"Schoesler announces plans to seek re-election"

This is great news. Regular readers of the blog know that I am a huge Mark Schoesler fan. He is Eastern Washington's voice of reason in Olympia.

I will be doing everything I can to see Mark is reelected this fall. We need him in the Capitol.

From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Washington state Sen. Mark Schoesler announced today he will seek a second term as 9th District state senator.

Schoesler, a Republican from Ritzville, was elected to the Senate in 2004 after serving 12 years in the House of Representatives.

Schoesler said he chose to run for a second term because there still are several issues confronting the state and the 9th District that need to be addressed. The state still faces tough budget and water issues, she said.

"People have been very good to me in the 9th District, and there are issues in the district that I enjoy working on and that are still important," Schoesler said.

While in the Legislature, Schoesler has advanced to several leadership positions. He was chosen as Republican Caucus whip two years into his Senate term. He currently serves as floor leader and is charged with planning the Senate's daily floor action and debate.

Schoesler also is the lead Republican on the Senate Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Committee and serves on the Higher Education and Financial Institutions and Insurance committees. He is a member of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee and has a seat on the Rules Committee.

Schoesler operates a century-old family farm raising wheat, canola and cattle. He and his wife, Ginger, have two children - Veronica and Cody.

He is a graduate of Spokane Community College.