Two Democrats vying for South Sound's 10th District congressional seat

SEATTLE - With the election just days away, voters in Washington's 10th Congressional District are looking at their ballots and trying to decide between two Democrats.  

The district includes parts of Pierce, Thurston and Mason counties including the cities of Olympia, Puyallup, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

When Congressman Denny Heck decided to run for lieutenant governor, it created an open seat.

So let's go deeper on the two democrats wanting to be your next congresswoman and either way, they will make history.

Marilyn Strickland got the most votes during the August Primary. Strickland served two terms as the mayor of Tacoma. She also headed up the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

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If she wins, she'll make history as the first African-American member of Congress from Washington and the first Korean-American woman ever elected to congress.

She is running against Beth Doglio, who served two terms as a state representative after being a community organizer and environmental activist. Doglio would become the first openly LGBTQ member of Congress from Washington.

Strickland is being called the pragmatist in the race, endorsed by moderate Democrats, former Governor Christine Gregoire, former Governor Gary Locke and others. Doglio is being labeled the progressive, grabbing endorsements from big-named progressives like Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

But neither candidate wants to be labeled.

"I’m Beth Doglio. I’m not a Bernie Sanders or a Joe Biden," Doglio said. "I’m Beth Doglio and what I care about is the people in the South Sound. I go back to the fact, it’s not about progressive moderate conservative, it’s about who is going to get the job done.”

Strickland also askes voters and reporters to stay away from putting the two candidates in the race in specific lanes. 

“I am a woman who is African-American and Korean and people have been trying to label me my whole life," Strickland said. "The voters want folks who are going to deliver results and so if you’re going to have to affix a label, I consider myself a Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Democrat.”

There are clear differences when it comes to the issues. 

On Medicare for All, which is one national health insurance plan for all Americans, Doglio supports it.

“There are 87 million under- and uninsured people right now and having healthcare tied to your employment, it doesn’t work, we’ve seen during this pandemic, that simply doesn’t work,” Doglio said.

Strickland prefers adding a public option to the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. 

"At the end of the day, healthcare is a right and we want every person who calls the U.S. home to have access to healthcare. But the reality is, what is actually going to pass out of Congress to have progress? That’s the conversation,” Strickland said. 

They also differ on the Green New Deal, the plan laid out by some members of Congress to tackle climate change.

Strickland prefers a more moderate approach, supporting Joe Biden's climate plan.

Strickland said of Biden's plan, it's "very thoughtful. He’s framed it as a job creation initiative as much as a clean energy initiative.”

Doglio supports the Green New Deal, adding that bold action is needed to save the planet.

"Do we want to address what’s going on from a climate perspective in marginalized communities that have born the brunt of fossil fuel pollution and dirty air and dirty water, or do we want to move forward and try and rapidly move towards a system that uses less fossil fuels?” Doglio asked. 

There's also been reportedly a good amoutn of money pouring in to this race from political action committees from outside of Western Washington. Progressive groups have been lining up to support Doglio and most of the corporate money has been going to Strickland.

It's just one race highlighting the divide within the Democratic Party.