Every story has two sides and American politics is no different. Cathy McMorris Rodgers was first elected in 2004 and is one of the few Republicans representing Washington in the U.S. Congress. But maybe it isn’t time for a change in Eastern Washington as well.

McMorris Rodgers is in many respects a typical conservative in a Democratic state. She supported some of the legislation for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, supports gun rights and the right to life i.e. no abortions. Every Republican in the district would be a fervent supporter of McMorris Rodgers, particularly because most strong Republicans on the east side reside in rural communities. She has worked hard to expand health care opportunities for farmers and to improve access to agricultural technologies. Her primary goal has been to expand the opportunity of a successful farm life in an economy that is slowly phasing the profession out.

McMorris Rodgers serves on the Armed Services committee in the House of Representatives and was especially vocal in preserving Fairchild Air Force Base. Most recently, she prevented the base’s closure by removing it from the Base Realignment and Closure list. She serves as an integral member of the Committee on Education and Labor, primarily because she feels education is the foundation of a “well-trained and competitive workforce.” With that in mind she sponsored the American Competitiveness Amendment, a bipartisan bill meant to improve access to science, math and foreign language education.

As I said, a very typical conservative agenda for a U.S. Representative. McMorris Rodgers does however serve some of our Democratic interests as well. First of all, McMorris Rodgers is very open about her desire to protect the environment. She is adamantly opposed to our dependence on foreign oil. She supports virtually all legislation geared toward expanding renewable resources and limiting our dependence on foreign oil. Similarly, she works hard to preserve Washington’s forests and endangered species from the natural population growth we have seen worldwide.

Voting against the party line is difficult, especially when the history of the party shows little independent voting, but McMorris Rodgers took a walk on the wild side in respect to children’s health care. In 2007, she voted in favor of a bill expanding a health insurance program for children nationwide when most of her party voted against it. McMorris Rodgers is also a supporter of students in Eastern Washington and voted to reduce interest rates on student loans. Even though her record considering the war on terror consistently shows her support of a Bush doctrine, McMorris Rodgers voted for a ban on cruel and unusual treatment of detainees at Guantanamo.

Of Republicans running for office, McMorris Rodgers doesn’t lean to the right as far as one would think. It’s a bold statement to call her a moderate Republican, but in many respects this is an appropriate title. She’s also one of the few representatives I’ve seen actively attempt to support her constituency in a genuine, heartfelt manner. In some cases, it’s not about what the candidate believes but what he or she seeks to accomplish for the people who helped the leader get elected. Sure, McMorris Rodgers supports an unfavorable war in the Middle East, but with a House and Senate losing their Republican flare each election year, she might be a good one to keep around.

Keep in mind, any representative who takes the time to support their constituents, both Democrat and Republican as well as break party lines, is someone worth taking a second glance at, even if you are a liberal.