By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert might be unsure of his own political future, but he leaves no doubt there shouldn't be one for Donald Trump. During a stop in Eatonville last Thursday, the congressman said "I don't knowGÇ¥ if he might seek another office. He said he's "getting a lot of phone callsGÇ¥ from people who want him to reconsider his announcement last October that he won't run this year for governor. For now, he's officially a candidate for re-election in the 8th Congressional District, which includes Eatonville, Graham and other parts of Pierce and King counties. If he changes his mind and runs instead for governor in this fall's election, he would surrender the seat in Congress that he's held the past 11 years. Reichert, a Republican, flirted last year with a bid for governor. He indicated that recent pressure on him to get into the race stems from controversy over the state's transportation and prison programs under Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat. Bill Bryant, a Port of Seattle commissioner, is the only announced Republican in the race against Inslee. Speaking at a meeting of the Eatonville Chamber of Commerce, Reichert, 65, said he likes being in Congress and is "getting a lot doneGÇ¥ there. He earlier cited his efforts to improve international trade and the economic climate for small businesses. In response to a question about what he thought of a nationally televised debate Feb. 13 involving Republican candidates for president, Reichert took a swipe at Trump. "He would be dangerousGÇ¥ if elected to the White House, Reichert said. "He doesn't have a plan. The guy is a joke.GÇ¥ Referring to Trump's caustic or profane comments in debates and other appearances on the campaign trail, Reichert queried, "When did it become okay for a candidate for president to call people names and yell at people?GÇ¥ Reichert, who spoke earlier in the day to students in a history class at Eatonville High School, said young people should know that respectful discourse is better than politicians who verbally attack opponents. "Having opposite views is okay. That's what we have to teach our kids,GÇ¥ he said. Reichert, a former sheriff of King County, was first elected to Congress in 2005. In his most recent re-election, he received 63 percent of the votes in 2014.
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