SPOKANE -

Positioning himself as a moderate Democrat, 5th District U.S. House candidate Mark Mays made his presence known at the Washington State Republican Party Convention today. Volunteers for the campaign visited the parking lot across the street from the convention center and dropped fliers off on the windshields of every car touting Mays as "a clear, moderate alternative to the current Representative."

Mays, who is running against Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, said of her in an accompanying press release, "My opponent supports the War in Iraq, has voted for the Patriot Act repeatedly, has voted to create the largest Federal Budget in U.S. History, has refused to defend the Constitutional Balance of Power, and has voted with President George W. Bush 95% of the time. She does not represent the views and values of the people of Eastern Washington."

He also reiterated his own policy preferences on those topics, stating on the fliers that he opposes the Iraq war, "believes in fiscal responsibility" and "wants to restore Constitutional balance of power."