King-TV Reporter To Run For Congress

Reporter John Sandifer has quit his job at KING 5 Television to run for Congress as a Democrat.

Sandifer, who turns 55 on Wednesday, said he plans to formally announce his campaign as early as next week for the 2nd District seat being vacated by Rep. Al Swift, D-Everett. He'll join five other Democrats and two Republicans in a wide-open race.

Sandifer described his politics as moderate to liberal, saying, for example, that he would have supported the Legislature's gay-rights bill last year and opposed two proposed ballot measures, Initiatives 608 and 610, to restrict gay rights.

He's pro-choice on abortion and supports a national health-care plan with universal access.

Primarily a police-beat reporter at KING, Sandifer said crime would be a focus of his campaign.

"I've been on the scene when they moved the body bag out. I've seen far too many of those," he said.

"I'm deeply concerned that we're putting Band-Aids on lot of crime and justice issues."

Beyond supporting community-policing and violence-intervention programs, Sandifer didn't say how he would address the issue.

The longtime television reporter is the second broadcast personality in recent weeks to make a jump into politics. Mike James, a former anchorman who also worked for KING, is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate. KVI-AM radio talk-show host Mike Siegel flirted with the idea of running for the same seat but decided last month he could be more influential on the airwaves.

Like James, Sandifer has been active in the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists - he's now the group's local president - and is counting on receiving some labor support.

Although he has been a Seattle resident, Sandifer said he's in the process of moving into the Sedro-Woolley house where he grew up. His last day at the television station was yesterday.

Sandifer joined KING in 1983 as producer of "Top Story." Three years later, he became a general-assignment reporter. A graduate of Washington State University with a degree in speech, he began his career in 1961 and worked as a radio reporter Spokane and an assignment editor for ABC News in New York before joining KOMO-TV as a reporter and anchor in 1973.

The other Democratic candidates for Swift's seat are state Sen. Harriet Spanel of Bellingham, state Reps. Paull Shin of Edmonds and Rob Johnson of Mount Vernon, former Everett Mayor Bob Anderson and Gabrielle Gallegos, a former aide to state Transportation Secretary Sid Morrison.

The Republican hopefuls are state Sen. Tim Erwin of Mill Creek and former state Sen. Jack Metcalf of Langley.