Democrat Haugen announces for Senate, ‘embarrassed’ by incumbent

In Southwestern Washington's 18th District, there is a new challenger to Sen. Joe Zarelli (R-Ridgefield). But not to come in quietly, Jon Haugen (D-Felida) is making waves from the start. "I'm embarrassed to have him as my state senator," Haugen told The Columbian. In the article he cited a drug offense from the early 1980s and two counts of misrepresenting income on Zarellis' taxes.

Zarelli told the paper he was not impressed by Haugen's claims. "He's crossing the line, in my opinion," claimed Zarelli. "To my way of thinking, he's demonstrating a lack of character. I made bad choices as a youth. There's nothing new that hasn't been shared in past campaigns."

The incumbent has been in office for twelve years and is the ranking Republican on the Ways and Means Committee. Zarellis has raised $73,000 so far to Haugen's $5,000.