I’ll make sure we have sustainable solutions to combat the opioid crisis.

As a pediatrician, I have helped thousands of families in Issaquah navigate our broken healthcare system for 17 years. It is precisely this experience that gives me the expertise to take on the job of fixing our healthcare system.

In Congress, I’ll take on “big pharma” to lower prescription drug costs, and I’ll stand up to the insurance companies to make our health care system work for patients, not corporate interests.

Mass shootings, suicides and school security are big concerns in our communities. When it comes to guns, how do you balance safety with constitutional rights?

Rossi: I support the rights of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families. That said, as your congressman, I will listen and work in good faith to advance solutions to violence that are effective and Constitutional.

We must fully fund our National Instant Check System, and keep people who already aren’t supposed to own guns from slipping through the cracks. Convicted felons and those declared mentally incompetent are not allowed to own firearms, and the system needs to be strong enough to uphold those restrictions.

Students need to feel safe in their schools and we must do everything in our power to end the tragic trend of attacks on and in our schools. School districts need to have the appropriate resources to deal with potential threats. I don’t think arming teachers is the answer, but I support additional training for staff and more school resource officers.

Schrier: It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, we all want our kids safe in schools. I will work with anyone to find solutions. We can take bipartisan steps, like closing background check loopholes and making sure guns are not accessible to people with a history of domestic violence or severe mental illness.

The issue of gun violence is also important to me as a pediatrician. Guns are the third leading cause of death in children. And three out of four gun deaths in this district are from suicides, with depressed teenagers particularly at risk. These are my patients we’re talking about. We can save so many kids’ lives by making sure guns are owned safely and kept out of the hands of depressed teenagers who might do harm to themselves. Again, this shouldn’t be partisan. We just need common sense solutions.