Endorsements in the 18th

Ann Rivers, the La Center businesswoman who’s leading the pack in fund-raising in the hot 18th District race, won the endorsement of the National Rifle Association this week.

“Ann Rivers is a fellow NRA member and has indicated strong support for the Second Amendment and working knowledge of the issues surrounding this most important debate,” the NRA said in a press release.

River says she and her husband have been NRA members for years and that she has “hunted many times with her husband and two children,” an activity she described as a “fantastic hobby and adventure.”

Meanwhile, Jon Russell, the Washougal city councilman who’s also running in the 18th, got a nod from the Longview Daily News, which endorsed both Rivers and Russell in its Aug. 1 edition. The paper took note of the fact that Russell’s the only candidate who has served as an elected official, and also that he backs a “tourism corridor” from Mount St. Helens to Mount Rainier, an idea Cowlitz County hopes will stimulate growth and tourism. The 18th includes a big chunk of Cowlitz County.

Kathie Durbin