Republicans see opportunity in southwest Wash.

OLYMPIA, Wash. -  Republicans see nothing but opportunity in southwest Washington.

When six-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Brian Baird announced he would retire at the end of his term, national Republicans turned their attention to the 3rd District, a seat they hadn't spent much effort on in more than a decade.

The district spans southwest Washington from Olympia south to Vancouver and from the Cascade Mountains east to the Pacific Ocean. The only Republican to hold it since 1960 was Linda Smith, who won a write-in campaign during the 1994 Republican takeover of Congress. Baird ousted her after two terms.

"The moment it became an open seat is the moment it was on the map," said Joanna Burgos, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Campaign Committee.

But Democrats aren't conceding the seat.

"The 3rd district is going to, in many ways, reflect national trends, and I think Democrats are going to do better than everyone is saying right now," Washington state party Chairman Dwight Pelz predicted.

Several candidates are running, but three quickly rose to the top:

As the only prominent Democrat in the race, Denny Heck, an Olympia businessman, former state lawmaker and founder of TVW public affairs network, figures to advance easily through next month's primary. Heck, whose "Give Congress Heck" signs are seen on many front lawns throughout Olympia, has raised nearly $1 million, with $350,000 coming out of his own pocket.

Republican state Rep. Jaime Herrera of Camas, a former aide to GOP Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers; and David Castillo, a former chief of staff to the state House GOP caucus who also worked in the Bush administration, will likely duke it out for second place in the state's "top two" nonpartisan primary. Herrera has raised about $378,000 while Castillo has brought in about $245,000.

"Both of the Republicans are running as 'change' candidates," said University of Washington political science professor Matt Barreto. "It's going to be difficult for voters who are Republican-leaning to sort out these candidates in the primary unless there are serious policy issues they can differentiate themselves on."

The district is politically diverse. Olympia and Vancouver have some of the state's most liberal voters, but the mostly rural territory between the two cities is among the most conservative parts of the state.

President George Bush won the district in both 2000 and 2004; President Barack Obama won it in 2008 with 53 percent of the vote. Unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi won it in both 2004 and 2008.

Dick Lee, an 84-year-old retired fire chief in Centralia, said his decision will come down to whomever has the best ideas on fixing the economy and the bleak jobs picture. Lee describes himself as an independent voter who voted for Baird, but also voted for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

"I don't think I've ever voted a straight ticket in my life," he said.

All three candidates stress creating jobs. All of the district's seven counties -- except Thurston, home to the state capital -- have an unemployment rate ranging between 10 and nearly 13 percent.

"In a year like this, where the economy and spending are top issues in people's minds, a Republican candidate talking about private sector jobs and limiting the size of government and curbing reckless spending will attract Republicans, Democrats and independents," Herrera said.

Castillo, 42, and Herrera, 31, both campaign on socially and fiscally conservative platforms, and claim some tea party support. Both oppose the recent work of the Democrat-controlled Congress, including the health care overhaul and the federal stimulus package.

Castillo, a financial adviser who entered the race months before Baird announced he was retiring, said the main difference between him and the other main candidates is that Herrera and Heck "represent the status quo."

"The vast majority of voters in this district are fed up and are going to be looking for something new, someone who hasn't held elective office," he said.

Appointed to her House seat in 2007, Herrera won election easily in 2008, with 60 percent of the vote. She jumped into the U.S. House race within days of Baird's announcement that he would not seek re-election. She quickly won support from several Republican heavyweights, including her former boss, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton.

Andy Wetz, a 57-year-old energy industry consultant from Vancouver, said was so impressed when he heard Herrera speak that he made his first ever political campaign contribution.

"That's how concerned I am about the direction the country is heading," he said. "That's a tangible reflection of my feelings and my fears."

Castillo, who was a presidential appointee at the Department of Homeland Security, has the backing of Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna and former U.S. Rep. Randy Tate.

Melissa Sanders, a 30-year-old third grade teacher from Woodland, said she likes Herrera as her state representative, but wants Castillo in Congress.

"He's a man of conviction, and I think that's what people are looking for," she said.

Heck, 58, said he knows that Democrats are facing frustrated voters.

"I'm one of those voters," he said. "I'm pretty angry too."

Heck said that he doesn't think Congress has done enough to deal with the high unemployment rate and he said that while he would have voted to pass the federal stimulus package, he would have worked to get more jobs created in the short term.

"Getting people back to work should be job No. 1," he said.

Heck served five terms in the Legislature before going on to be then-Gov. Booth Gardner's chief of staff. He founded the TVW public affairs network in 1993, co-owns a land development company in southwest Washington and is a lead investor in an electronic records company.

Chris Crowley, a renewable energy project developer from Vancouver, said Heck's experience in the private sector make him an ideal candidate.

"It's easy for politicians to tout jobs, but fairly rare to find one who really understands how hard it is to build and grow a business," Crowley wrote in an e-mail.