Opinion: When leaders lead

Mark Moore praises Heidi St. John for uniting with Joe Kent to support his 3rd Congressional District campaign. — Former 3rd Congressional District political opponents Heidi St. John and Joe Kent have teamed up to help the Republican candidate prevail in November’s general election. The two are shown here at a Tuesday event in Ridgefield. Photo courtesy Joe Kent Campaign

Vancouver resident Mark Moore praises Heidi St. John for teaming up with 3rd Congressional District candidate Joe Kent

Mark Moore
for Clark County Today

Tuesday (Sept. 24) evening, the beautiful 14 Acres Vineyard of Ridgefield was the scene of an event most seasoned political observers justifiably believed would never occur. Upon the initiative of Heidi St John, Republicans from across Clark County gathered to hear Heidi publicly, and enthusiastically express her support for Joe Kent in his race for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.

There was likely not a more vitriolic Republican primary in the 2022 election cycle than the one between Joe Kent and Heidi St John. In reality, most of that vitriol was fueled by over $10,000,000 of establishment Republican money attempting to protect incumbent Jaimie Hererra Beutler. Those establishment apparatchiks understood their best strategy to get JHB through to the general election was to stoke the fires of division between two highly qualified grassroots challengers. While it is my conviction that litigating the wounds of that race would be unproductive, I do believe it of paramount importance to learn the lesson that establishment actors from Washington, D.C. inflicted a deep, almost fatal, wound on the grassroots movement in Clark County and throughout the 3CD. We should also take particular note that they did this with abject disregard for the consequences to our entire community. They intentionally fomented conflict that destroyed long standing friendships and impugned the reputations of two dedicated, accomplished, patriotic public servants in Joe Kent and Heidi St John.

So, it is fair to say I approached last night’s event with curiosity … and cautious optimism. What over 100 people witnessed was a warm, and obviously quite sincere Heidi St John shared that Joe Kent is the right person for the job, and that it was time to unite behind him. What I, personally, witnessed was a very accomplished woman stand before a room of people intimately familiar with the wounds of the 2022 primary and say, not only with her words, but with her deeds, that the time had come to move forward in unity.

This is the exact type of thing real leaders do, the very hardest of things. They do those difficult things in spite of the personal cost to themselves. They subjugate their self-interest, and ambitions, for the purpose of the mission. Real leaders often have the most to lose in terms of reputation, standing, or security and yet they willingly take the decision to subordinate all of that in service of others. Last evening, Heidi St John humbly, and courageously, declared to those in attendance, and all who call Washington’s 3CD home, that what unites us is most important.

The Republican political landscape in Clark County has shifted dramatically in the last four years. Truth be told, the upheaval of the 2022 3CD primary was very much the catalyst for the positive change in the Clark County Republican Party. Both Heidi and Joe brought scores of new activists into the arena. Sadly, there was an uncomfortable tension between those groups and while it had subsided somewhat, it was still visible. I believe last night will be seen as the moment when people on both sides realized we share virtually every value, and that it was safe to lay down our offenses and unite for the good of our community. Many have been ambitious for this moment, Heidi’s courageous leadership brought this moment to pass, and she is to be celebrated.

Vancouver resident Mark Moore praises Heidi St. John for teaming up with 3rd Congressional District candidate Joe Kent

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