The district: Most of the suburbs east and south of Seattle, but also, all the towns along I-90 to the state's geographic center, and then north almost to the Canadian border. Lake Chelan is a poor man's Tahoe. The skiing is good. Mount Rainier is gorgeous for the 14 days per year when it's visible. Pretty wealthy—the average household income is just over $100,000—and about three-quarters white.

Also, I grew up in this district, and my parents still live there. More on them in a minute.

The incumbent: Dave Reichert, a former King County sheriff who helped catch the Green River Killer more than 20 years after the first of his 49 known murders, and then parlayed that bit of fame into what is now a 14-year career in Congress. He's one of a dozen Republicans who voted against Trumpcare, which is the type of thing that has enabled him to retain his seat in four straight presidential elections, including 2016, in which his party's candidate lost. Perhaps unwilling to press his luck any further, he announced his retirement in January.

The contenders: The Democrat is Kim Schrier, a pediatrician and first-time candidate who was inspired to run after growing frustrated with Reichert's reluctance to hold constituent town halls during the health care repeal debate last summer. She favors a public option, with the goal of "moving us toward" Medicare for All. Schrier advanced after a weird primary in which she won only 18.7 percent of the vote, thanks to three Democrats behind her split who an additional 31.5 percent between them. She'll need those supporters to turn out for her in November.

Her opponent is Dino Rossi, an off-and-on state senator who is now in his 15th consecutive year of failing to become the star for which the state's Republican Party always hoped. There is nothing Rossi loves more than losing statewide elections: for governor in 2004 and again in 2008, and then for U.S. Senate in 2010. Part of me is genuinely surprised that the party couldn't come up with anyone else off their bench to run in such a competitive contest.

On the issues, he told the Seattle Times that "it's not out of the question that human element can have an impact on the environment," but left it to the "scientists" to argue about the extent of that impact.

A personal story: Several weeks ago, while canvassing the neighborhood on a beautiful summer afternoon, Dino Rossi came face-to-face with none other than my 70-year-old father, who immediately recognized the Republican candidate standing on his doorstep. My dad votes for Democrats and is infuriated by Trump, but he is also the kind of person who prizes civility and decorum, and always sees the value in engaging with people, especially those with whom he disagrees, for the sake of The Discourse. Thus, he thanked Rossi for his time, but issued a quick disclaimer that he planned to back Schrier.

To this, Rossi replied: “So, you’re saying you want Nancy Pelosi to become the next Speaker of the House!”

This brand of unimaginative, reflexive fearmongering both surprised and amused my dad, who asked if that was really Rossi's pitch to voters. From there, he says, they went back and forth for awhile, debating the merits of the Affordable Care Act (my dad likes it; Dino doesn't), tax policy (there is no state income tax in Washington, which means public schools here never have any money), and that one time Rossi helped balance the state budget (in 2003). After ten minutes of what my dad happily describes as "a civil and mostly informed discussion," they exchanged head nods and agreed to respectfully disagree.

Or so he thought! Because as my dad closed the door, Rossi—while walking away, and without turning around—fired off a parting zinger: "I'm going to be your next representative. You'd better get used to it."

(A spokesperson for the Rossi campaign provided me with the following statement: "Dino has no memory of this particular interaction, but seriously doubts he said the last two sentences you quoted and I've never heard him say anything remotely close to that. The rest of the interaction you describe doesn't sound atypical to me.")

If this is how Dino Rossi addresses prospective constituents, all those Ls he’s absorbed over his career are starting to make a lot more sense.