Re-elect state Sen. Rodney Tom in the 48th Legislative District

IN the overwhelming Democratic majority controlling Olympia, there must be room for the moderate politics of state Sen. Rodney Tom.

Tom serves a swing district that includes parts of Bellevue, Redmond and Kirkland, along with Medina and Clyde Hill.

He has been a principled moderate, a stance that fits his suburban district. This is no yes man for the Democratic leadership in Olympia. He incurred the party's wrath when he voted against his own caucus' budget and the $800 million tax package to pay for it.

Tom's reasoning was elegantly simple. Lawmakers needed to cut more before raising taxes. It can be done. In 2009, Tom helped write the Senate operating budget that filled a $9 billion deficit without raising taxes.

Tom has pushed for government efficiencies, such as eliminating The Public Printer, the state's print shop, which has been around since 1854.

Currently vice chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Tom's principled voice is needed.

His Republican challenger, Gregg Bennett, is a startup business consultant. Bennett has raised more than $400,000 in contributions — more than any other state legislative campaign, according to the Public Disclosure Commission. Tom has raised considerably less. But Bennett is no replacement for Tom's experience and legislative track record.