Candidate Luke Esser says his experience an advantage

By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter

JAMES BRANAMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES Sen. Luke Esser says his work in the state House and Senate gives him what no other candidate has; legislative experience.

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When he was a young college student at the University of Washington studying journalism, Luke Esser penned a column for the UW Daily: "The Lesser of Two Evils by Luke the Truth Esser."

The satirical sports column attacked every foe of the UW Huskies, and Esser had particular enmity for the Washington State University Cougars.

Now that he's running for Congress, Esser hopes Cougar fans in his 8th District have short memories.

"Consider it the youthful indiscretion of college," said Esser, a state senator from Bellevue who is one of four Republicans running to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jennifer Dunn.

Election 2004 One of a series of articles profiling the candidates to represent the 8th Congressional District, which includes cities and suburbs east and southeast of Seattle.

"There's probably more Husky fans than Cougar fans in the district," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland, a legislative colleague and a Cougar fan.

Esser, at 43 the youngest of the seven candidates in the race, says his work in the state House of Representatives and Senate gives him what no other candidate has, legislative experience. He is now majority floor leader in the Senate.

A slim victory

Luke Esser Age: 43 Party: Republican Residence: Bellevue Family: Unmarried, no children Education: B.A. and law degree from the University of Washington. Work: Member of the state Senate; policy director for Metropolitan King County Councilman Rob McKenna. Campaign theme: Esser says he's the only candidate in the 8th District race with state legislative experience, and emphasizes his ability to work with Democrats even though they may not agree politically.

When he heard Dunn was retiring, Esser first tried to persuade former State Sen. Dan McDonald, R-Yarrow Point, to run. When McDonald declined, Esser jumped into the race.

"I saw no other Republicans with legislative experience," Esser said.

"Congress would give me the opportunity to work on issues similar to those in the Legislature, like economic development and transportation, but on a bigger scale."

An attorney, Esser was elected to the state House in 1998, defeating Kirkland City Councilman Sants Contreras by a slim 121 votes. The race was so close, newspaper reports had Contreras winning until the absentee ballots gave the seat to Esser.

He served four years in the House before joining the state Senate in 2003, replacing McDonald. His term doesn't end until 2007, so if he loses the 8th District race, he won't lose his job.

"Luke is far more knowledgeable than any other candidate in how the legislative process works," Finkbeiner said. "This bodes well for his effectiveness in Congress."

Esser says his strength is his ability to work with Democrats in the Legislature, even though they may not agree politically.

"What separates effective legislators from others is when the major party is polite to the minor party," said state Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton. "He has that ability. He's very smart. You know where his core values are."

Fighting for the 7E7

Prentice, who served with Esser on a bipartisan group of lawmakers leading the legislative effort to land final assembly of the Boeing 7E7, said when he ran for the state Senate she jokingly asked him if it would be unethical of her to give him a campaign contribution.

She said they disagree on many issues, such as abortion — she is pro-choice, he is not — but she doesn't ever remember arguing with him. "You can reason with him. He's always very civil."

A Bellevue native, Esser, who has never married, graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in editorial journalism and accounting. He graduated from the UW law school in 1989, worked briefly for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office on juvenile cases, and then took a job as a law clerk and bailiff.

Drawn into politics during the Ronald Reagan era, Esser worked on former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton's re-election campaign in 1994 and helped get a former UW classmate, Rob McKenna, elected to the Metropolitan King County Council in 1995.

He took a job as McKenna's policy director and is on leave to campaign for the congressional seat.

"He's a hard worker and extremely intelligent," said McKenna, a Republican who is running for state attorney general. "He was one of the top high-school debaters in the state.

"He's a very skilled legislator, but to be realistic, it won't be a walk in the park."

Making a protest

Colleagues point to Esser's sense of humor and self-deprecating manner. When he was in college he would regularly attend Mariners games in the Kingdome, sitting in the left-field cheap seats.

At one game a fan interfered with a deep drive to left field, and the Mariners lost the game.

According to Esser, the Mariners then closed off the first row of seats where he liked to sit. In protest, he and a friend went to a game on Fan Appreciation Night and handcuffed themselves to a railing in protest. "We said it was a Gandhi-esque act of civil disobedience," but when a security guard mentioned the word "jail," Esser suddenly remembered where the handcuff key was.

"We left to a standing ovation," said Esser. "My favorite memory was of the deputy sheriff, as he led us out. He said, 'I think you kids were right.' "

Esser has a collection of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer memorabilia. Last year, at an annual party he hosts, someone kidnapped Bumble, the abominable snowman.

Esser would periodically receive letters from the kidnappers using cut-out words, like in a ransom note. The kidnappers claimed they were turning Bumble into a Democrat and sent pictures of him with Patty Murray.

The worst, Esser said, was word that they'd turned Bumble into a Cougar fan. Finally, at Christmas, Bumble was returned by a lobbyist.

The perpetrator? Esser has his suspicions that it was a lobbyist, or more than one lobbyist. "Justice will be served," he promised.

Aside from fun and games, Esser points to his willingness to promote other legislators' bills without worrying about who gets credit. He pointed to his work renewing high-tech tax incentives and pushing for more money for domestic-violence programs, as well as his work to help the state win the 7E7.

He voted against the nickel gas-tax increase in the Legislature and said he opposes an initiative on the ballot in November that would raise the sales tax for education.

Esser realizes he's up against strong candidates and acknowledges the strong name familiarity of King County Sheriff Dave Reichert. But Esser points out he's received the endorsement of two police organizations, the Washington State Patrol Troopers and the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs.

Esser has raised about $205,000 so far and hopes to raise $250,000 for the primary race. He said he hadn't decided whether he would buy TV time.

Esser is a huge sports fan but was not an athlete in high school because he was overweight. In the past four years he's lost 70 pounds on the Atkins diet and was so impressed by the diet guru that he eulogized Atkins in a speech on the Senate floor in 2003.

"Probably three-quarters of the Senate Democrats and Republicans are now doing the diet," said Majority Leader Finkbeiner, pointing out that one of Esser's earliest converts was former colleague Dino Rossi, who is now running for governor.

Esser stretches his 6-foot-3 frame and looks at his feet. "People say whoever replaces Jennifer Dunn will have big shoes to fill," he said. "Mine are size 14. It's a good start."

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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