In the blue-collar 3rd congressional district, where the unemployment rate teeters between 10 and 15 percent, the economy has been the biggest campaign issue this election season. Appropriately enough, both candidates, Democrat Denny Heck and Republican Jaime Herrera, are squarely focused on the downturn. Heck's response is the more substantive of the two.

Heck spent ten years as a state rep in Olympia in the 70's and 80's, moved on to become chief of staff to former Gov. Booth Gardner, and, as an entrepreneur, founded the state's public affairs TV network, TVW; currently, he runs a firm that provides job training to business recruits.

Heck emphasizes government investment in infrastructure projects. And he isn't shy about criticizing the economic efforts of the Obama Administration—the economic stimulus package took too much time to go into effect, he says, and he knocks the feds for delaying half the infrastructure investments created in the bill. Heck argues for more investments in small businesses (along the lines of a recently signed $30 billion measure that provides tax breaks to small businesses and incentives for banks to loan to them) and says the government should focus spending on job-creating infrastructure projects and ending loopholes for companies that send jobs overseas.

Heck's opponent Herrera, a former aide to party-line ideologue Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-5) who also interned for President Bush's political arm at the White House, relies on a simplistic message, insisting that the government should keep its hands off the economy and let small businesses lead the country out of economic darkness by the light of the free market—a philosophy of hands-off government that is largely responsible for our current crisis.

Herrera argues that the government needs to slash spending and "live within its means" rather than invest in recovery programs. In dire times, the small businesses Herrera hypes as innovators are going to have trouble getting by unless the government makes it easier for them to borrow money and increases opportunities for workers to find jobs.

Additionally, Herrera pledges to introduce a bill in Congress mandating that the federal government balance the budget each session, the way state governments do. Meanwhile, state governments, hobbled by these laws, continue to fail to provide basic services to citizens as they are forced to drastically cut their budgets.

Herrera has also been aided by a nationwide ad blitz from a shady political nonprofit called "Americans for Prosperity," a front group for anonymous corporate donations tied to energy magnate David Koch.

If the government is going to be able to truly assist families in Southwestern Washington, it's going to be through smart investments in sustainable infrastructure. PubliCola picks Denny Heck for his practical knowledge and willingness to offer innovative solutions to fix the economy.

For a little more background, check out our video interview with Heck (here ) and our coverage of Herrera's campaign (here and here).

To read all 60-plus PubliCola Picks, including our initial batch of 32 No Brainers, click here.