SUNNYSIDE - Voters in the general election that starts this week will have to decide whether Clint Didier's claim that Dan Newhouse is an establishment Republican is true.

What they won't have to guess is whether Newhouse knows politics. He grew up on politics. He was inspired to serve by his father, state representative then Senator Irving Newhouse, who served 34 years.

"I went to political meetings with dad when I was nine," he said.

Newhouse watched how his father dealt with people at meetings around the district and at Olympia. He learned how to reach agreement with opponents.

Irv retired in 1998 and died in 2001. In 2003 Dan was elected to the same House seat his father had held. He gave it up in 2009 to become the Secretary of Agriculture for Gov. Christine Gregoire.

The issues facing the state in Dan's time were not all the same as in Irv's time, but Dan approached them with the same tact. He sought agreements that would satisfy him and his opponents.

"I want to take my experience in Olympia to Washington, D.C.," he said. "I'm the most qualified to do the job."

If elected, three issues on which Newhouse will focus are a balanced budget amendment, a repeal of Obamacare and protection of 2nd Amendment rights.

Like Washington State, Newhouse believes the federal government should have to live within a balanced budget without printing money to balance it.

"Our national debt is $18 trillion," he said. "That's an accumulation of budget deficits. It will have to be paid some day."

Obamacare is simply wrong-headed, Newhouse believes. It has not driven medical costs downward, as advertised. While some new people have been insured, cost has risen for many.

"People have told me all summer they don't like the mandate (requiring insurance)," Newhouse said.

Newhouse noted the Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms in the 2nd Amendment. However, he said there are efforts under way all of the time to restrict ownership.

"People would think twice about attacking this country because our gun rights," he said.

If Newhouse makes it to Washington, he'll have to deal with national security, which his father did not. He wants to strengthen the military, and he believes it will take more than commando forces to defeat terrorist enemies.

"We can't ignore them. Their stated goal is the destruction of the United States," Newhouse said. "We have to deal with it now, not after they're here."

Newhouse is Past President of the Yakima Farm Bureau and Past President of the National Hops Growers. He graduated from WSU with a degree in Agricultural Economics.