Jim McDermott
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James Adelbert "Jim" McDermott (born 28 December 1936) is the current U.S. Representative for the Seventh Congressional District of Washington. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was first elected to Congress in 1988. McDermott serves on the House Ways and Means Committee.
The Seventh District includes all of Seattle and Vashon Island and portions of Shoreline, Tukwila, SeaTac, and Burien.
McDermott was born in Chicago, Illinois. As a licensed physician (MD, University of Illinois Medical School, 1963), he is particularly interested in health care issues. He served in the United States Navy Medical Corps during the Vietnam War era.
In 1980, then-State Senator McDermott defeated incumbent Dixy Lee Ray in the Democrat primary for Governor of Washington, but lost the general election to John Spellman.
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McDermott, who is regarded as one of the House's most liberal members, has recently gained a degree of national prominence in the wake of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. After visiting Iraq in early 2003, conservative commentators labeled him "Baghdad Jim," a name that many of his supporters have taken up as a term of endearment.
McDermott told a Seattle radio station on December 15, 2003 that the U.S. military could have found Saddam Hussein "a long time ago if they wanted." Asked if he thought the weekend capture was timed to help George W. Bush, McDermott laughed and said, "Yeah. Oh, yeah." McDermott went on to say, "There's too much by happenstance for it to be just a coincidental thing."
He appears in Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 discussing the aftermath of September 11.
McDermott won his ninth term with over 80% of the vote in the election held on 2 November 2004.
| Preceded by: Mike Lowry (D) | U.S. Representative Washington 7 | Followed by: Currently in office |
External links
- Congressman Jim McDermott - Washington State's 7th Congressional District (http://www.house.gov/mcdermott/)
- campaign website (http://www.mcdermottforcongress.com/)