Tara Dublin: My Day in MAGAVille [View all]

Link to tweet

https://hillreporter.com/commentary-watch-long-read-my-day-in-magaville-111691

Washington State’s 3rd district, located in Clark County, sits just across the Columbia River from the liberal enclave of Portland, Oregon. Clark was decidedly Blue when I moved here in 2001, but has become glaringly Red in the 20 years that have elapsed. A haven for the Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer, and other fringe groups that have ties to evangelical Christianity, the rural parts of Clark County could easily be mistaken for the Deep South.

As I drove north on State Route 503 towards the aptly named town of Battle Ground for my scheduled interview with the Trump-endorsed Joe Kent, who’s challenging Republican incumbent Jaime Herrera-Beutler, I saw more of a Trumpian presence than even before the 2020 election. Trump 2020 flags hung from businesses, trucks, even a scooter, as well as the homes I passed.

When I learned that Florida Man Matt Gaetz would be traveling all the way across the country to stand next to Joe Kent at a private fundraiser as well as a public rally on Labor Day, my first instinct was to protest it, to be completely transparent. But then I remembered I have this gig, and I have a legit reason to get the chance to speak to both Gaetz and Kent because I live in this district and pay taxes here. After exchanging texts with Byron Sanford, Kent’s campaign manager, I was set to interview them at a local coffee shop a few hours prior to the fundraiser. However, just before I left for the interview, I learned that I would only be speaking to Kent, as Gaetz wasn’t “doing any press” and would be traveling with a security detail. Something tells me I wasn’t vetted until the last minute, because a lot of what transpired on Monday seemed unprofessional and thrown together at the last minute, and it’s possible Gaetz was on board until he checked me out.

Knowing I didn’t want to enter MAGA territory alone–witness what happened to journalist Alissa Azar recently in Olympia, Washington, at the literal hands of the Proud Boys–I recruited my friend Nate to run the camera for me because I wanted to capture every word accurately. I also brought my friend “@ResusPatriot“, whom I’ll be referring to as “RP” from this point forward. RP is a veteran who lives in Eastern Washington, and he was curious to learn about his fellow veteran, Kent, as well as get the chance to get up close to Gaetz. I would later be most grateful for RP. At the coffee shop where we met–Joe Kent was maskless, as were most of the customers–a sign was posted that very clearly told us where we were.

*snip*